-LI  B  RARY 

OF   THE 

UN  IVE.RSITY 
Of    ILLINOIS 


IIDitii  Historical  Survej 


. — *:> 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


n 


Containing  Sio graphical  Sketches  of  pioneers  ana  Ceabing  Citizens. 


"Biography  is  the  only  true  history." --Emerson. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  REVIEW  PUBLISHING  CO. 
1892. 


PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


10 


George  Washington 9 

John  Adams 14 

Thomas  Jefferson 20 

James  Madison 26 

James  Monroe 32 

John  Quincy  Adams 38 

Andrew  Jackson  47 

Martin  Van  Buren 52 

William  Henry  Harrison    56 

John  Tyler 60 

James  K.  Polk 64 

Zachary  Taylor 68 


Millard  Fillmore ".2 

Franklin  Pierce 70 

James  Buchanan 80 

Abraham  Lincoln 84 

Andrew  Johnson !  3 

Ulysses  S.  Grant 96 

R.  B.Hayes 102 

J.  A.  Garfield . . . '. 109 

Chester  A.  Arthur 113 

Grover  Cleveland 117 

Benjamin  Harrison 120 


CONTENTS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


Adams,  Wm.  T 244 

Agnew,  Jas.  M 321 

Alexander,  W.  L 288 

Allard,  Cad 271 

Allen,, A.  R 366 

Alleu,  D.  H 382 

Allison,  Jos ...  430 

Allphin,G.  W 133 

Allphin,  Z 134 

Anderson,  E.  M 610 

Anderson,  Frank  820 

Anderson,  Robert 580 

Anderson,  V 405 

Angler,  F.  L 258 

Arenz,  J.  A 236 

Armstrong,  Thomas 5(i8 

Aten,  C.  L 438 

Aten,   Robert 391 

Avery,  Philander 181 

Ayers,  M 144 

B 

Bacon,  H.  M .  458 

Bader,  Wm 291 

Bagby,  John.  C 150 

Baker,  N.  W 541 

Baujan,  John 496 

Baujan,  H.  J 508 

Barneycastle,  G.  W 580 

Barry,  L.  T 378 

Barton,  Thos 406 

Baxter,  H.  B  387 

Beatty,  J.  J 568 

Becker,  Conrad 538 

Beckwith,E.  W 203 

Bell,  Ira 589 

Bennett,  John.  L 238 

Berry,  F.  E 139 

Berry,  O.  A*. 233 

Bertholf,  Edward 520 

Black,  Isaac 549 

Black,  J.  F 128 

Black.  John.  H 296 

Black,  J.  M 174 

Black,  R.  S ..    616 

Black,  W.T 132 

Blackburn,  B.  M 369 

Bleyer,  J.  W 523 

Blose,  D.  A 474 

Bokemeier,  Chas 246 

Bolle,  E.  H 488 

Bollman,  W.  C 201 

Boone,  N.  H 471 

Bordenkircher,  Geo 143 

Bowe,  Mrs.  M.  F 606 

Boyd,  Mark 160 

Boyd,  Richard 540 

Brackenridge,  W.  H 357 


Bradbury,  J.  T 159 

Brannan,  Stephen 521 

Briar,  Joseph 272 

Brockman,  Wash 131 

Brockschmidt,  Christian 503 

Broker,  Win  A 287 

Brooks,  Martin 164 

Brown.  Robt     280 

Browning,  J.J 898 

Brumback,  W.  L 504 

Buck,  J.J 318 

Buracker,  Win 153 

Burnside,  Wm.  H 361 

Bush,  Richard 533 

Byrns,  G.  A 341 


Cady,  F.  E 507 

Cady,  Henry 209 

Cady,  M.  E 283 

Calef,  S.  L 146 

Campbell,  G.  S 220 

Campbell,  Geo.  W 515 

Campbell,  L.  C 313 

Campbell,  Pauline 464 

Campbell,  Wm 365 

Carles,  L.  M 166 

Carls,  J.  1 1 458 

Carr,  David 446 

Carter,  Thomas  H 259 

Chaltant,  T.  J 497 

Clark,  Abner  A 323 

Clark,  Elias 522 

Clark,  F.  A 438 

Clark,  J.H 529 

Clark,  J.  K 187 

Clark,  J.  T. 316 

Clark,   L.  W 188 

Clark, T.J 206 

Clark,  W.  A 316 

Cleek,  M.  M 403 

Clifford,  Michael 176 

Coil,  A.  S 488 

Coleman,  Wm.  H 270 

Colt,  D.  P 389 

Coningham,  Grove 289 

Conover,  Geo 367 

Cook,S.  W 541 

Cosner,  Jos.  L 350 

Cox,  Wm.  M 164 

Cramer,  Englebert 576 

Crampton,  S.  C 391 

Craske,  Henry 151 

Crawford,  Jas 170 

Crum,  G.  W 219 

Crutn,  H.  J 443 

Crum,  Jas 436 

Crum,  Thos.  J 312 

Cunningham,  A 343 


Cunningham,  James 416 

Cuningham,  T.  E 513 

Curry,  F.  M 161 

D 

Daniel,  J.  W 4] 8 

Darnell,  Jesse 597 

Davis,  F.  E 360 

Davis,  J.  A 307 

Davis,  J.H 415 

Davis,  W.  B 180 

Davis,  Wm.  J   199 

De  Counter,  Samuel 311 

Demaree,  W.  L 381 

Deppe,  J.  H 396 

De  Witt,  Jas 262 

De  Witt,  Jas.  L 497 

Dick,  Levi 216 

Dirreen,  John 345 

Dodds,  David 371 

Dodge,  J.  S 290 

Dorselt,  C 420 

Dorsett,  W.  D 157 

Downing,  F.  E 584 

Druse,  W.  H  577 

Ducharclt,  Christian 357 

Dunlap,  C.  M 491 

Dunn,  Chas.  N 136 

Dunn,  R.  H 865 

Dupes,  Christian 239 

Dyson,  Edwin 333 


Edgar,  A.  C 137 

Edmonston,  Enoch 195 

Edwards,  J.  M 507 

Eif'ert,  Geo.  H 260 

Elliott,  John 333 

Ellis,  S.  E 304 

Emmerson,  Wm.  T 588 

Erwin,  Geo.  W 599 

Erwin,  Lewis  D  461 

Evans,  Hiram 437 


F 


Fields,  G.  1 249 

Fischer,  Henry  Jr 545 

Flinn,  J.C 387 

Foote,  John 61S 

Foster,  H.  T 179 

Frank,  Ed  S 449 

Frankenfield.Theo  473 

Freesen.  Wm 594 

Frey,  John.  Geo 485 

Frisby,  Geo.  W 525 

Fulks,  R.  B 512 

Funk,  H.  C. 612 


CONTENTS. 


G 

Gapeu,  Thos 587 

Garni,  Henry 442 

Garner,  I.  R 581 

Garner,  W.S 423 

Gaut.  W.  P 493 

Gen  -ish,  Cynthia 46(i 

Gerrish,  Jacob  D 466 

Gibson,  Ira  N 480 

Gifford,  Jog 233 

Glandon,  John 454 

Glaze,  W.  W 245 

Glover,  W.  S 561 

Goodell,  J.  H 385 

Green,  Nancy 198 

Greenwell,  Wm.  M 170 

Greer,Geo 802 

Greer.J.L 578 

Greer,  M.  W 130 

Greve,  Henry 417 

Griffith,  K.  H 478 

Griffith,  W.  H 558 

Grimwood  W.  M   516 

Grover,  Jas 519 

Grover,  H.  P 530 

H 

Hackman,  E.  F 211 

Hackraan,  Wm 23> 

Hageman,  A.  L 567 

Hagener,  Ed 495 

Hagener,  John  H 320 

Hager,  Ly  man 432 

Hale,  Wm . .  505 

Hall,  E.G 445 

Hambaugh,  J.  M 601 

Hammer,  F.  A 242 

Hansmeyer,  H 127 

Harbison,  Martha  J 352 

Harbison,  Moses 470 

Hardiug,  Peyton 548 

Harris,  Maro 557 

Harshey,  Amos. 450 

Hash,  Zachariah 490 

Hayes,  J.  W 579 

Heaton,  Henry  W 401 

Heaton,  John 37!) 

Hedgcock,  A.  J  193 

Hedgcock,  Joshua 344 

Herron,  David 143 

Herzberger,  Conrad 39!) 

Hierman  H.  A 537 

Higgius, Jackson 279 

Hiles,Jas B19 

Hill,  A 575 

Hill,  Chas 451 

Hill,  Israel 359 

Hills,  John.  T 517 

Hind  111:111,  Samuel 552 

Hines,  H . .; 433 

llimiun.  Mrs.  M 556 

llin.-s  H 433 

Hottman,  Geo.  H 551 

Hoffman,  J.  C '. 511 

Hood,  S.  .1 271 

Horrom,  Cyrus 181 

Horton,  John.  D 324 


Howell,  Jacob 524 

Howell,  Tlios.  S 383 

Hueschen,  John 421 

Huff,G.  P 479 

Huge,  F.  W 512 

Hunt,  Jos 197 

Huppers,  Wm 136 

HUBS',  C.  J 611 

Huss,  John.  F 301 


Irwin,  C.  N 441 


Jackson,  Ezra 205 

Jackson,  Mary 590 

Jaques,  Hiram  256 

Jockisch,  Ernest "620 

Jockisch,  Wm 346 

Johnson,  C.  F  294 

Johnston,  D.  W.  C 600 

Jokisch,  C.  T 145 

Jokisch,  C.  G 141 

Jokisch,  Philip 377 

Jones,  C.  E 210 

Jones,  Thos 353 

Juett,  Chas.  H- 535 

K 

Kallasch,  Adolph 402 

Keil,  H.  C 241 

Keith,  P.  K 486 

Kendrick,  John.  G 612 

Kennedy,  Charles 426 

Kerley,  King 410 

Kerr,  John 196 

Kircher,  John 007 

Kirkham,  Geo.  H 527 

Kloker,  L.  F 298 

Knight,  Thos 252 

Korsmeyer,  F.  W 153 

Korsmeyer,  H.  H :  400 

Korte,  Henry  C 273 

Krohe,  August 562 

Krohe,  Henry  W 283 

Krohe,  Fred 259 

Krohe,  Henry  C 310 

Krohe,  Lewis  E 395 

Krueger,  C.  S 467 

Kruse,  F.  H.  D 465 

Kuhl,  George 277 

Kuhlmann,  Chris 381 


Lambert,  Wm  J 534 

Lancaster,  Reuben  352 

Lane,  C.  M 484 

Lang,  F.  C 340 

Larash,  W.  I  308 

Launer,  T.  C 595 

Lawler,  J.  Thomas 480 

Lawrence,  Frank   429 

Leach.  E.  D :!17 

Lee,  W.  H 392 

Leek,  H 477 


Leeper,  A.  A 330 

Leib,  E 571 

Lewis,  Azariah 222 

Linn,  D.  C 570 

Listmann,  John  ,  374 

Little,  Robt 574 

Logsdon,  Aaron 476 

Logsdon,  Andrew c2(i 

Logsdon,  Joseph .   531 

Logsdon,  Perry 203 

Lovekamp,  H.  H 554 

Lowry,  A.  K 175 

Lucas,  G.  W 407 

Lucas,  Newton 155 

Lucas,  Wm 384 

Lutterell,  Mrs.  S.  B 348 

Lyons,  Daniel 593 


H 

Main,  Z.  E 318 

Manlove,  Wm.  B 248 

Marshall,  A.  L 399 

Martin,  Rachel  D 414 

Matthew,  James  D 332 

Mayreis,  Conrad 314 

McCabe,  Dr.  A.  A 560 

McCabe,  John 159 

McCaskill,  W.  H 583 

McClintock,  J.  W 539 

McCormick,  A.  B  425 

McCoy,  G.  W 344 

McCreery,  W.  T 494 

McDannold,  J.  J 194 

McDannold,  T.  1 246 

McFarland,  R.  N 324 

McKee,  Wm 334 

McMaster,  R.  B 230 

McPhail,  Angus 536 

Mead,  A.  J 200 

Mead,  R.  H 212 

Meats,  Isaac 459 

Merscher,  J.  W 356 

Merz.John 483 

Meserve,  N.  P 563 

Meservey,  Joseph 297 

Meyer,  Fred 551 

Meyer,  F.  W 204 

Meyer,  Henry 535 

Meyer,  H.  C 329 

Meyer,  H.  W 274 

Milby,E.T 554 

Miller,  Aaron 280 

Miller,  Samuel ..".• 592 

Mills,  R.  W 253 

Milner,  R 390 

Misenhimer,  Isaac. 515 

Mohlmann,  W.  G 234 

Moore,  Alex 481 

Moore.  J.  B 278 

Moore,  8.  A 566 

Morrell,  Wm  434 

Morris,  J.  W 473 

Muhlert,  Francis 585 

Mumford,  Wm.  N   404 

Munroe,  Thomas 125 

Murphy,  J.  P 502 


CONTENTS. 


vii 


N 

Neeley,  James '. 484 

Neeley,  J.  E 544 

Newbold,  H.  Y 575 

Newman,  Robt 453 

Nicholson,  J.  S 244 

Nieman,  C.  E 472 

Niestradt,  H.  C 553 

Noble  A.  L 342 

Nokes,  S.  D 261- 

Norbury,  C.  J.' 237 

O 

Oetgen,  Win  142 

Oetgen,  H.  W 455 

Orr,  D.  W 588 

Orwig,  J.  W 572 

Osborn,  R.  J 370 

Owens,  D.  W 394 


Parke,  Jos 544 

Parke,  Overton 349 

Parrott,  Thos.  P 227 

Parsons,  Norman 223 

Pattesou,  Jonathan 138 

Patterson,  Jas.  M 559 

Pence,  Joseph 322 

Perry,  1 241 

Perry,  Jas 509 

Perry,  Win 557 

Persinger,  L.  G 326 

Petefisb,  S.  H 372 

Pevehouse,  I.  N 428 

Phelps,  Chas.  H 531 

Philippi,  P.  P 358 

Pilger,  C  368 

Pilger,  \Tm 506 

Plaster,  Jeptha 498 

Price,  F.  C 240 

Price,  Mrs.  Wm 140 

Price,  Wm.  T 305 

Prince,  F.  R 424 

Pruett,  J.  S 167 

R 

Ranney,  S.  T 174 

Ravenscroft,  Mary  F 411 

Read,  Jas.  M 468 

Redman,  B.  F 200 

Redfield,  T.  M 361 

Reeve,  S.  A 202 

Reid  Duncan,  294 

Reno,  W.  C 563 

Rice,  Chauncey 163 

Rich,  Robert 435 

Richardson,  Geo.  E 574 

Rickard,  P.  W 189 

Rigg,  J.  N 287 

Rigg,  Peter 309 

Rink,  Anton 295 

Ritchea,  George 319 

Ritchey,  Chas.  D 546 

Ritchey,  F.  T 601 

Ritchey,  Jacob 335 

Bitter,  Henry  D 350 


Robinson,  J.  F 28! 

Robison,  Jas.  N 172 

Rogge,  H.  H 404 

Rohn,  Casper 228 

Rohn,  J.  Henry . .  231 

Rohn,  Wm 483 

Rottger,  F.  W 179 

Rowland,  B.  L 564 

Rowland,  T.  J 510 

Runkle,  Darius    • 452 

Ryan,  Thos 249 


S 


Sandidge,  John 299 

Sands,  R.  E 604 

Saunders,  Mrs.  C 555 

Savage,  Henry  S 355 

Scanland,  S.  W   261 

Schaad,  Andrew 275 

Schaar,  Theodore 460 

Schaeffer,  C.  A 336 

Schewe,  Wm 569 

Schisler,  Lewis 515 

Schmitt,  Geo.  J 485 

Schmoldt,  H.  M 182 

Schroder,  Samuel  M 292 

Schroeder,  H.  J 274 

Schultz,  H.  C 315 

Schultz,  John 468 

Schuman,  Adam  154 

Scoggan,  W.  D  172 

Scott,  E.  J 167 

Scott,  Leonidas 139 

Scott,  T.  W 188 

Scott,  T.  W 196 

Seaman,  J.  W 221 

Seasly,  Adam  P 226 

Seckman,  Nancy  P 264 

Seeley,  E.  H.  O ..      .   184 

Serrot,  Leonard 448 

Settles,  Gilderoy 444 

Sewall,  Wm 456 

Shafer,  Mrs.  E 169 

Shank,  John 147 

Shupe,  W.  K 331 

Sielschott,  A.  H 177 

Six,  A.  D 214 

Bkiles,  H.  A 518 

Skiles,  Oswell 375 

Slack,  N.  G 565 

Smith,  A.  M 362 

Smith,  D.  G 431 

Smith,  J.  J 495 

Smith,  T.  L 469 

Snyder,  Geo.  E 500 

Snyder,  J.  F 604 

Snyder,  J.  H 397 

Snyder,  J.  W 135 

Spencer,  J.  M 207 

Spring,  Ebenezer 

Stark,  Henry , 429 

Stephens,  Daniel 229 

Stevenson,  Wm 373 

Stock,  Casper 422 

Stout,  A.  L 532 

Stout,  F.  M 350 

Stover,  D.  Marion 165 


Stribling,  1.  M 418 

Stutsman,  J.  S B25 

Sutherland,  H.  R 5^7 

Sutton,  Nathan 327 


Talkemeyer,  Wm 459 

Taylor,  Duncan 192 

Taylor,  H.  W 217 

Taylor,  Robt 427 

Teel,  Jas.  A 185 

Thomas,  Peter.'. 447 

Thomas,  Wm... 571 

Thompson,  A.  M 301 

Thompson,  J.  D 218 

Thron,  David 525 

Tinney,  C.  M 368 

Treadway,  E.  N 269 

Treadway,  W.  T 213 

Trone,  Geo.  W  149 

Tureman,  J.  H 614 

Tyson,  Wm.  T 266 

U 

Unland,  John 284 

Unland,  Dr.  W.  G 591 

Utter,  G.  D 257 


Van  Deventer,  J.  F 191 

Van  Deventer,  L.  J 419 

Van  Deventer,  T.  R 285 

Venires.  Henry 347 

Vette,  Henry 475 

W 

Wagner,  George 388 

Wagner,  Gregory,  Jr  364 

Walker,  C.  T 300 

Walker,  D.  N 265 

Walker,  John  H 538 

Walker,  J.  S 617 

Ward.  Wm.  W 393 

Warden,  F.  A 156 

Watkins,  Jas.  M 224 

Watts,  Thos.  W 463 

Way,  Win.  A 309 

Webb,  Allen 542 

Webb,  John 586 

Webb,  J.  W ,. 487 

Weigard,  Wm 503 

Wellfare,  F.  E 162 

Wells,  R 149 

Wetzel,  John.  B 311 

Whetstone,  Marcus 462 

Wier,  Geo.  H 598 

Wight,  Jesse 308 

Williams,  G.  W 247 

Williams,  P.  S 420 

Williams,  R.  E 501 

Williams,  T.  R 207 

Wilson,  B.  R 613 

Wilson,  D.  D 276 

Wilson,  Geo.  W.  &  F.  M 619 

Wilson,  Jas.  M 613 


viii 


CONTENTS. 


Wilson,  Thos 293 

Wilson,  Win.  B 613 

Winuokl,  F  598 

Witte,  Henry  F 251 

Wood,  Wm 489 


Wright,  S.  G 

Wyatt,  W.  .M 


492 

408 


Young,  Mrs.  Almira 543 

Young,  J.  A 231 


Zaun  Henry 550 

Zimmer,  Lewis,  Sr., 573 

Zimmer,  Lewis,  Jr 597 

Z'mmerman,  Geo.  W 440 

Zimmerman,  Jacob 389 


GEORGE     WASHINGTON. 


EORGE  WASHING- 
TON, the  "  Father  of 
his  Country"  and  its 
first  President,  1789- 
'97,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 22,  1732,  in  Wash- 
ington Parish,  West- 
moreland County,  Virginia. 
His  father,  Augustine  Wash- 
ington, first  married  Jane  But- 
ler, who  bore  him  four  chil- 
dren, and  March  6,  1730,  he 
married  Mary  Ball.  Of  six 
children  by  his  second  mar- 
riage, George  was  the  eldest, 
the  others  being  Betty,  Samuel,  John,  Au- 
gustine, Charles  and  Mildred,  of  whom  the 
youngest  died  in  infancy.  Little  is  known 
of  the  early  years  of  Washington,  be3rond 
the  fact  that  the  house  in  which  he  was 
born  was  burned  during  his  early  child- 
hood, and  that  his  father  thereupon  moved 
to  another  farm,  inherited  from  his  paternal 
ancestors,  situated  in  Stafford  County,  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock,  where 
he  acted  as  agent  of  the  Principio  Iron 
Works  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  died 
there  in  1743. 

From  earliest  childhood  George  devel- 
oped a  noble  character.  He  had  a  vigorous 
constitution,  a  fine  form,  and  great  bodily 
strength.  His  education  was  somewhat  de- 


fective, being  confined  to  the  elementary 
branches  taught  him  by  his  mother  and  at 
a  neighboring  school.  He  developed,  how- 
ever, a  fondness  for  mathematics,  and  en- 
joyed in  that  branch  the  instructions  of  a 
private  teacher.  On  leaving  school  he  re- 
sided for  some  time  at  Mount  Vernon  with 
his  half  brother,  Lawrence,  who  acted  as 
his  guardian,  and  who  had  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  his  neighbor  at  Belvoir  on  the  Poto- 
mac, the  wealthy  William  Fairfax,  for  some 
time  president  of  the  executive  council  of 
the  colony.  Both  Fairfax  and  his  son-in-law, 
Lawrence  Washington,  had  served  with  dis- 
tinction in  1740  as  officers  of  an  American 
battalion  at  the  siege  of  Carthagena,  and 
were  friends  and  correspondents  of  Admiral 
Vernon,  for  whom  the  latter's  residence  on 
the  Potomac  has  been  named.  George's 
inclinations  were  for  a  similar  career,  and  a 
midshipman's  warrant  was  procured  for 
him,  probably  through  the  influence  of  the 
Admiral ;  but  through  the  opposition  of  his 
mother  the  project  was  abandoned.  The 
family  connection  with  the  Fairfaxes,  how- 
ever, opened  another  career  for  the  young 
man,  who,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  was  ap- 
pointed surveyor  to  the  immense  estates  of 
the  eccentric  Lord  Fairfax,  who  was  then 
on  a  visit  at  Belvoir,  and  who  shortly  after- 
ward established  his  baronial  residence  at 
Grcenway  Court,  in  the  Shenundoah  Valley. 


30 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


Three  years  were  passed  by  young  Wash- 
ington in  a  rough  frontier  life,  gaining  ex- 
perience which  afterward  proved  very  es- 
sential to  him. 

In  1751,  when  the  Virginia  militia  were 
put  under  training  with  a  view  to  active 
service  against  France,  Washington,  though 
only  nineteen  years  of  age,  was  appointed 
Adjutant  with  the  rank  of  Major.  In  Sep- 
tember of  that  year  the  failing  health  of 
Lawrence  Washington  rendered  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  seek  a  warmer  climate,  and 
Ge  irge  accompanied  him  in  a  voyage  to 
Bai  Dadoes.  They  returned  early  in  1752, 
and  Lawrence  shortly  afterward  died,  leav- 
ing h.s  large  property  to  an  infant  daughter. 
In  his  will  George  was  named  one  of  the 
executors  and  as  eventual  heir  to  Mount 
Vernon,  and  by  the  death  of  the  infant  niece 
soon  succeeded  to  that  estate. 

On  the  arrival  of  Robert  Dinwiddie  as 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Virginia  in  1752 
the  militia  was  reorganized,  and  the  prov- 
ince divided  into  four  districts.  Washing- 
ton was  commissioned  by  Dinwiddie  Adju- 
tant-General of  the  Northern  District  in 
1753,  and  in  November  of  that  year  a  most 
important  as  well  as  hazardous  mission  was 
assigned  him.  This  was  to  proceed  to  the 
Canadian  posts  recently  established  on 
French  Creek,  near  Lake  Erie,  to  demand 
in  the  name  of  the  King  of  England  the 
withdrawal  of  the  French  from  a  territory 
claimed  by  Virginia.  This  enterprise  had 
been  declined  by  more  than  one  officer, 
since  it  involved  a  journey  through  an  ex- 
tensive and  almost  unexplored  wilderness 
in  the  occupancy  of  savage  Indian  tribes, 
either  hostile  to  the  English,  or  of  doubtful 
attachment.  Major  Washington,  however, 
accepted  the  commission  with  alacrity  ;  and, 
accompanied  by  Captain  Gist,  he  reached 
Fort  Le  Boeuf  on  French  Creek,  delivered 
his  dispatches  and  received  reply,  which,  of 
course,  was  a  polite  refusal  to  surrender  the 
posts.  This  reply  was  of  such  a  character 


as  to  induce  the  Assembly  of  Virginia  to 
authorize  the  executive  to  raise  a  regiment 
of  300  men  for'the  purpose  of  maintaining 
the  asserted  rights  of  the  British  crown 
over  the  territory  claimed.  As  Washing- 
ton declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  that  post, 
the  command  of  this  regiment  was  given  to 
Colonel  Joshua  Fry,  and  Major  Washing- 
ton, at  his  own  request,  was  commissioned 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  On  the  march  to  Ohio, 
news  was  received  that  a  party  previously 
sent  to  build  a  fort  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Monongahela  with  the  Ohio  had  been 
driven  back  bv  a  considerable  French  force, 
which  had  completed  the  work  there  be- 
gun, and  named  it  Fort  Duquesne,  in  honor 
of  the  Marquis  Duquesne,  then  Governor 
of  Canada.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
great  "  French  and  Indian  war,"  which  con- 
tinued seven  years.  On  the  death  of  Colonel 
Fry,  Washington  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  regiment,  and  so  well  did  he 
fulfill  his  trust  that  the  Virginia  Assembly 
commissioned  him  as  Commander-in-Chief 
of  all  the  forces  raised  in  the  colony. 

A  Cessation  of  all  Indian  hostility  on  the 
frontier  having  followed  the  expulsion  of 
the  French  from  the  Ohio,  the  object  of 
Washington  was  accomplished  and  he  re- 
signed his  commission  as  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  Virginia  forces.  He  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Williamsburg  to  take  his  seat  in 
the  General  Assembly,  of  which  he  had 
been  elected  a  member. 

January  17,  1759,  Washington  married 
Mrs.  Martha  (Dandridge)  Custis,  a  young 
and  beautiful  widow  of  great  wealth,  and  de- 
voted himself  for  the  ensuing  fifteen  years 
to  the  quiet  pursuits  of  agriculture,  inter- 
rupted only  by  his  annual  attendance  in 
winter  upon  the  Colonial  Legislature  at 
Williamsburg,  until  summoned  by  his 
country  to  enter  upon  that  other  arena  in 
which  his  fame  was  to  become  world  wide. 

It  is  unnecessary  here  to  trace  the  details 
of  the  struggle  upon  the  question  ol  local 


GEORGE     WASHINGTON. 


it 


self-government,  which,  after  ten  years,  cul- 
minated by  act  of  Parliament  of  the  port  of 
Boston.  It  was  at  the  instance  of  Virginia 
that  a  congress  of  all  the  colonies  was  called 
to  meet  at  Philadelphia  September  5,  1774, 
to  secure  their  common  liberties — if  possible 
by  peaceful  means.  To  this  Congress 
Colonel  Washington  was  sent  as  a  dele- 
gate. On  dissolving  in  October,  it  recom- 
mended the  colonies  to  send  deputies  to 
another  Congress  the  following  spring.  In 
the  meantime  several  of  the  colonies  felt 
impelled  to  raise  local  forces  to  repel  in- 
sults nnd  aggressions  on  the  part  of  British 
troops,  so  that  on  the  assembling  of  the  next 
Congress,  May  10,  1775,  the  war  prepara- 
tions of  the  mother  country  were  unmis- 
takable. The  battles  of  Concord  and  Lex- 
ington had  been  fought.  Among  the  earliest 
acts,  therefore,  of  the  Congress  was  the 
selection  of  a  commander-in-chief  of  the 
colonial  forces.  This  office  was  unani- 
mously conferred  upon  Washington,  still  a 
member  of  the  Congress.  He  accepted  it 
on  June  19,  but  on  the  express  condition  he 
should  receive  no  salary. 

He  immediately  repaired  to  the  vicinity 
of  Boston,  against  which  point  the  British 
ministry  had  concentrated  their  forces.  As 
early  as  April  General  Gage  had  3,000 
troops  in  and  around  this  proscribed  city. 
During  the  fall  and  winter  the  British  policy 
clearly  indicated  a  purpose  to  divide  pub- 
lic sentiment  and  to  build  up  a  British  party 
in  the  colonies.  Those  who  sided  with  the 
ministry  were  stigmatized  by  the  patriots 
as  "  Tories,"  while  the  patriots  took  to  them- 
selves the  name  of  "  Whigs." 

As  early  as  1776  the  leading  men  had 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  no 
hope  except  in  separation  and  indepen- 
dence. In  May  of  that  year  Washington 
wrote  from  the  head  of  the  army  in  New 
York:  "A  reconciliation  with  Great  Brit- 
ain is  impossible When  I  took 

command  of  the  army,  I  abhorred  the  idea 


of  independence  ;  but  I  am  now  fully  satis- 
tied  that  nothing  else  will  save  us." 

It  is  not  the  object  of  this  sketch  to  trace 
the  military  acts  of  the  patriot  hero,  to 
whose  hands  the  fortunes  and  liberties  of 
the  United  States  were  confided  during  the 
seven  years'  bloody  struggle  that  ensued 
until  the  treaty  of  1783,  in  which  England 
acknowledged  the  independence  of  each  of 
the  thirteen  States,  and  negotiated  with 
them,  jointly,  as  separate  sovereignties.  The 
merits  of  Washington  as  a  military  chief- 
tain have  been  considerably  discussed,  espe- 
cially by  writers  in  his  own  country.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  was  most  bitterly  assailed 
for  incompetency,  and  great  efforts  were 
made  to  displace  him  ;  but  he  never  for  a 
moment  lost  the  confidence  of  either  the 
Congress  or  the  people.  December  4,  1783, 
the  great  commander  took  leave  of  his  offi- 
cers in  most  affectionate  and  patriotic  terms, 
and  went  to  Annapolis,  Maryland,  where 
the  Congress  of  the  States  was  in  session, 
and  to  that  body,  when  peace  and  order 
prevailed  everywhere,  resigned  his  com- 
mission and  retired  to  Mount  Vernon. 

It  was  in  1788  that  Washington  was  called 
to  the  chief  magistracy  of  the  nation.  He 
received  every  electoral  vote  cast  in  all  the 
colleges  of  the  States  voting  for  the  office 
of  President.  The  4th  of  March,  1789,  was 
the  time  appointed  for  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  to  begin  its  operations, 
but  several  weeks  elapsed  before  quorums 
of  both  the  newly  constituted  houses  of  the 
Congress  were  assembled.  The  city  of  New 
York  was  the  place  where  the  Congrees 
then  met.  April  16  Washington  left  his 
home  to  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  his 
new  duties.  He  set  out  with  a  purpose  ot 
traveling  privately,  and  without  attracting 
any  public  attention ;  but  this  was  impossi- 
ble. Everywhere  on  his  way  he  was  met 
with  thronging  crowds,  eager  to  see  the 
man  whom  they  regarded  as  the  chief  de- 
fender of  their  liberties,  and  everywhere 


12 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


he  was  hailed  with  those  public  manifesta- 
tions of  joy,  regard  and  love  which  spring 
spontaneously  from  the  hearts  of  an  affec- 
tionate and  grateful  people.  His  reception 
in  New  York  was  marked  by  a  grandeur 
and  an  enthusiasm  never  before  witnessed 
in  that  metropolis.  The  inauguration  took 
place  April  30,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense 
multitude  which  had  assembled  to  witness 
the  new  and  imposing  ceremony.  The  oath 
of  office  was  administered  by  Robert  R. 
Livingston,  Chancellor  of  the  State.  When 
this  sacred  pledge  was  given,  he  retired 
with  the  other  officials  into  the  Senate 
chamber,  where  he  delivered  his  inaugural 
address  to  both  houses  of  the  newly  con- 
stituted Congress  in  joint  assembly. 

In  the  manifold  details  of  his  civil  ad- 
ministration, Washington  proved  himself 
equal  to  the  requirements  ol  his  position. 
The  greater  portion  of  the  first  session  of 
the  first  Congress  was  occupied  in  passing 
the  necessary  statutes  for  putting  the  new 
organization  into  complete  operation.  In 
the  discussions  brought  up  in  the  course  of 
this  legislation  the  nature  and  character  of 
the  new  system  came  under  general  review. 
On  no  one  of  them  did  any  decided  antago- 
nism of  opinion  arise.  All  held  it  to  be  a 
limited  government,  clothed  only  with  spe- 
cific powers  conferred  by  delegation  from 
the  States.  There  was  no  change  in  the 
name  of  the  legislative  department ;  it  still 
remained  "  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  of  America."  There  was  no  change 
in  the  original  flag  of  the  country,  and  none 
in  the  seal,  which  still  remains  with  the 
Grecian  escutcheon  borne  by  the  eagle, 
with  other  emblems,  under  the  great  and 
expressive  motto,  "  E  Plunbus  [/num." 

The  first  division  of  parties  arose  upon 
the  manner  of  construing  the  powers  dele- 
gated, and  they  were  first  styled  "  strict 
constructionists  "  and  "  latitudinarian  con- 
structionists."  The  former  were  for  con- 
fining the  action  of  the  Government  strictly 


within  its  specific  and  limited  sphere,  while 
the  others  were  for  enlarging  its  powers  by 
inference  and  implication.  Hamilton  and 
Jefferson,  both  members  of  the  first  cabinet, 
were  regarded  as  the  chief  leaders,  respect 
ively,  of  these  rising  antagonistic  parties, 
which  have  existed,  under  different  names 
from  that  day  to  this.  Washington  was  re- 
garded  as  holding  a  neutral  position  between 
them,  though,  by  mature  deliberation,  he 
vetoed  the  first  apportionment  bill,  in  1790, 
passed  by  the  party  headed  by  Hamilton, 
which  was  based  upon  a  principle  construct- 
ively leading  to  centralization  or  consoli- 
dation. This  was  the  first  exercise  of  the 
veto  power  under  the  present  Constitution. 
It"  created  considerable  excitement  at  the 
time.  Another  bill  was  soon  passed  in  pur- 
suance of  Mr.  Jefferson's  views,  which  has 
been  adhered  to  in  principle  in  every  ap, 
portionment  act  passed  since. 

At  the  second  session  of  the  new  Con- 
gress, Washington  announced  the  gratify- 
ing fact  of  "  the  accession  of  North  Caro- 
lina" to  the  Constitution  of  1787,  and  June 
i  of  the  same  year  he  announced  by  special 
message  the  like  "  accession  of  the  State  of 
Rhode  Island,"  with  his  congratulations  on 
the  happy  event  which  "  united  under  the 
general  Government "  all  the  States  which 
were  originally  confederated. 

In  1792,  at  the  second  Presidential  elec- 
tion, Washington  was  desirous  to  retire ; 
but  he  yielded  to  the  general  wish  of  the 
country,  and  was  again  chosen  President 
by  the  unanimous  vote  of  every  electoral 
college.  At  the  third  election,  1796,  he  was 
again  most  urgently  entreated  to  consent  to 
remain  in  the  executive  chair.  This  he 
positively  refused.  In  September,  before 
the  election,  he  gave  to  his  countrymen  his 
memorable  Farewell  Address,  which  in  lan- 
guage, sentiment  and  patriotism  was  a  fit 
and  crowning  glory  of  his  illustrious  life. 
After  March  4,  1797,  he  again  retired  to 
Mount  Vernon  for  peace,  quiet  and  repose. 


fiEOffOE     WASHINGTON. 


His  administration  for  the  two  terms  had  1 
been  successful  beyond  the  expectation  and 
hopes  of  even  the  most  sanguine  of  his 
friends.  The  finances  of  the  country  were 
no  longer  in  an  embarrassed  condition  the 
public  credit  was  fully  restored,  life  was 
given  to  every  department  of  industry,  the 
workings  of  the  new  system  in  allowing 
Congress  to  raise  revenue  from  duties  on 
imports  proved  to  be  not  only  harmonious 
in  its  federal  action,  but  astonishing  in  its 
results  upon  the  commerce  and  trade  of  all 
the  States.  The  exports  from  the  Union 
increased  from  $19,000,000  to  over  $56,000,- 
ooo  per  annum,  while  the  imports  increased 
in  about  the  same  proportion.  Three  new 
members  had  been  added  to  the  Union.  The 
progress  of  the  States  in  their  new  career 
under  their  new  organization  thus  far  was 
exceedingly  encouraging,  not  only  to  the 
friends  of  liberty  within  their  own  limits, 
but  to  their  sympathizing  allies  in  all  climes 
and  countries. 

CM  the  call  again  made  on  this  illustrious 


chief  to  quit  his  repose  at  Mount  Vernon 
and  take  command  of  all  the  United  States 
forces,  with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-General, 
when  war  was  threatened  with  France  in 
1798,  nothing  need  here  be  stated,  except  to 
note  the  fact  as  an  unmistakable  testimo- 
nial of  the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  still 
held  by  his  countrymen,  of  all  shades  of  po- 
litical opinion.  He  patriotically  accepted 
this  trust,  but  a  treaty  of  peace  put  a  stop 
to  all  action  under  it.  He  again  retired  to 
Mount  Vernon,  where,  after  a  short  and 
severe  illness,  he  died  December  14,  1799, 
in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  The 
whole  country  was  filled  with  gloom  by  this 
sad  intelligence.  Men  of  all  parties  in  poli- 
tics and  creeds  in  religion,  in  every  State 
in  the  Union,  united  with  Congress  in  "  pay- 
ing honor  to  the  man,  first  in  war,  first  in 
peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  country- 
men." 

His  remains  were  deposited  in  a  tamilj 
vault  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  at  Mount 
Vernon,  where  they  still  lie  entombed. 


PRESIDENTS    Of    Tt/B     UNITED    STATES. 


OHN  ADAMS,  the  second 
President  of  the  United 
States,  1797  to  1 80 1,  was 
born  in  the  present  town 
of  Quincy,  then  a  portion 
of  Braintree,  Massachu- 
setts, October  30,  1735.  His 
father  was  a  farmer  of  mod- 
erate means,  a  worthy  and 
industrious  man.  He  was 
a  deacon  in  the  church,  and 
was  very  desirous  of  giving 
his  son  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion, hoping  that  he  would 
become  a  minister  of  the 
gospel.  But,  as  up  to  this 
time,  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  had  been  only 
a  play-boy  in  the  fields  and  forests,  he  had 
no  taste  for  books,  he  chose  farming.  On 
being  set  to  work,  however,  by  his  father 
out  in  the  field,  the  very  first  day  con- 
verted the  boy  into  a  lover  of  books. 

Accordingly,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
entered  Harvard  College,  and  graduated  in 
1755,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  highly  esteemed 
for  integrity,  energy  and  ability.  Thus, 
having  no  capital  but  his  education,  he 
started  out  into  the  stormy  world  at  a  time 
of  great  political  excitement,  as  France  and 
England  were  then  engaged  in  their  great 
seven-years  struggle  for  the  mastery  over 
the  New  World.  The  fire  of  patriotism 


seized  young  Adams,  and  for  a  timr  he 
studied  over  the  question  whether  he 
should  take  to  the  law,  to  politics  or  the 
army.  He  wrote  a  remarkable  letter  to  a 
friend,  making  prophecies  concerning  the 
future  greatness  of  this  country  which  have 
since  been  more  than  fulfilled.  For  two 
years  he  taught  school  and  studied  law, 
wasting  no  odd  moments,  and  at  the  carry 
age  of  twenty-two  years  he  opened  a  law 
office  in  his  native  town.  His  inherited 
powers  of  mind  and  untiring  devotion  to 
his  profession  caused  him  to  rise  rapidly 
in  public  esteem. 

In  October,  1764,  Mr.  Adams  married 
Miss  Abigail  Smith,  daughter  of  a  clergy- 
man at  Weymouth  and  a  lady  of  rare  per- 
sonal and  intellectual  endowments,  who 
afterward  contributed  much  to  her  hus- 
band's celebrity. 

Soon  the  oppression  of  the  British  in 
America  reached  its  climax.  The  Boston 
merchants  employed  an  attorney  by  the 
name  of  James  Otis  to  argue  the  legality  of 
oppressive  tax  law  before  the  Superior 
Court.  Adams  heard  the  argument,  and 
afterward  wrote  to  a  friend  concerning  the 
ability  displayed,  as  follows :  "  Otis  was  a 
flame  of  fire.  With  a  promptitude  of 
classical  allusion,  a  depth  of  research,  a 
rapid  summary  of  historical  events  and 
dates,  a  profusion  of  legal  authorities  and  a 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLIHOIS 


JOHN 


prophetic  glance  into  futurity,  he  hurried 
away  all  before  him.  American  independence 
was  then  and  there  born.  Every  man  of  an 
immensely  crowded  audience  appeared  to 
me  to  go  away,  as  I  did,  ready  to  take  up 
arms." 

Soon  Mr.   Adams  wrote  an  essay  to  be 
read  before  the  literary  club  of  his  town, 
upon  the  state  of  affairs,  which  was  so  able 
as  to  attract  public  attention.     It  was  pub-  j 
lished  in  American   journals,   republished  j 
in    England,  and  was  pronounced    by  the  ; 
friends  of  the  colonists  there  as  "  one  of  the 
very  best  productions  ever  seen  from  North 
America." 

The  memorable  Stamp  Act  was  now 
issued,  and  Adams  entered  with  all  the 
ardor  of  his  soul  into  political  life  in  order 
to  resist  it.  He  drew  up  a  series  of  reso- 
lutions remonstrating  against  the  act,  which 
were  adopted  at  a  public  meeting  of  the 
citizens  of  Braintree,  and  which  were  sub- 
sequently adopted,  word  for  word,  by  more 
than  forty  towns  in  the  State.  Popular 
commotion  prevented  the  .Janding  of  the 
Stamp  Act  papers,  and  the  English  author- 
ities then  closed  the  courts.  The  town  of 
Boston  therefore  appointed  Jeremy  Grid- 
ley,  James  Otis  and  John  Adams  to  argue  a 
petition  before  the  Governor  and  council 
for  the  re-opening  of  the  courts;  and  while 
the  two  first  mentioned  attorneys  based 
their  argument  upon  the  distress  caused  to 
the  people  by  the  measure,  Adams  boldly 
claimed  that  the  Stamp  Act  was  a  violation 
both  of  the  English  Constitution  and  the 
charter  of  the  Provinces.  It  is  said  that 
this  was  the  first  direct  denial  of  the  un- 
limited right  of  Parliament  over  the  colo- 
nies. Soon  after  this  the  Stamp  Act  was 
repealed. 

Directly  Mr.  Adams  was  employed  to 
defend  Ansel  1  Nickerson,  who  had  killed  an 
Englishman  in  the  act  of  impressing  him 
(Nickerson)  into  the  King's  service,  and  his 
client  was  acquitted,  the  court  thus  estab- 


lishing the  principle  that  the  infamous 
royal  prerogative  of  impressment  could 
have  no  existence  in  the  colonial  code. 
But  in  1770  Messrs.  Adams  and  Josiah 
Quincy  defended  a  party  of  British  soldiers 
who  had  been  arrested  for  murder  when 
they  had  been  only  obeying  Governmental 
orders ;  and  when  reproached  for  thus  ap- 
parently deserting  the  cause  of  popular 
liberty,  Mr.  Adams  replied  that  he  would  a 
thousandfold  rather  live  under  the  domina- 
tion of  the  worst  of  England's  kings  than 
under  that  of  a  lawless  mob.  Next,  after 
serving  a  term  as  a  member  of  the  Colonial 
Legislature  from  Boston,  Mr.  Adams,  find- 
ing his  health  affected  by  too  great  labor, 
retired  to  his  native  home  at  Braintree. 

The  year  1774  soon  arrived,  with  its  fa- 
mous Boston  "  Tea  Party,"  the  first  open 
act  of  rebellion.  Adams  was  sent  to  the 
Congress  at  Philadelphia ;  and  when  the 
Attorney-General  announced  that  Great 
Britain  had  "  determined  on  her  system, 
and  that  her  power  to  execute  it  was  irre- 
sistible," Adams  replied  :  "  I  know  that 
Great  Britain  has  determined  on  her  sys- 
tem, and  that  very  determination  deter- 
mines me  on  mine.  You  know  that  I  have 
been  constant  in  my  opposition  to  her 
measures.  The  die  is  now  cast.  I  have 
passed  the  Rubicon.  Sink  or  swim,  live  or 
die,  with  my  country,  is  my  unalterable 
determination."  The  rumor  beginning  to 
prevail  at  Philadelphia  that  the  Congress 
had  independence  in  view,  Adams  foresaw 
that  it  was  too  soon  to  declare  it  openly. 
II 2  advised  every  one  to  remain  quiet  in 
that  respect;  and  as  soon  as  it  became  ap- 
parent that  he  himself  was  for  independ- 
ence, he  was  advised  to  hide  himself,  which 
he  did. 

The  next  year  the  great  Revolutionary 
war  opened  in  earnest,  and  Mrs.  Adams, 
residing  near  Boston,  kept  her  husband  ad- 
vised by  letter  of  all  the  events  transpiring 
in  her  vicinity.  The  battle  of  Bunker  Hill 


PRESIDENTS     OF     THE     UN /TED    STATES. 


came  on.  Congress  had  to  do  something 
immediately.  The  first  thing  was  to 
choose  a  commander-in-chief  for  the — we 
can't  say  "  army  " — the  fighting  men  of  the 
colonies.  The  New  England  delegation 
was  almost  unanimous  in  favor  .of  appoint- 
ing General  Ward,  then  at  the  head  of  the 
Massachusetts  forces,  but  Mr.  Adams  urged 
the  appointment  of  George  Washington, 
then  almost  unknown  outside  of  his  own 
State.  He  was  appointed  without  oppo- 
sition. Mr.  Adams  offered  the  resolution, 
which  was  adopted,  annulling  all  the  royal 
authority  in  the  colonies.  Having  thus 
prepared  the  way,  a  few  weeks  later,  viz., 
June  7,  1776,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  a  few  months  before  had  declared 
that  the  British  Government  would  aban- 
don its  oppressive  measures,  now  offered 
the  memorable  resolution,  seconded  by 
Adams,  "  that  these  United  States  are,  and 
of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent." 
Jefferson,  Adams,  Franklin,  Sherman  and 
Livingston  were  then  appointed  a  commit- 
tee to  draught  a  declaration  of  independ- 
ence. Mr.  Jefferson  desired  Mr.  'Adams 
to  draw  up  (he  bold  document,  but  the 
latter  persuaded  Mr.  Jefferson  to  perform 
that  responsible  task.  The  Declaration 
drawn  up,  Mr.  Adams  became  its  foremost 
defender  on  the  floor  of  Congress.  It  was 
signed  by  all  the  fifty-five  members  present, 
and  the  next  day  Mr.  Adams  wrote  to  his 
wife  how  great  a  deed  was  done,  and  how 
proud  he  was  of  it.  Mr.  Adams  continued 
to  be  the  leading  man  of  Congress,  and 
the  leading  advocate  of  American  inde- 
pendence. Above  all  other  Americans, 
he  was  considered  by  every  one  the  prin- 
cipal shining  mark  for  British  vengeance. 
Thus  circumstanced,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  most  dangerous  task  of  crossing  the 
ocean  in  winter,  exposed  to  capture  by  the 
British,  who  knew  of  his  mission,  w-hich 
was  to  visit  Paris  and  solicit  the  co-opera- 
tion  of  the  French.  Besides,  to  take  him- 


self away  from  the  country  of  which  he 
was  the  most  prominent  defender,  at  that 
critical  time,  was  an  act  of  the  greatest  self- 
sacrifice.  Sure  enough,  while  crossing  the 
sea,  he  had  two  very  narrow  escapes  from 
capture ;  and  the  transit  was  otherwise  a 
stormy  and  eventful  one.  During  thc- 
summer  of  1779  he  returned  home,  but  was 
immediately  dispatched  back  to  France,  to 
be  in  readiness  there  to  negotiate  terms  of 
peace  and  commerce  with  Great  Britain  as 
soon  as  the  latter  power  was  ready  for  such 
business.  But  as  Dr.  Franklin  was  more 
popular  than  heat  the  court  of  France,  Mr. 
Adams  repaired  to  Holland,  where  he  was 
far  more  successful  as  a  diplomatist. 

The  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United 
States  and  England  was  finally  signed  at 
Paris,  January  21,  1783;  and  the  re-action 
from  so  great  excitement  as  Mr.  Adams  had 
so  long  been  experiencing  threw  him  into 
a  dangerous  fever.  Before  he  fully  re- 
covered he  was  in  London,  whence  he  was 
dispatched  again  to  Amsterdam  to  negoti- 
ate another  loan.  Compliance  with  this 
order  undermined  his  physical  constitution 
for  life. 

In  1785  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed  envoy 
to  the  court  of  St.  James,  to  meet  face  to 
face  the  very  king  who  had  regarded  him 
as  an  arch  traitor !  Accordingly  he  re- 
paired thither,  where  he  did  actually  meet 
and  converse  with  George  III.!  After  a 
residence  there  for  about  three  years,  he 
obtained  permission  to  return  to  America. 
While  in  London  he  wrote  and  published 
an  able  work,  in  three  volumes,  entitled: 
"  A  Defense  of  the  American  Constitution." 

The  Articles  of  Confederation  proving 
inefficient,  as  Adams  had  prophesied,  a 
carefully  draughted  Constitution  was 
adopted  in  1789,  when  George  Washington 
was  elected  President  of  the  new  nation, 
and  Adams  Vice-President.  Congress  met 
for  a  time  in  New  York,  but  was  removed 
to  Philadelphia  for  ten  years,  until  suitable 


JOHN    ADAMS. 


buildings  should  be  erected  at  the  new 
capital  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  Mr. 
Adams  then  moved  his  family  to  Phila- 
delphia. Toward  the  close  of  his  term  of 
office  the  French  Revolution  culminated, 
when  Adams  and  Washington  rather 
sympathized  with  England,  and  Jefferson 
with  France.  The  Presidential  election  of 
1796  resulted  in  giving  Mr.  Adams  the  first 
place  by  a  small  majority,  and  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son the  second  place. 

Mr.  Adams's  administration  was  consci- 
entious, patriotic  and  able.  The  period 
was  a  turbulent  one,  and  even  an  archangel 
could  not  have  reconciled  the  hostile  par- 
ties. Partisanism  with  reference  to  Eng- 
land and  France  was  bitter,  and  for  four 
years  Mr.  Adams  struggled  through  almost 
a  constant  tempest  of  assaults.  In  fact,  he 
was  not  truly  a  popular  man,  and  his  cha- 
grin at  not  receiving  a  re-election  was  so 
great  that  he  did  not  even  remain  at  Phila- 
delphia to  witness  the  inauguration  of  Mr. 
Jefferson,  his  successor.  The  friendly 
intimacy  between  these  two  men  was 
interrupted  for  about  thirteen  years  of  their 
life.  Adams  finally  made  the  first  advances 
toward  a  restoration  of  their  mutual  friend- 
ship, which  were  gratefully  accepted  by 
Jefferson. 

Mr.  Adams  was  glad  of  his  opportunity 
to  retire  to  private  lite,  where  he  could  rest 
his  mind  and  enjoy  the  comforts  of  home. 
By  a  thousand  bitter  experiences  he  found 
the  path  of  public  duty  a  thorny  one.  For 
twenty-six  years  his  service  of  the  public 
was  as  arduous,  self-sacrificing  and  devoted 
as  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  man.  In  one  im- 
portant sense  he  was  as  much  the  "  Father 
of  his  Country "  as  was  Washington  in 
another  sense.  During  these  long  years  of 
anxiety  and  toil,  in  which  he  was  laying) 
broad  and  deep,  the  foundations  of  the 


greatest  nation  the  sun  ever  shone  upon,  he 
received  from  his  impoverished  country  a 
meager  support.  The  only  privilege  he 
carried  with  him  into  his  retirement  was 
that  of  franking  his  letters. 

Although  taking  no  active  part  in  public 
affairs,  both  himself  and  his  son,  John 
Quincy,  nobly  supported  the  policy  of  Mr. 
Jefferson  in  resisting  the  encroachments  of 
England,  who  persisted  in  searching 
American  ships  on  the  high  seas  and 
dragging  from  them  any  sailors  that  might 
be  designated  by  any  pert  lieutenant  as 
British  subjects.  Even  for  this  noble  sup- 
port Mr.  Adams  was  maligned  by  thou- 
sands of  bitter  enemies !  On  this  occasion, 
for  the  first  time  since  his  retirement,  he 
broke  silence  and  drew  up  a  very  able 
paper,  exposing  the  atrocity  of  the  British 
pretensions. 

Mr.  Adams  outlived  nearly  all  his  family. 
Though  his  physical  frame  began  to  give 
way  many  years  before  his  death,  his  mental 
powers  retained  their  strength  and  vigor  to 
the  last.  In  his  ninetieth  year  he  was 
gladdened  by  the  popular  elevation  of  his 
son  to  the  Presidential  office,  the  highest  in 
the  gift  of  the  people.  A  few  months  more 
passed  away  and  the  4th  of  July,  1826, 
arrived.  The  people,  unaware  of  the  near 
approach  of  the  end  of  two  great  lives — 
that  of  Adams  and  Jefferson — were  making 
unusual  preparations  for  a  national  holiday. 
Mr.  Adams  lay  upon  his  couch,  listening  to 
the  ringing  of  bells,  the  waftures  of  martial 
music  and  the  roar  of  cannon,  with  silent 
emotion.  Only  four  days  before,  he  had 
given  for  a  public  toast,  "  Independence 
forever."  About  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon he  said,  "And  Jefferson  still  survives." 
But  he  was  mistaken  by  an  hour  or  so: 
and  in  a  few  minutes  he  had  breathed  his 
last. 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


:OMASJEFFER- 
son,  the  third  Presi- 
dent of  the  United 
States,  iSoi-'g,  was 
born  April  2,  1743, 
the  eldest  child  of 
his  parents,  Peter 
and  Jane  (Randolph)  Jef- 
ferson, near  Charlottes- 
ville,  Albemarle  County, 
Virginia,  upon  the  slopes 
of  the  Blue  Ridge.  When 
he -was  fourteen  years  of 
age,  his  father  died,  leav- 
ing a  wido\v  and  eight 
children.  She  was  a  beau- 
tiful and  accomplished 
lady,  a  good  letter-writer,  with  a  fund  of 
humor,  and  an  admirable  housekeeper.  His 
parents  belonged  to  the  Church  of  England, 
and  are  said  to  be  of  Welch  origin.  But 
little  is  known  of  them,  however. 

Thomas  was  naturally  of  a  serious  turn 
of  mind,  apt  to  learn,  and  a  favorite  at 
school,  his  choice  studies  being  mathemat- 
ics and  the  classics.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  entered  William  and  Mary  College, 
in  an  advanced  class,  and  lived  in  rather  an 
expensive  style,  consequently  being  much 
caressed  by  gay  society.  That  he  was  not 
ruined,  is  proof  of  his  stamina  of  character. 
But  during  his  second  year  he  discarded 


society,  his  horses  and  even  his  favorite 
violin,  and  devoted  thenceforward  fifteen 
hours  a  day  to  hard  study,  becoming  ex- 
traordinarily proficient  in  Latin  and  Greek 
authors. 

On  leaving  college,  before  he  was  twenty- 
one,  he  commenced  the  study  of  law,  and 
pursued  it  diligently  until  he  was  well 
qualified  for  practice,  upon  which  he 
entered  in  1767.  By  this  time  he  was  also 
versed  in  French,  Spanish,  Italian  and  An- 
glo-Saxon, and  in  the  criticism  of  the  fine 
arts.  Being  very  polite  and  polished  in  his 
manners,  he  won  the  friendship  of  all  whom 
he  met.  Though  able  with  his  pen,  he  was 
not  fluent  in  public  speech. 

In  1769  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Virginia  Legislature,  and  was  the  largest 
slave-holding  member  of  that  body.  He 
introduced  a  bill  empowering  slave-holders 
to  manumit  their  slaves,  but  it  was  rejected 
by  an  overwhelming  vote. 

In  1770  Mr.  Jefferson  met  with  a  great 
loss;  his  house  at  Shadwell  was  burned, 
and  his  valuable  library  of  2,000  volumes 
was  consumed.  But  he  was  wealthy 
enough  to  replace  the  most  of  it,  as  from 
his  5,000  acres  tilled  by  slaves  and  his 
practice  at  the  bar  his  income  amounted  to 
about  $5,000  a  year. 

In  .1772  he  married  Mrs.  Martha  Skelton, 
a  beautiful,  wealthy  and  accomplished 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON. 


young  widow,  who  owned  40,000  acres  of 
land  and  130  slaves;  yet  he  labored  assidu- 
ously for  the  abolition  of  slavery.  For  his 
new  home  he  selected  a  majestic  rise  of 
land  upon  his  large  estate  at  Shadwell, 
called  Monticello,  whereon  he  erected  a 
mansion  of  modest  yet  elegant  architecture. 
Here  he  lived  in  luxury,  indulging  his  taste 
in  magnificent,  high-blooded  horses. 

At  this  period  the  British  Government 
gradually  became  more  insolent  and  op- 
pressive toward  the  American  colonies, 
and  Mr.  Jefferson  was  ever  one  of  the  most 
foremost  to  resist  its  encroachments.  From 
time  to  time  he  drew  up  resolutions  of  re- 
monstrance, which  were  finally  adopted, 
thus  proving  his  ability  as  a  statesman  and 
as  a  leader.  By  the  year  1774  he  became 
quite  busy,  both  with  voice  and  pen,  in  de- 
fending the  right  of  the  colonies  to  defend 
themselves.  His  pamphlet  entitled  :  "  A 
Summary  View  of  the  Rights  of  British 
America,"  attracted  much  attention  in  Eng- 
land. The  following  year  he,  in  company 
with  George  Washington,  served  as  an  ex- 
ecutive committee  in  measures  to  defend 
by  arms  the  State  of  Virginia.  As  a  Mem- 
ber of  the  Congress,  he  was  not  a  speech- 
maker,  yet  in  conversation  and  upon 
committees  he  was  so  frank  and  decisive 
that  he  always  made  a  favorable  impression. 
But  as  late  as  the  autumn  of  1775  he  re- 
mained in  hopes  of  reconciliation  with  the 
parent  country. 

At  length,  however,  the  hour  arrived  for 
draughting  the  "  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence," and  this  responsible  task  was  de- 
volved upon  Jefferson.  Franklin,  and 
Adams  suggested  a  few  verbal  corrections 
before  it  was  submitted  to  Congress,  which 
was  June  28,  1776,  only  six  days  before  it 
was  adopted.  During  the  three  days  of 
the  fiery  ordeal  of  criticism  through  which 
it  passed  in  Congress,  Mr.  Jefferson  opened 
not  his  lips.  John  Adams  was  the  main 
champion  of  the  Declaration  on  the  floor 


of  Congress.  The  signing  of  this  document 
was  one  of  the  most  solemn  and  momentous 
occasions  ever  attended  to  by  man.  Prayer 
and  silence  reigned  throughout  the  hall, 
and  each  signer  realized  that  if  American 
independence  was  not  finally  sustained  by 
arms  he  was  doomed  to  the  scaffold. 

After  the  colonies  became  independent 
States,  Jefferson  resigned  for  a  time  his  seat 
in  Congress  in  order  to  aid  in  organizing 
the  government  of  Virginia,  of  which  State 
he  was  chosen  Governor  in  1779,  when  he 
was  thirty-six  years  of  age.  At  this  time 
the  British  had  possession  of  Georgia  and 
were  invading  South  Carolina,  and  at  one 
time  a  British  officer,  Tarleton,  sent  a 
secret  expedition  to  Monticello  to  capture 
the  Governor.  Five  minutes  after  Mr. 
Jefferson  escaped  with  his  family,  his  man- 
sion was  in  possession  of  the  enemy  !  The 
British  troops  also  destroyed  his  valuable 
plantation  on  the  James  River.  "  Had  they 
carried  off  the  slaves,"  said  Jefferson,  with 
characteristic  magnanimity,  "  to  give  them 
freedom,  they  would  have  done  right." 

The  year  1781  was  a  gloomy  one  for  the 
Virginia  Governor.  While  confined  to  his 
secluded  home  in  the  forest  by  a  sick  and 
dying  wife,  a  party  arose  against  him 
throughout  the  State,  severely  criticising 
his  course  as  Governor.  Being  very  sensi- 
tive to  reproach,  this  touched  him  to  the 
quick,  and  the  heap  of  troubles  then  sur- 
rounding him  nearly  crushed  him.  He  re- 
solved, in  despair,  to  retire  from  public  life 
for  the  rest  of  his  days.  For  weeks  Mr. 
Jefferson  sat  lovingly,  but  with  a  crushed 
heart,  at  the  bedside  of  his  sick  wife,  during 
which  time  unfeeling  letters  were  sent  to 
him,  accusing  him  of  weakness  and  unfaith- 
fulness to  duty.  All  this,  after  he  had  lost 
so  much  property  and  at  the  same  time 
done  so  much  for  his  country !  After  her 
death  he  actually  fainted  away,  and  re- 
mained so  long  insensible  that  it  was  feared 
he  never  would  recover!  Several  weeks 


P/tESfDEWTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


passed  before  he  could  fully  recover  his 
equilibrium.  He  was  never  married  a 
second  time. 

In  the  spring  of  1782  the  people  of  Eng- 
land compelled  their  king  to  make  to  the 
Americans  overtures  of  peace,  and  in  No- 
vember following,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  reap- 
pointed  by  Congress,  unanimously  and 
without  a  single  adverse  remark,  minister 
plenipotentiary  to  negotiate  a  treaty. 

In  March,  1784,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  ap- 
pointed on  a  committee  to  draught  a  plan 
for  the  government  of  the  Northwestern 
Territory.  His  slavery -prohibition  clause 
in  that  plan  was  stricken  out  by  the  pro- 
slavery  majority  of  the  committee;  but  amid 
all  the  controversies  and  wrangles  of  poli- 
ticians, he  made  it  a  rule  never  to  contra- 
dict anybody  or  engage  in  any  discussion 
as  a  debater. 

In  company  with  Mr.  Adams  and  Dr. 
Franklin,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  appointed  in 
May,  1784,  to  act  as  minister  plenipotentiary 
in  the  negotiation  of  treaties  of  commerce 
with  foreign  nations.  Accordingly,  he  went 
to  Paris  and  satisfactorily  accomplished  his 
mission.  The  suavity  and  high  bearing  of 
his  manner  made  all  the  French  his  friends; 
and  even  Mrs.  Adams  at  one  time  wrote 
to  her  sister  that  he  was  "  the  chosen 
of  the  earth."  But  all  the  honors  that 
he  received,  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
seemed  to  make  no  change  in  the  simplicity 
of  his  republican  tastes.  On  his  return  to 
America,  he  found  two  parties  respecting 
the  foreign  commercial  policy,  Mr.  Adams 
sympathizing  with  that  in  favor  of  England 
and  himself  favoring  France. 

On  the  inauguration  of  General  Wash- 
ington as  President,  Mr.  Jefferson  was 
chosen  by  him  for  the  office  of  Secretary  of 
State.  At  this  time  the  rising  storm  of  the 
French  Revolution  became  visible,  and 
Washington  watched  it  with  great  anxiety. 
His  cabinet  was  divided  in  their  views  of 
constitutional  government  as  well  as  re- 


garding the  issues  in  France.  General 
Hamilton,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  was 
the  leader  of  the  so-called  Federal  party, 
while. Mr.  Jefferson  was  the  leader  of  the 
Republican  party.  At  the  same  time  there 
was  a  strong  monarchical  party  in  this 
country,  with  which  Mr.  Adams  sympa- 
thized. Some  important  financial  measures, 
which  were  proposed  by  Hamilton  and 
finally  adopted  by  the  cabinet  and  approved 
by  Washington,  were  opposed  by  Mr. 
Jefferson ;  and  his  enemies  then  began  to 
reproach  him  with  holding  office  under  an 
administration  whose  views  he  opposed. 
The  President  poured  oil  on  the  troubled 
waters.  On  his  re-election  to  the  Presi- 
dency he  desired  Mr.  Jefferson  to  remain 
in  the  cabinet,  but  the  latter  sent  in  his 
resignation  at  two  different  times,  probably 
because  he  was  dissatisfied  with  some  of 
the  measures  of  the  Government.  His 
final  one  was  not  received  until  January  I, 
1794,  when  General  Washington  parted 
from  him  with  great  regret. 

Jefferson  then  retired  to  his  quiet  home 
at  Monticello,  to  enjoy  a  good  rest,  not  even 
reading  the  newspapers  lest  the  political 
gossip  should  disquiet  him.  On  the  Presi- 
dent's again  calling  him  back  to  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  State,  he  replied  that  no 
circumstances  would  ever  again  tempt  him 
to  engage  in  anything  public !  But,  while 
all  Europe  was  ablaze  with  war,  and  France 
in  the  throes  of  a  bloody  revolution  and  the 
principal  theater  of  the  conflict,  a  new 
Presidential  election  in  this  country  came 
on.  John  Adams  was  the  Federal  candi- 
date and  Mr.  Jefferson  became  the  Republi- 
can candidate.  The  result  of  the  election 
was  the  promotion  of  the  latter  to  the  Vice- 
Presidency,  while  the  former  was  chosen 
President...  In  this  contest  Mr.  Jefferson 
really  did  not  desire  to  have  either  office, 
he  was  "  so  weary "  of  party  strife.  He 
loved  the  retirement  of  home  more  than 
any  other  place  on  the  earth. 


THOMAS 


But  for  four  long  years  his  Vice-Presi- 
dency passed  joylessly  away,  while  the 
partisan  strife  between  Federalist  and  Re- 
publican was  ever  growing  hotter.  The 
former  party  split  and  the  result  of  the 
fourth  general  election  was  the  elevation  of 
Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  Presidency !  with 
Aaron  Burr  as  Vice-President.  These  men 
being  at  the  head  of  a  growing  party,  their 
election  was  hailed  everywhere  with  joy. 
On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  Federalists 
turned  pale,  as  they  believed  what  a  portion 
of  the  pulpit  and  the  press  had  been  preach- 
ing— that  Jefferson  was  a  "  scoffing  atheist," 
a  "Jacobin,"  the  "  incarnation  of  all  evil," 
"  breathing  threatening  and  slaughter !  " 

Mr.  Jefferson's  inaugural  address  con- 
tained nothing  but  the  noblest  sentiments, 
expressed  in  fine  language,  and  his  personal 
behavior  afterward  exhibited  the  extreme 
of  American,  democratic  simplicity.  His 
disgust  of  European  court  etiquette  grew 
upon  him  with  age.  He  believed  that 
General  Washington  was  somewhat  dis- 
trustful of  the  ultimate  success  of  a  popular 
Government,  and  that,  imbued  with  a  little 
admiration  of  the  forms  of  a  monarchical 
Government,  he  had  instituted  levees,  birth- 
days, pompous  meetings  with  Congress, 
etc.  Jefferson  was  always  polite,  even  to 
slaves  everywhere  he  met  them,  and  carried 
in  his  countenance  the  indications  of  an  ac- 
commodating disposition. 

The  political  principles  of  the  Jeffersoni- 
an  party  now  swept  the  country,  and  Mr. 
Jefferson  himself  swayed  an  influence  which 
was  never  exceeded  even  by  Washington. 
Under  his  administration,  in  1803,  the  Lou- 
isiana purchase  was  made,  for  $15,000,000, 
the  "  Louisiana  Territory  "  purchased  com- 
prising all  the  land  west  of  the  Mississippi 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  year  1804  witnessed  another  severe 
loss  in  his  family.  His  highly  accomplished 
and  most  beloved  daughter  Maria  sickened 
and  died,  causing  as  great  grief  in  the 


stricken  parent  as  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
survive  with  any  degree  of  sanity. 

The  same  year  he  was  re-elected  to  the 
Presidency,  with  George  Clinton  as  Vice- 
President.  During  his  second  term  our 
relations  with  England  became  more  com- 
plicated, and  on  June  22,  1807,  near  Hamp- 
ton Roads,  the  United  States  frigate 
Chesapeake  was  fired  upon  by  the  Brit- 
ish man-of-war  Leopard,  and  was  made 
to  surrender.  Three  men  were  killed  and 
ten  wounded.  Jefferson  demanded  repara- 
tion. England  grew  insolent.  It  became 
evident  that  war  was  determined  upon  by 
the  latter  power.  More  than  1,200  Ameri- 
cans were  forced  into  the  British  service 
upon  the  high  seas.  Before  any  satisfactory 
solution  was  reached,  Mr.  Jefferson's 
Presidential  term  closed.  Amid  all  these 
public  excitements  he  thought  constantly 
of  the  welfare  of  his  family,  and  longed 
for  the  time  when  he  could  return  home 
to  remain.  There,  at  Monticello,  his  sub- 
sequent life  was  very  similar  to  that  of 
Washington  at  Mt.  Vernon.  His  hospi- 
tality toward  his  numerous  friends,  indul- 
gence of  his  slaves,  and  misfortunes  to  his 
property,  etc.,  finally  involved  him  in  debt. 
For  years  his  home  resembled  a  fashion- 
able watering-place.  During  the  summer, 
thirty -seven  house  servants  were  required ! 
It  was  presided  over  by  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Randolph. 

Mr.  Jefferson  did  much  for  the  establish- 
ment of  the  University  at  Charlottesville, 
making  it  unsectarian,  in  keeping  with  the 
spirit  of  American  institutions,  but  poverty 
and  the  feebleness  of  old  age  prevented 
him  from  doing  what  he  would.  He  even 
went  so  far  as  to  petition  the  Legislature 
for  permission  to  dispose  of  some  of  his 
possessions  by  lottery,  in  order  to  raise  the 
necessary  funds  for  home  expenses.  It  was 
granted ;  but  before  the  plan  was  carried 
out,  Mr.  Jefferson  died,  July  4,  1826,  at 
12:50  I'.  M. 


PRESfDBNTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


AMES  MADISON,  the 
fourth  President  of  the 
United  States,  1809-' 17, 
was  born  at  Port  Con- 
way,  Prince  George 
County,  Virginia,  March 
16,  1751.  His  father, 
Colonel  James  Madison,  was 
a  wealthy  planter,  residing 
upon  a  very  fine  estate 
called  "  Montpelier,"  only 
twenty-five  miles  from  the 
home  of  Thomas  Jefferson 
at  Monticello.  The  closest 
personal  and  political  at- 
tachment existed  between 
these  illustrious  men  from  their  early  youth 
until  death. 

James  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  seven 
children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  all 
of  whom  attained  maturity.  His  early  edu- 
cation was  conducted  mostly  at  home, 
under  a  private  tutor.  Being  naturally  in- 
tellectual in  his  tastes,  he  consecrated  him- 
self with  unusual  vigor  to  study .  At  a  very 
early  age  he  made  considerable  proficiency 
in  the  Greek,  Latin,  French  and  Spanish 
languages.  In  1769  he  entered  Princeton 
College,  •  New  Jersey,  of  which  the  illus- 
trious Dr.  Weatherspoon  was  then  Presi- 
dent. He  graduated  in  1771,  with  a  char- 


acter of  the  utmost  purity,  and  a  mind 
highly  disciplined  and  stored  with  all  the 
learning  which  embellished  and  gave  effi- 
ciency to  his  subsequent  career.  After 
graduating  he  pursued  a  course  of  reading 
for  several  months,  under  the  guidance  of 
President  Weatherspoon,  and  in  1772  re- 
turned to  Virginia,  where  he  continued  in 
incessant  study  for  two  years,  nominally 
directed  to  the  law,  but  really  including 
extended  researches  in  theology,  philoso- 
phy and  general  literature. 

The  Church  of  England  was  the  estab- 
lished church  in  Virginia,  invested  with  all 
the  prerogatives  and  immunities  which  it 
enjoyed  in  the  fatherland,  and  other  de- 
nominations labored  under  serious  disabili- 
ties, the  enforcement  of  which  was  rightly 
or  wrongly  characterized  by  them  as  per- 
secution. Madison  took  a  prominent  stand 
in  behalf  of  the  removal  of  all  disabilities, 
repeatedly  appeared  in  the  court  of  his  own 
county  to  defend  the  Baptist  nonconform- 
ists, and  was  elected  from  Orange  County  to 
the  Virginia  Convention  in  the  spring  of 
1766,  when  he  signalized  the  beginning  of 
his  public  career  by  procuring  the  passage 
of  an  amendment  to  the  Declaration  of 
Rights  as  prepared  by  George  Mason,  sub- 
stituting for  "  toleration"  a  more  emphatic 
assertion  of  religious  liberty. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


JAMES    MADISOK. 


V) 


In  1776  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Virginia  Convention  to  frame  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  State.  Like  Jefferson,  he  took 
but  little  part  in  the  public  debates.  His 
main  strength  lay  in  his  conversational  in- 
fluence and  in  his  pen.  In  November,  1777, 
he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Council  of 
State,  and  in  March,  1780,  took  his  seat  in 
the  Continental  Congress,  where  he  first 
gained  prominence  through  his  energetic 
opposition  to  the  issue  of  paper  money  by 
the  States.  He  continued  in  Congress  three 
years,  one  of  its  most  active  and  influential 
members. 

In  1784  Mr.  Madison  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Virginia  Legislature.  He  ren- 
dered important  service  by  promoting  and 
participating  in  that  revision  of  the  statutes 
which  effectually  abolished  the  remnants  of 
the  feudal  system  subsistent  up  to  that 
time  in  the  form  of  entails,  primogeniture, 
and  State  support  given  the  Anglican 
Church  ;  and  his  "  Memorial  and  Remon- 
strance" against  a  general  assessment  for 
the  support  of  religion  is  one  of  the  ablest 
papers  which  emanated  from  his  pen.  It 
settled  the  question  of  the  entire  separation 
of  church  and  State  in  Virginia. 

Mr.  Jefferson  says  of  him,  in  allusion  to 
the  study  and  experience  through  which  he 
had  already  passed : 

"  Trained  in  these  successive  schools,  he 
acquired  a  habit  of  self-possession  which 
placed  at  ready  command  the  rich  resources 
of  his  luminous  and  discriminating  mind  and 
of  his  extensive  information,  and  rendered 
him  the  first  of  every  assembly  of  which  he 
afterward  became  a  member.  Never  wan- 
dering from  his  subject  into  vain  declama- 
tion, but  pursuing  it  closely  in  language 
pure,  classical  and  copious,  soothing  al- 
ways the  feelings  of  his  adversaries  by  civili- 
ties and  softness  of  expression,  he  rose  to  the 
eminent  station  which  he  held  in  the  great 
National  Convention  of  1787;  and  in  that  of 
/irginia,  which  followed,  he  sustained  the 


new  Constitution  in  all  its  parts,  bearing  off 
the  palm  against  the  logic  of  George  Mason 
and  the  fervid  declamation  of  Patrick 
Henry.  With  these  consummate  powers 
were  united  a  pure  and  spotless  virtue 
which  no  calumny  has  ever  attempted  to 
sully.  Of  the  power  and  polish  of  his  pen, 
and  of  the  wisdom  of  his  administration  in 
the  highest  office  of  the  nation,  I  need  say 
nothing.  They  have  spoken,  and  will  for- 
ever  speak,  for  themselves." 

In  January,  1786,  Mr.  Madison  took  the 
initiative  in  proposing  a  meeting  of  State 
Commissioners  to  devise  measures  for  more 
satisfactory  commercial  relations  between 
the  States.  A  meeting  was  held  at  An- 
napolis to  discuss  this  subject,  and  but  five 
States  were  represented.  The  convention 
issued  another  call,  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Madi- 
son, urging  all  the  States  to  send  their  dele- 
gates to  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1787,  to 
draught  a  Constitution  for  the  United 
States.  The  delegates  met  at  the  time  ap- 
pointed, every  State  except  Rhode  Island 
being  represented.  George  Washington 
was  chosen  president  of  the  convention, 
and  the  present  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  was  then  and  there  formed.  There 
was  no  mind  and  no  pen  more  active  in 
framing  this  immortal  document  than  the 
mind  and  pen  of  James  Madison.  He  was, 
perhaps,  its  ablest  advocate  in  the  pages  of 
the  Federalist. 

Mr.  Madison  was  a  member  of  the  first 
four  Congresses,  i78o-'97,  in  which  he  main- 
tained a  moderate  opposition  to  Hamilton's 
financial  policy.  He  declined  the  mission 
to  France  and  the  Secretaryship  of  State, 
and,  gradually  identifying  himself  with  the 
Republican  party,  became  from  1792  its 
avowed  leader.  In  1796  he  was  its  choice 
for  the  Presidency  as  successor  to  Wash- 
ington. Mr.  Jefferson  wrote :  "  There  is 
not  another  person  in  the  United  States 
with  whom,  being  placed  at  the  helm  of  our 
affairs,  my  mkid  would  be  so  completely  at 


3° 


PRESIDENTS    OF     THE     UNITED    STATES. 


rest  for  the  fortune  of  our  political  bark." 
But  Mr.  Madison  declined  to  be  a  candi- 
date. His  term  in  Congress  had  expired, 
and  he  returned  from  New  York  to  his 
beautiful  retreat  at  Montpelier. 

In  1794  Mr.  Madison  married  a  young 
widow  of  remarkable  powers  of  fascination 
— Mrs.  Todd.  Her  maiden  name  was  Doro- 
thy Paine.  She  was  born  in  1767,  in  Vir- 
ginia, of  Quaker  parents,  and  had  been 
educated  in  the  strictest  rules  of  that  sect. 
When  but  eighteen  years  of  age  she  married 
a  young  lawyer  and  moved  to  Philadelphia, 
where  she  was  introduced  to  brilliant  scenes 
of  fashionable  life.  She  speedily  laid  aside 
the  dress  and  address  of  the  Quakeress,  and 
became  one  of  the  most  fascinating  ladies 
of  the  republican  court.  In  New  York, 
alter  the  death  of  her  husband,  she  was  the 
belle  of  the  season  and  was  surrounded  with 
admirers.  Mr.  Madison  won  the  prize. 
She  proved  an  invaluable  helpmate.  In 
Washington  she  was  the  life  of  society. 
If  there  was  any  diffident,  timid  young 
girl  just  making  her  appearance,  she 
found  in  Mrs.  Madison  an  encouraging 
friend. 

During  the  stormy  administration  of  John 
Adams  Madison  remained  in  private  life, 
but  was  the  author  of  the  celebrated  "  Reso- 
lutions of  1798,"  adopted  by  the  Virginia 
Legislature,  in  condemnation  of  the  Alien 
and  Sedition  laws,  as  well  as  of  the  "  report" 
in  which  he  defended  those  resolutions, 
which  is,  by  many,  considered  his  ablest 
State  paper. 

The  storm  passed  away ;  the  Alien  and 
Sedition  laws  were  repealed,  John  Adams 
lost  his  re-election,  and  in  1801  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson was  chosen  President.  The  great  re- 
action in  public  sentiment  which  seated 
Jefferson  in  the  presidential  chair  was  large- 
ly owing  to  the  writings  of  Madison,  who 
was  consequently  well  entitled  to  the  post 
of  Secretary  of  State.  With  great  ability 
he  discharged  the  duties  of  this  responsible 


office  during  the  eight  years  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's  administration. 

As  Mr.  Jefferson  was  a  widower,  and 
neither  of  his  daughters  could  be  often  with 
him,  Mrs.  Madison  usually  presided  over 
the  festivities  of  the  White  House;  and  as 
her  husband  succeeded  Mr.  Jefferson,  hold- 
ing his  office  for  two  terms,  this  remarkable 
woman  was  the  mistress  of  the  presidential 
mansion  for  sixteen  years. 

Mr.  Madison  being  entirely  engrossed  by 
the  cares  of  his  office,  all  the  duties  of  so- 
cial life  devolved  upon  his  accomplished 
wife.  Never  were  such  responsibilities 
more  ably  discharged.  The  most  bitter 
foes  of  her  husband  and  of  the  administra- 
tion were  received  with  the  frankly  prof- 
fered hand  and  the  cordial  smile  of  wel- 
come; and  the  influence  of  this  gentle 
woman  in  allaying  the  bitterness  of  party 
rancor  became  a  great  and  salutary  power 
in  the  nation. 

As  the  term  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  Presidency 
"drew  near  its  close,  party  strife  was  roused 
to  the  utmost  to  elect  his  successor.  It  was 
a  death-grapple  between  the  two  great 
parties,  the  Federal  and  Republican.  Mr. 
Madison  was  chosen  President  by  an  elec. 
toral  vote  of  122  to  53,  and  was  inaugurated 
March  4,  1809,  at  a  critical  period,  when 
the  relations  of  the  United  States  with  Great 
Britain  were  becoming  embittered,  and  his 
first  term  was  passed  in  diplomatic  quarrels, 
aggravated  by  the  act  of  non-intercourse  of 
May,  1810,  and  finally  resulting  in  a  decla- 
ration of  war. 

On  the  i8th  of  June,  1812,  President 
Madison  gave  his  approval  to  an  act  of 
Congress  declaring  war  against  Great  Brit- 
ain. Notwithstanding  the  bitter  hostility 
of  the  Federal  party  to  the  war,  the  country 
in  general  approved ;  and  in  the  autumn 
Madison  was  re-elected  to  the  Presidency 
by  128  electoral  votes  to  89  in  favor  of 
George  Clinton. 

March  4,  1817,  Madison  yielded  the  Presi- 


JAMES    MADISOX. 


dency  to  his  Secretary  of  State  and  inti- 
mate friend,  James  Monroe,  and  retired  to 
his  ancestral  estate  at  Montpelier,  where  he 
passed  the  evening  of  his  days  surrounded 
by  attached  friends  and  enjoying  the 
merited  respect  of  the  whole  nation.  He 
took  pleasure  in  promoting  agriculture,  as 
president  of  the  county  society,  and  in 
watching  the  development  of  the  University 
of  Virginia,  of  which  he  was  long  rector  and 
visitor.  In  extreme  old  age  he  sat  in  1829 
as  a  member  of  the  convention  called  to  re- 
form the  Virginia  Constitution,  where  his 
appearance  was  hailed  with  the  most  gen- 
uine interest  and  satisfaction,  though  he 
was  too  infirm  io  participate  in  the  active 
work  of  revision.  Small  in  stature,  slender 
and  delicate  in  form,  with  a  countenance 
full  of  intelligence,  and  expressive  alike  of 
mildness  and  dignity,  he  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  all  who  attended  the  convention, 
and  was  treated  with  the  utmost  deference. 
He  seldom  addressed  the  assembly,  though 
he  always  appeared  self-possessed,  and 
watched  with  unflagging  interest  the  prog- 
ress of  every  measure.  Though  the  con- 
vention sat  sixteen  weeks,  he  spoke  only 
twice ;  but  when  he  did  speak,  the  whole 
house  paused  to  listen.  His  voice  was 
feeble  though  his  enunciation  was  very  dis- 
tinct. One  of  the  reporters,  Mr.  Stansbury, 
relates  the  following  anecdote  of  Mr.  Madi- 
son's last  speech: 

"  The  next  day,  as  there  was  a  great  call 
for  it,  and  the  report  had  not  been  returned 
for  publication,  I  sent  my  son  with  a  re- 
spectful note,  requesting  the  manuscript. 
My  son  was  a  lad  of  sixteen,  whom  I  had 
taken  with  me  to  act  as  amanuensis.  On 
delivering  my  note,  he  was  received  with 
the  utmost  politeness,  and  requested  to 
come  up  into  Mr.  Madison's  room  and  wait 
while  his  eye  ran  over  the  paper,  as  com- 
pany had  prevented  his  attending  to  it.  He 
did  so,  and  Mr.  Madison  sat  down  to  correct 
the  report.  The  lad  stood  near  him. so  that 


his  eye  fell  on  the  paper.  Coming  to  a 
certain  sentence  in  the  speech,  Mr.  Madison 
erased  a  word  and  substituted  another  ;  but 
hesitated,  and  not  feeling  satisfied  with  the 
second  word,  drew  his  pen  through  it  also. 
My  son  was  young,  ignorant  of  the  world, 
and  unconscious  of  the  solecism  of  which  he 
was  about  to  be  guilty,  when,  in  all  simplic- 
ity, he  suggested  a  word.  Probably  no 
other  person  then  living  would  have  taken 
such  a  liberty.  But  the  sage,  instead  of 
regarding  such  an  intrusion  with  a  frown, 
raised  his  eyes  to  the  boy's  face  with  a 
pleased  surprise,  and  said,  '  Thank  you,  sir  ; 
it  is  the  very  word,'  and  immediately  in- 
serted it.  I  saw  him  the  next  day,  and  he 
mentioned  the  circumstance,  with  a  compli- 
ment on  the  young  critic." 

Mr.  Madison  died  at  Montpelier,  June  28, 
1836,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty -five. 
While  not  possessing  the  highest  order  of 
talent,  and  deficient  in  oratorical  powers, 
he  was  pre-eminently  a  statesman,  of  a  well, 
balanced  mind.  His  attainments  were  solid, 
his  knowledge  copious,  his  judgment  gener- 
ally sound,  his  powers  of  analysis  and  logi- 
cal statement  rarely  surpassed,  his  language 
and  literary  style  correct  and  polished,  his 
conversation  witty,  his  temperament  san- 
guine and  trustful,  his  integrity  unques- 
tioned, his  manners  simple,  courteous  and 
winning.  By  these  rare  qualities  he  con- 
ciliated the  esteem  not  only  of  friends,  but 
of  political  opponents,  in  a  greater  degree 
than  any  American  statesman  in  the  present 
century. 

Mrs.  Madison  survived  her  husband  thir- 
teen years,  and  died  July  12,  1849,  m  tne 
eighty -second  year  of  her  age.  She  was  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  women  our  coun- 
try has  produced.  Even  now  she  is  ad- 
miringly remembered  in  Washington  as 
"  Dolly  Madison,"  and  it  is  fitting  that  her 
memory  should  descend  to  posterity  in 
company  with  thatof  the  companion  of 
her  life. 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE    UN1THD    STATES. 


AMES  MONROE,  the  fifth 
President  of  the  United 
States,  i8i7-'25,  was  born 
in  Westmoreland  County 
Virginia,  April  28,  1758. 
He  was  a  son  of  Spence 
Monroe,  and  a  descendant 
of  a  Scottish  cavalier  fam- 
ily. Like  all  his  predeces- 
sors thus  far  in  the  Presi- 
dential chair,  he  enjoyed  all 
the  advantages  of  educa- 
tion which  the  country 
could  then  afford.  He  was 
early  sent  to  a  fine  classical 
school,  and  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen entered  William  and  Mary  College.. 
In  1776,  when  he  had  been  in  college  but 
two  years,  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  adopted,  and  our  feeble  militia,  with- 
out arms,  amunition  or  clothing,  were  strug- 
gling against  the  trained  armies  of  England. 
James  Monroe  left  college,  hastened  to 
General  Washington's  headquarters  at  New 
York  and  enrolled  himself  as  a  cadet  in  the 
army. 

At  Trenton  Lieutenant  Monroe  so  dis- 
tinguished himself,  receiving  a  wound  in  his 
shoulder,  that  he  was  promoted  to  a  Cap- 
taincy. Upon  recovering  from  his  wound, 
he  was  invited  to  act  as  aide  to  Lord  Ster- 
ling, and  in  that  capacity  he  took  an  active 
part  in  the  battles  of  Brandywine,  Ger- 
mantown  and  Monmouth.  At  Germantown 


he  stood  by  the  side  of  Lafayette  when  the 
French  Marquis  received  his  wound.  Gen- 
eral Washington,  who  had  formed  a  high 
idea  of  young  Monroe's  ability,  sent  him  to 
Virginia  to  raise  a  new  regiment,  of  which 
he  was  to  be  Colonel;  but  so  exhausted  was 
Virginia  at  that  time  that  the  effort  proved 
unsuccessful.  He,  however,  received  his 
commission. 

Finding  no  opportunity  to  enter  the  army 
as  a  commissioned  officer,  he  returned  to  his 
original  plan  of  studying  law,  and  entered 
the  office  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was 
then  Governor  of  Virginia.  He  developed 
a' very  noble  character,  frank,  manly  and 
sincere.  Mr.  Jefferson  said  of  him: 

"James  Monroe  is  so  perfectly  honest 
that  if  his  soul  were  turned  inside  out  there 
would  not  be  found  a  spot  on  it." 

In  1782  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly 
of  Virginia,  and  was  also  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Executive  Council.  The  next 
year  he  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  for  a  term  of  three  years. 
He  was  present  at  Annapolis  when  Wash- 
ington surrendered  his  commission  of  Com- 
mander-in-chief. 

With  Washington,  Jefferson  and  Madison 
he  felt  deeply  the  inefficiency  of  the  old 
Articles  of  Confederation,  and  urged  the 
formation  of  a  new  Constitution,  which 
should  invest  the  Central  Government  with 
something  like  national  power.  Influenced 
by  these  views,  he  introduced  a  resolution 


r 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


JAAfES    MONROR. 


that  Congress  should  be  empowered  to 
regulate  trade,  and  to  lay  an  impost  duty 
of  five  per  cent.  The  resolution  was  refer- 
red to  a  committee  of  which  he  was  chair- 
man. The  report  and  the  discussion  which 
rose  upon  it  led  to  the  convention  of  five 
States  at  Annapolis,  and  the  consequent 
general  convention  at  Philadelphia,  which, 
in  1787,  drafted  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

At  this  time  there  was  a  controversy  be- 
tween New  York  and  Massachusetts  in 
reference  to  their  boundaries.  The  high 
esteem  in  which  Colonel  Monroe  was  held 
is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  judges  to  decide  the 
controversy.  While  in  New  York  attend- 
ing Congress,  he  married  Miss  Kortright, 
a  young  lady  distinguished  alike  for  her 
beauty  and  accomplishments.  For  nearly 
fifty  years  this  happy  union  remained  un- 
broken. In  London  and  in  Paris,  as  in  her 
own  country,  Mrs.  Monroe  won  admiration 
and  affection  by  the  loveliness  of  her  per- 
son, the  brilliancy  of  her  intellect,  and  the 
amiability  of  her  character. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  Colonel  Monroe 
commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Freder- 
icksburg.  He  was  very  soon  elected  to  a 
seat  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  the  next 
year  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Vir- 
ginia convention  which  was  assembled  to 
decide  upon  the  acceptance  or  rejection  of 
the  Constitution  which  had  been  drawn  up 
at  Philadelphia,  and  was  now  submitted 
to  the  several  States.  Deeply  as  he  felt 
the  imperfections  of  the  old  Confederacy, 
he  was  opposed  to  the  new  Constitution, 
thinking,  with  many  others  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  that  it  gave  too  much  power  to 
the  Central  Government,  and  not  enough 
to  the  individual  States. 

In  1789  he  became  a  member  of  the 
United  States  Senate,  which  office  he  held 
acceptably  to  his  constituents,  and  with 
honor  to  himself  for  four  years. 


Having  opposed  the  Constitution  as  not 
leaving  enough  power  with  the  States,  he, 
of  course,  became  more  and  more  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party.  Thus  he 
found  himself  in  cordial  co-operation  with 
Jefferson  and  Madison.  The  great  Repub- 
lican party  became  the  dominant  power 
which  ruled  the  land. 

George  Washington  was  then  President. 
England  had  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
Bourbons  against  the  principles  of  the 
French  Revolution.  President  Washing- 
ton issued  a  proclamation  of  neutrality  be- 
tween these  contending  powers.  France 
had  helped  us  in  the  struggle  for  our  lib- 
erties. All  the  despotisms  of  Europe  were 
now  combined  to  prevent  the  French 
from  escaping  from  tyranny  a  thousandfold 
worse  than  that  which  we  had  endured. 
Colonel  Monroe,  more  magnanimous  than 
prudent,  was  anxious  that  we  should  help 
our  old  allies  in  their  extremity.  He  vio- 
lently opposed  the  President's  procla- 
mation as  ungrateful  and  wanting  in 
magnanimity. 

Washington,  who  could  appreciate  such 
a  character,  developed  his  calm,  serene, 
almost  divine  greatness  by  appointing  that 
very  James  Monroe,  who  was  denouncing 
the  policy  of  the  Government,  as  the  Minis- 
ter of  that  Government  to  the  republic  of 
France.  He  was  directed  by  Washington 
to  express  to  the  French  people  our  warm- 
est sympathy,  communicating  to  them  cor- 
responding resolves  approved  by  the  Pres- 
ident, and  adopted  by  both  houses  of 
Congress. 

Mr.  Monroe  was  welcomed  by  the  Na- 
tional Convention  in  France  with  the  most 
enthusiastic  demonstrations  of  respect  and 
affection.  He  was  publicly  introduced  to 
that  body,  and  received  the  embrace  of  the 
President,  Merlin  de  Douay,  after  having 
been  addressed  in  a  speech  glowing  witk 
congratulations,  and  with  expressions  of 
desire  that  harmony  might  ever  exist  be 


PRESfDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


tvveen  the  two  nations.  The  flags  of  the 
two  republics  were  intertwined  in  the  hall 
of  the  convention.  Mr.  Monroe  presented 
the  American  colors,  and  received  those  of 
France  in  return.  The  course  which  he 
pursued  in  Paris  was  so  annoying  to  Eng- 
land and  to  the  friends  of  England  in 
this  country  that,  near  the  close  of  Wash- 
ington's administration,  Mr.  Monroe,  was 
recalled. 

After  his  return  Colonel  Monroe  wrote  a 
book  of  400  pages,  entitled  "  A  View  of  the 
Conduct  of  the  Executive  in  Foreign  Af- 
fairs." In  this  work  he  very  ably  advo- 
cated his  side  of  the  question;  but,  with 
the  magnanimity  of  the  man,  he  recorded  a 
warm  tribute  to  the  patriotism,  ability  and 
spotless  integrity  of  John  Jay,  between 
whom  and  himself  there  was  intense  antag- 
onism ;  and  in  subsequent  years  he  ex- 
pressed in  warmest  terms  his  perfect 
veneration  for  the  character  of  George 
Washington. 

Shortly  after  his  return  to  this  country 
Colonel  Monroe  was  elected  Governor  of 
Virginia,  and  held  that  office  for  three 
years,  the  period  limited  by  the  Constitu- 
tion. In  1802  he  was  an  Envoy  to  France, 
and  to  Spain  in  1805,  and  was  Minister  to 
England  in  1803.  In  1806  he  returned  to 
his  quiet  home  in  Virginia,  and  with  his 
wife  and  children  and  an  ample  competence 
from  his  paternal  estate,  enjoyed  a  few  years 
of  domestic  repose. 

In  1809  Mr.  Jefferson's  second  term  of 
office  expired,  and  many  of  the  Republican 
party  were  anxious  to  nominate  James 
Monroe  as  his  successor.  The  majority 
were  in  favor  of  Mr.  Madison.  Mr.  Mon- 
roe withdrew  his  name  and  was  soon  after 
chosen  a  second  time  Governor  of  Virginia. 

o 

He  soon  resigned  that  office  to  accept  the 
position  of  Secretary  of  State,  offered  him 
by  President  Madison.  The  correspond- 
ence which  he  then  carried  on  with  the 
British  Government  demonstrated  that 


there  was  no  hope  of  any  peaceful  adjust- 
ment of  our  difficulties  with  the  cabinet  of 
St.  James.  War  was  consequently  declared 
in  June,  1812.  Immediately  after  the  sack 
of  Washington  the  Secretary  of  War  re- 
signed, and  Mr.  Monroe,  at  the  earnest 
request  of  Mr.  Madison,  assumed  the  ad- 
ditional duties  of  the  War  Department, 
without  resigning  his  position  as  Secretary 
of  State.  It  has  been  confidently  stated, 
that,  had  Mr.  Monroe's  energies  been  in  the 
War  Department  a  few  months  earlier,  the 
disaster  at  Washington  would  not  have 
occurred. 

The  duties  now  devolving  upon  Mr.  Mon- 
roe were  extremely  arduous.  Ten  thou- 
sand men,  picked  from  the  veteran  armies 
of  England,  were  sent  with  a  powerful  fleet 
to  New  Orleans  to  acquire  possession  of 
the  mouths  of  the  Mississippi.  Our  finan- 
ces were  in  the  most  deplorable  condition. 
The  treasury  was  exhausted  and  our  credit 
gone.  And  yet  it  was  necessary  to  make 
the  most  rigorous  preparations  to  meet  the 
foe.  In  this  crisis  James  Monroe,  the  Sec- 
retary of  War,  with  virtue  unsurpassed  in 
Greek  or  Roman  story,  stepped  forward 
and  pledged  his  own  individual  credit  as 
subsidiary  to  that  of  the  nation,  and  thus 
succeeded  in  placing  the  city  of  New  Or- 
leans in  such  a  posture  of  defense,  that  it 
was  enabled  successfully  to  repel  the  in- 
vader. 

Mr.  Monroe  was  truly  the  armor-bearer 
of  President  Madison,  and  the  most  efficient 
business  man  in  his  cabinet.  His  energy 
in  the  double  capacity  of  Secretary,  both 
of  State  and  War,  pervaded  all  the  depart- 
ments of  the  country.  He  proposed  to 
increase  the  army  to  100,000  men,  a  meas- 
ure which  he  deemed  absolutely  necessary 
to  save  us  from  ignominious  defeat,  but 
which,  at  the  same  time,  he  knew  would 
render  his  name  so  unpopular  as  to  preclude 
the  possibility  of  his  being  a  successful  can- 
didate for  the  Presidency. 


JAMES    MONROE. 


The  happy  result  of  the  conference  at 
Ghent  in  securing  peace  rendered  the  in- 
crease of  the  army  unnecessary;  but  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  James  Monroe  placed 
in  the  hands  of  Andrew  Jackson  the 
weapon  with  which  to  beat  off  the  foe  at 
New  Orleans.  Upon  the  return  of  peace 
Mr.  Monroe  resigned  the  department  of 
war,  devoting  himself  entirely  to  the  duties 
of  Secretary  of  State.  These  he  continued 
to  discharge  until  the  close  of  President 
Madison's  administration,  with  zeal  which 
was  never  abated,  and  with  an  ardor  of 
self-devotion  which  made  him  almost  for- 
getful of  the  claims  of  fortune,  health  or 
life. 

Mr.  Madison's  second  term  expired  in 
March,  1817,  and  Mr.  Monroe  succeeded 
to  the  Presidency.  He  was  a  candidate  of 
the  Republican  party,  now  taking  the  name 
of  the  Democratic  Republican.  In  1821  he 
was  re-slected,  with  scarcely  any  opposition. 
Out  of  232  electoral  votes,  he  received  231. 
The  slavery  question,  which  subsequently 
assumed  such  formidable  dimensions,  now 
began  to  make  its  appearance.  The  State 
of  Missouri,  which  had  been  carved  out  of 
that  immense  territory  which  we  had  pur- 
chased of  France,  applied  for  admission  to 
the  Union,  with  a  slavery  Constitution. 
There  were  not  a  few  who  foresaw  the 
evils  impending.  After  the  debate  of  a 
week  it  was  decided  that  Missouri  could 
not  be  admitted  into  the  Union  with  slav- 
ery. This  important  question  was  at  length 
settled  by  a  compromise  proposed  by 
Henry  Clay. 

The  famous  "  Monroe  Doctrine,"  of  which 
so  much  has  been  said,  originated  in  this 
way:  In  1823  it  was  rumored  that  the 
Holy  Alliance  was  about  to  interfere  to 
prevent  the  establishment  of  Republican 
liberty  in  the  European  colonies  of  South 
America.  President  Monroe  wrote  to  his 
old  friend  Thomas  Jefferson  for  advice  in 
the  emergency.  In  his  reply  under  date  of 


October  24,  Mr.  Jefferson  writes  upon  the 
supposition  that  our  attempt  to  resist  this 
European  movement  might  lead  to  war: 

"  Its  object  is  to  introduce  and  establish 
the  American  system  of  keeping  out  of  our 
land  all  foreign  powers;  of  never  permitting 
those  of  Europe  to  intermeddle  with  the 
affairs  of  our  nation.  It  is  to  maintain  our 
own  principle,  not  to  depart  from  it." 

December  2,  1823,  President  Monroe 
sent  a  message  to  Congress,  declaring  it  to 
be  the  policy  of  this  Government  not  to 
entangle  ourselves  with  the  broils  of  Eu- 
rope, and  not  to  allow  Europe  to  interfere 
with  the  affairs  of  nations  on  the  American 
continent;  and  the  doctrine  was  announced, 
that  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Euro- 
pean powers  "  to  extend  their  system  to 
any  portion  of  this  hemisphere  would  be 
regarded  by  the  United  States  as  danger- 
ous to  our  peace  and  safety." 

March  4,  1825,  Mr.  Monroe  surrendered 
the  presidential  chair  to  his  Secretary  of 
State,  John  Quincy  Adams,  and  retired, 
with  the  universal  respect  of  the  nation, 
to  his  private  residence  at  Oak  Hill,  Lou- 
doun  County,  Virginia.  His  time  had  been 
so  entirely  consecrated  to  his  country,  that 
he  had  neglected  his  pecuniary  interests, 
and  was  deeply  involved  in  debt.  The 
welfare  of  his  country  had  ever  been  up- 
permost in  his  mind. 

For  many  years  Mrs.  Monroe  was  in  such 
feeble  health  that  she  rarely  appeared  in 
public.  In  1830  Mr.  Monroe  took  up  his 
residence  with  his  son-in-law  in  New  York, 
where  he  died  on  the  4th  of  July,  1831. 
The  citizens  of  New  York  conducted  his 
obsequies  with  pageants  more  imposing 
than  had  ever  been  witnessed  there  before. 
Our  country  will  ever  cherish  his  mem- 
ory with  pride,  gratefully  enrolling  his 
name  in  the  list  of  its  benefactors,  pronounc- 
ing him  the  worthy  successor  of  the  illus- 
trious men  who  had  preceded  him  in  the 
presidential  chair. 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


OHN  QUINCY  ADAMS, 

the  sixth  President  of  the 
United   States,     i825-'9, 
was   born    in  the    rural 
home    of     his     honored 
father,  John  Adams,   in 
Q  u  i  n  c  y  ,   Massachusetts, 
July  11,  1767.     His  mother, 
a  woman  of  exalted  worth, 
watched  over  his  childhood 
during  the  almost  constant 
absence  of  his  father.      He 
commenced   his   education 
at  the  village  school,  giving 
at  an  early  period  indica- 
tions of   superior  mental  en- 
dowments. 

When  eleven  years  of  age  he  sailed  with 
his  father  for  Europe,  where  the  latter  was 
associated  with  Franklin  and  Lee  as  Minister 
Plenipotentiary.  The  intelligence  of  John 
Quincy  attracted  the  attention  of  these  men 
and  received  from  them  flattering  marks  of 
attention.  Mr.  Adams  had  scarcely  returned 
to  this  country  in  1779  ere  he  was  again 
sent  abroad,  and  John  Quincy  again  accom- 
panied him.  On  this  voyage  he  commenced 
a  diary,  which  practice  he  continued,  with 
but  few  interruptions,  until  his  death  He 
journeyed  with  his  father  from  Ferrol,  in 
Spain,  to  Paris.  Here  he  applied  himself 
for  six  months  to  study;  then  accompanied 


his  father  to  Holland,  where  he  entered, 
first  a  school  in  Amsterdam,  and  then  the 
University  of  Leyden.  In  1781,  when  only 
fourteen  years  of  age,  he  was  selected  by 
Mr.  Dana,  our  Minister  to  the  Russian 
court,  as  his  private  secretary.  In  this 
school  of  incessant  labor  he  spent  fourteen 
months,  and  then  returned  alone  to  Holland 
through  Sweden,  Denmark,  Hamburg  and 
Bremen.  Again  he  resumed  his  studies 
under  a  private  tutor,  at  The  Hague. 

In  the  spring  of  1782  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  Paris,  forming  acquaintance  with 
the  most  distinguished  men  on  the  Conti- 
nent. After  a  short  visit  to  England,  he  re- 
turned to  Paris  and  studied  until  May, 
1785,  when  he  returned  to  America,  leav- 
ing his  father  an  embassador  at  the  court 
of  St.  James.  In  1786  he  entered  the  jun- 
ior class  in  Harvard  University,  and  grad- 
uated with  the  second  honor  of  his  class. 
The  oration  he  delivered  on  this  occasion, 
the  "  Importance  of  Public  Faith  to  the 
Well-being  of  a  Community,"  was  pub- 
lished— an  event  very  rare  in  this  or  any 
other  land. 

Upon  leaving  college  at  the  age  of  twenty 
he  studied  law  three  years  with  the  Hon. 
Theophilus  Parsons  in  Newburyport.  In 
1790  he  opened  a  law  office  in  Boston.  The 
profession  was  crowded  with  able  men,  and 
the  fees  were  small.  The  first  year  he  had 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


JOHN 


ADAMS. 


no  clients,  but  not  a  moment  was  lost.  The 
second  year  passed  away,  still  no  clients, 
and  still  he  was  dependent  upon  his  parents 
for  support.  Anxiously  he  awaited  the 
third  year.  The  reward  now  came.  Cli- 
ents began  to  enter  his  office,  and  before 
the  end  of  the  year  he  was  so  crowded 
with  business  that  all  solicitude  respecting 
a  support  was  at  an  end. 

When  Great  Britain  commenced  war 
against  France,  in  1793,  Mr.  Adams  wrote 
some  articles,  urging  entire  neutrality  on 
the  part  of  the  United  States.  The  view 
was  not  a  popular  one.  Many  felt  that  as 
France  had  helped  us,  we  were  bound  to 
help  France.  But  President  Washington 
coincided  with  Mr.  Adams,  and  issued  his 
proclamation  of  neutrality.  His  writings 
at  this  time  in  the  Boston  journals  gave 
him  so  high  a  reputation,  that  in  June, 
1794,  he  was  appointed  by  Washington 
resident  Minister  at  the  Netherlands.  In 
July,  1797,  he  left  The  Hague  to  go  to  Port- 
ugal as  Minister  Plenipotentiary.  Wash- 
ington at  this  time  wrote  to  his  father,  John 
Adams: 

"  Without  intending  to  compliment  the 
father  or  the  mother,  or  to  censure  any 
others,  I  give  it  as  my  decided  opinion, 
that  Mr.  Adams  is  the  most  valuable  char- 
acter we  have  abroad;  and  there  remains 
no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  he  will  prove  the 
ablest  of  our  diplomatic  corps." 

On  his  way  to  Portugal,  upon  his  arrival 
in  London,  he  met  with  dispatches  direct- 
ing him  to  the  court  of  Berlin,  but  request- 
ing him  to  remain  in  London  until  he  should 
receive  instructions.  While  waiting  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Catherine  John- 
son, to  whom  he  had  been  previously  en- 
gaged. Miss  Johnson  was  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Joshua  Johnson,  American  Consul 
in  London,  and  was  a  lady  endowed  with 
that  beauty  and  those  accomplishments 
which  fitted  her  to  move  in  the  elevated 
sphere  for  which  she  was  destined. 


In  July,  1799,  having  fulfilled  all  the  pur- 
poses of  his  mission,  Mr.  Adams  returned. 
In  1802  he  was  chosen  to  the  Senate  of 
Massachusetts  from  Boston,  and  then  was 
elected  Senator  of  the  United  States  for  six 
years  from  March  4,  1804.  His  reputation, 
his  ability  and  his  experience,  placed  him 
immediately  among  the  most  prominent 
and  influential  members  of  that  body.  He 
sustained  the  Government  in  its  measures 
of  resistance  to  the  encroachments  of  Eng- 
land, destroying  our  commerce  and  insult- 
ing our  flag.  There  was  no  man  in  America 
more  familiar  with  the  arrogance  of  the 
British  court  upon  these  points,  and  no 
one  more  resolved  to  present  a  firm  resist- 
ance. This  course,  so  truly  patriotic,  and 
which  scarcely  a  voice  will  now  be  found 
to  condemn,  alienated  him  from  the  Fed- 
eral party  dominant  in  Boston,  and  sub- 
jected him  to  censure. 

In  1805  Mr.  Adams  was  chosen  professor 
of  rhetoric  in  Harvard  College.  His  lect- 
ures at  this  place  were  subsequently  pub- 
lished. In  1809  he  was  sent  as  Minister  to 
Russia.  He  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
that  negotiated  the  treaty  of  peace  with 
Great  Britain,  signed  December  24,  1814, 
and  he  was  appointed  Minister  to  the  court 
of  St.  James  in  1815.  In  1817  he  became 
Secretary  of  State  in  Mr.  Monroe's  cabinet 
in  which  position  he  remained  eight  years. 
Few  will  now  contradict  the  assertion  that 
the  duties  of  that  office  were  never  more 
ably  discharged.  Probably  the  most  im- 
portant measure  which  Mr.  Adams  con- 
ducted was  the  purchase  of  Florida  from 
Spain  for  $5,000.000. 

The  campaign  of  1824  was  an  exciting 
one.  Four  candidates  were  in  the  field. 
Of  the  260  electoral  votes  that  were  cast, 
Andrew  Jackson  received  ninety-nine;  John 
Quincy  Adams,  eighty-four;  William  H. 
Crawford,  forty-one,  and  Henry  Clay, 
thirty-seven.  As  there  was  no  choice  by 
the  people,  the  question  went  to  the  House 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


of  Representatives.  Mr.  Clay  gave  the 
vote  of  Kentucky  to  Mr.  Adams,  and  he 
was  elected. 

The  friends  of  all  disappointed  candidates 
now  combined  in  a  venomous  assault  upon 
Mr.  Adams.  There  is  nothing  more  dis- 
graceful in  the  past  history  of  our  country 
than  the  abuse  which  was  poured  in  one 
uninterrupted  stream  upon  this  high- 
minded,  upright,  patriotic  man.  There  was 
never  an  administration  more  pure  in  prin- 
ciples, more  conscientiously  devoted  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  country,  than  that  of 
John  Quincy  Adams;  and  never,  perhaps, 
wa,s  there  an  administration  more  unscru- 
pulously assailed.  Mr.  Adams  took  his  seat 
in  the  presidential  chair  resolved  not  to 
know  any  partisanship,  but  only  to  con- 
sult for  the  interests  of  the  whole  Republic, 

He  refused  to  dismiss  any  man  from  of- 
fice for  his  political  views.  If  he  was  a  faith- 
ful officer  that  was  enough.  Bitter  must 
have  been  his  disappointment  to  find  that  the 
Nation  could  not  appreciate  such  conduct. 

Mr.  Adams,  in  his  public  manners,  was 
cold  and  repulsive;  though  with  his  per- 
sonal friends  he  was  at  times  very  genial. 
This  chilling  address  very  seriously  de- 
tracted from  his  popularity.  No  one  can 
read  an  impartial  record  of  his  administra- 
tion without  admitting  that  a  more  noble 
example  of  uncompromising  dignity  can 
scarcely  be  found.  It  was  stated  publicly 
that  Mr.  Adams'  administration  was  to  be 
put  down,  "  though  it  be  as  pure  as  the  an- 
gels which,  stand  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
throne  of  God."  Many  of  the  active  par- 
ticipants in  these  scenes  lived  to  regret  the 
course  they  pursued.  Sonus  years  after, 
Warren  R.  Davis,  of  South  Carolina,  turn- 
ing to  Mr.  Adams,  then  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  said: 

"  Well  do  I  remember  the  enthusiastic 
zeal  with  which  we  reproached  the  admin- 
istration of  that  gentleman,  and  the  ardor 
and  vehemence  with  which  we  labored  to 


bring  in  another.  For  the  share  I  had  in 
these  transactions,  and  it  was  not  a  small 
one,  I  hope  God  will  forgive  me,  for  I  shall 
never  forgive  myself." 

March  4,  1829,  Mr.  Adams  retired  from 
the  Presidency  and  was  succeeded  by  An- 
drew Jackson,  the  latter  receiving  168  out 
of  261  electoral  votes.  John  C.  Calhoun 
was  elected  Vice-President.  The  slavery 
question  now  began  to  assume  pretentious 
magnitude.  Mr.  Adams  returned  to 
Quincy,  and  pursued  his  studies  with  una- 
bated zeal.  But  he  was  not  long  permitted 
to  remain  in  retirement.  In  November, 
1830,  he  was  elected  to  Congress.  In  this 
he  recognized  the  principle  that  it  is  honor- 
able for  the  General  of  yesterday  to  act  as 
Corporal  to-day,  if  by  so  doing  he  can  ren- 
der service  to  his  country.  Deep  as  are 
our  obligations  to  John  Quincy  Adams  for 
his  services  as  embassador.  as  Secretary  of 
State  and  as  President;  in  his  capacity  as 
legislator  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, he  conferred  benefits  upon  our  land 
which  eclipsed  all  the  rest,  and  which  can 
never  be  over-estimated. 

For  seventeen  years,  until  his  death,  he 
occupied  the  post  of  Representative,  tow- 
ering above  all  his  peers,  ever  ready  to  do 
brave  battle  for  freedom,  and  winning  the 
title  of  "  the  old  man  eloquent."  Upon 
taking  his  seat  in  the  House  he  announced 
that  he  should  hold  himself  bound  to  no 
part}'.  He  was  usually  the  first  in  his 
place  in  the  morning,  and  the  last  to  leave 
his  seat  in  the  evening.  Not  a  measure 
could  escape  his  scrutiny.  The  battle 
which  he  fought,  almost  singly,  against  the 
pro-slavery  party  in  the  Government,  was 
sublime  in  its  moral  daring  and  heroism. 
For  persisting  in  presenting  petitions  for 
the  abolition  of  slavery,  he  was  threatened 
with  indictment  by  the  Grand  Jury,  with 
expulsion  from  the  House,  with  assassina- 
tion; but  no  threats  could  intimidate  him. 
and  his  final  triumph  was  complete. 


JOHN    %UINCr    ADAMS. 


On  one  occasion  Mr.  Adams  presented  a 
petition,  signed  by  several  women,  against 
the  annexation  of  Texas  for  the  purpose  of 
cutting  it  up  into  slave  States.  Mr.  How- 
ard, of  Maryland,  said  that  these  women 
discredited  not  only  themselves,  but  their 
section  of  the  country,  by  turning  from 
their  domestic  duties  to  the  conflicts  of  po- 
litical life. 

"Are  women,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Adams, 
"  to  have  no  opinions  or  actions  on  subjects 
relating  to  the  general  welfare  ?  Where 
did  the  gentleman  get  his  principle?  Did 
he  find  it  in  sacred  history, — in  the  language 
of  Miriam,  the  prophetess,  in  one  of  the 
noblest  and  sublime  songs  of  triumph  that 
ever  met  the  human  eye  or  ear?  Did  the 
gentleman  never  hear  of  Deborah,  to  whom 
the  children  of  Israel  came  up  for  judg- 
ment ?  Has  he  forgotten  the  deed  of  Jael, 
who  slew  the  dreaded  enemy  of  her  coun- 
try ?  Has  he  forgotten  Esther,  who,  by  her 
petition  saved  her  people  and  her  coun- 
try? 

"  To  go  from  sacred  history  to  profane, 
does  the  gentleman  there  find  it  '  discredita- 
ble '  for  women  to  take  an  interest  in  politi- 
cal affairs?  Has  he  forgotten  the  Spartan 
mother,  who  said  to  her  son  when  going 
out  to  battle,  '  My  son,  come  back  to  me 
with  thy  shield,  or  upon  thy  shield  ? '  Does 
he  remember  Cloelia  and  her  hundred  com- 
panions, who  swam  across  the  river  unc'er 
a  shower  of  darts,  escaping  from  Porsena  ? 
Has  he  forgotten  Cornelia,  the  mother  of 
the  Gracchi  ?  Does  he  not  remember  Por- 
tia, the  wife  of  Brutus  and  the  daughter  of 
Cato? 

"  To  come  to  later  periods,  what  says  the 
history  of  our  Anglo-Saxon  ancestors  ? 
To  say  nothing  of  Boadicea,  the  British 
heroine  in  the  time  of  the  Caesars,  what 
name  is  more  illustrious  than  that  of  Eliza- 
beth ?  Or,  if  he  will  go  to  the  continent, 
will  he  not  find  the  names  of  Maria  Theresa 
of  Hungary,  of  the  two  Catherines  of 


Prussia,  and  of  Isabella  of  Castile,  the  pa- 
troness of  Columbus  ?  Did  she  bring  '  dis- 
credit '  on  her  sex  by  mingling  in  politics  ?  " 

In  this  glowing  strain  Mi-.  Adams  si- 
lenced and  overwhelmed  his  antagonists. 

In  January,  1842,  Mr.  Adams  presented 
a  petition  from  forty-five  citizens  of  Haver- 
hill,  Massachusetts,  praying  for  a  peaceable 
dissolution  of  the  Union.  The  pro-slavery 
party  in  Congress,  who  were  then  plotting 
the  destruction  of  the  Government,  were 
aroused  to  a  pretense  of  commotion  such  as 
even  our  stormy  hall  of  legislation  has 
rarely  witnessed.  They  met  in  caucus,  and, 
finding  that  they  probably  would  not  be 
able  to  expel  Mr.  Adams  from  the  House 
drew  up  a  series  of  resolutions,  which,  if 
adopted,  would  inflict  upon  him  disgrace, 
equivalent  to  expulsion.  Mr.  Adams  had 
presented  the  petition,  which  was  most  re- 
spectfully worded,  and  had  moved  that  it  be 
referred  to  a  committee  instructed  to  re- 
port an  answer,  showing  the  reason  why 
the  prayer  ought  not  to  be  granted. 

It  was  the  2$th  of  January.  The  whole 
body  of  the  pro-slavery  party  came  crowd- 
ing together  in  the  House,  prepared  to 
crush  Mr.  Adams  forever.  One  of  the  num- 
ber, Thomas  F.  Marshall,  of  Kentucky,  was 
appointed  to  read  the  resolutions,  which 
accused  Mr.  Adams  of  high  treason,  of 
having  insulted  the  Government,  and  or 
meriting  expulsion;  but  for  which  deserved 
punishment,  the  House,  in  its  great  mercy, 
would  substitute  its  severest  censure.  With 
the  assumption  of  a  very  solemn  and  mag- 
isterial air,  there  being  breathless  silence  in 
the  audience,  Mr.  Marshall  hurled  the  care- 
fully prepared  anathemas  at  his  victim. 
Mr.  Adams  stood  alone,  the  whole  pro-slav- 
ery party  against  him. 

As  soon  as  the  resolutions  were  read, 
every  eye  being  fixed  upon  him,  that  bold 
old  man,  whose  scattered  locks  were  whit- 
ened by  seventy-five  years,  casting  a  wither- 
ing glance  in  the  direction  of  his  assailants^ 


44 


PRESIDENTS    OP     THE     UNITED    STATES. 


in  a  clear,  shrill  tone,  tremulous  with  sup- 
pressed emotion,  said: 

"  In  reply  to  this  audacious,  atrocious 
charge  of  high  treason,  I  call  for  the  read- 
ing of  the  first  paragraph  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.  Read  it !  Read  it!  and 
see  what  that  says  of  the  rights  of  a  people 
to  reform,  to  change,  and  to  dissolve  their 
Government.' 

The  attitude,  the  manner,  the  tone,  the 
words;  the  venerable  old  man,  with  flash- 
ing eye  and  flushed  cheek,  and  whose  very 
form  seemed  to  expand  under  the  inspiration 
of  the  occasion — all  presented  a  scene  over- 
flowing in  its  sublimity.  There  was  breath- 
less silence  as  that  paragraph  was  read,  in 
defense  of  whose  principles  our  fathers  had 
pledged  their  lives,  their  fortunes  and  their 
sacred  honor.  It  was  a  proud  hour  to  Mr. 
Adams  as  they  were  all  compelled  to  listen 
to  the  words: 

"  That,  to  secure  these  rights,  govern- 
ments are  instituted  among  men,  deriving 
their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the 
governed;  and  that  whenever  any  form  of 
government  becomes  destructive  of  those 
ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or 
abolish  it,  and  to  institute  new  government, 
laying  its  foundations  on  such  principles 
and  organizing  its  powers  in  such  form 
as  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect  their 
safety  and  happiness." 

That  one  sentence  routed  and  baffled  the 


foe.  The  heroic  old  man  looked  around 
upon  the  audience,  and  thundered  out, 
"  Read  that  again !  "  It  was  again  read. 
Then  in  a  few  fiery,  logical  words  he  stated 
his  defense  in  terms  which  even  prejudiced 
minds  could  not  resist.  His  discomfited 
assailants  made  several  attempts  to  rally. 
After  a  conflict  of  eleven  days  they  gave 
up  vanquished  and  their  resolution  was  ig- 
nominiously  laid  upon  the  table. 

In  January,  1846,  when  seventy-eight 
years  of  age,  he  took  part  in  the  great  de- 
bate on  the  Oregon  question,  displaying 
intellectual  vigor,  and  an  extent  and  accu- 
racy of  acquaintance  with  the  subject  that 
excited  great  admiration. 

On  the  2istof  February,  1848,  he  rose  on 
the  floor  of  Congress  with  a  paper  in  his 
hand  to  address  the  Speaker.  Suddenly 
he  fell,  stricken  by  paralysis,  and  was  caught 
in  the  arms  of  those  around  him.  For  a 
time  he  was  senseless  and  was  conveyed 
to  a  sofa  in  the  rotunda.  With  reviving 
consciousness  he  opened  his  eyes,  looked 
calmly  around  and  said,  "  This  is  the  end  of 
earth."  Then  after  a  moment's  pause,  he 
added,  "  I  am  content."  These  were  his  last 
words,  and  he  soon  breathed  his  last,  in  the 
apartment  beneath  the  dome  of  the  capitol 
— -the  theater  of  his  labors  and  his  triumphs. 
In  the  language  of  hymnology,  he  "  died  at 
his  post;"  he  "  ceased  at  once  to  work  and 
live." 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  Of  ILLINOIS 


ANDREW    JACKSON. 


47 


. 


ANDREW  JACKSON, 
the  seventh  President 
of  the  United  States, 
i829-'37,  was  born  at 
the  Waxhaw  Settle- 
ment, Union   Coun- 
ty, North  Carolina, 
March  16,  1767.     His  parents 
were  Scotch-Irish,  natives    of 
Carrickfergus,    who  came   to 
America  in  1765,  and  settled 
on  Twelve-Mile  Creek,  a  trib- 
utary of    the    Catawba.     His 
father,  who  was  a  poor  farm 
laborer,  died  shortly  before  An- 
drew's birth,  when  his  mother  removed  to 
Waxhaw,  where  some  relatives  resided. 

Few  particulars  of  the  childhood  of  Jack- 
son have  been  preserved.  His  education 
was  of  the  most  limited  kind,  and  he  showed 
no  fondness  for  books.  He  grew  up  to  be  a 
tall,  lank  boy,  with  coarse  hair  and  freck- 
led cheeks,  with  bare  feet  dangling  from 
trousers  too  short  for  him,  very  fond  of  ath- 
letic sports,  running,  boxing  and  wrestling. 
He  was  generous  to  the  younger  and 
weaker  boys,  but  very  irascible  and  over- 
bearing with  his  equals  and  superiors.  He 
was  profane — a  vice  in  which  he  surpassed 
all  other  men.  The  character  of  his  mother 


he  revered;  and  it  was  not  until  after  her 
death  that  his  predominant  vices  gained 
full  strength. 

In  1780,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  Andrew, 
or  Andy,  as  he  was  called,  with  his  brother 
Robert,  volunteered  to  serve  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary forces  under  General  Sumter,  and 
was  a  witness  of  the  latter's  defeat  at  Hang- 
ing Rock.  In  the  following  year  the 
brothers  were  made  prisoners,  and  confined 
in  Camden,  experiencing  brutal  treatment 
from  their  captors,  and  being  spectators  of 
General  Green's  defeat  at  Hobkirk  Hill. 
Through  their  mother's  exertions  the  boys 
were  exchanged  while  suffering  from  small- 
pox. In  two  days  Robert  was  dead,  and 
Andy  apparently  dying.  The  strength  of 
his  constitution  triumphed,  and  he  regained 
health  and  vigor. 

As  he  was  getting  better,  his  mother 
heard  the  cry  of  anguish  from  the  prison- 
ers whom  the  British  held  in  Charleston, 
among  whom  were  the  sons  of  her  sisters. 
She  hastened  to  their  relief,  was  attacked 
by  fever,  died  and  was  buried  where  her 
grave  could  never  be  found.  Thus  Andrew 
Jackson,  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  was 
left  alone  in  the  world,  without  father, 
mother,  sister  or  brother,  and  without  one 
dollar  which  he  could  call  his  own.  He 


48 


PRESIDENTS    Off    TH&     UNITED    STATES. 


soon  entered  a  saddler's  shop,  and  labored 
diligently  for  six  months.  But  gradually, 
as  health  returned,  he  became  more  and 
more  a  wild,  reckless,  lawless  boy.  He 
gambled,  drank  and  was  regarded  as  about 
the  worst  character  that  could  be  found. 

He  now  turned  schoolmaster.  He  could 
teach  the  alphabet,  perhaps  the  multiplica- 
tion table;  and  as  he  was  a  very  bold  boy, 
it  is  possible  he  might  have  ventured  to 
teach  a  little  writing.  But  he  soon  began  to 
think  of  a  profession  and  decided  to  study 
law.  With  a  very  slender  purse,  and  on 
the  back  of  a  very  fine  horse,  he  set  out 
for  Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  where  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Mr.  McCay. 
Here  he  remained  two  years,  professedly 
studying  law.  He  is  still  remembered  in 
traditions  of  Salisbury,  which  say: 

"  Andrew  Jackson  was  the  most  roaring, 
rollicking,  horse-racing,  card-playing,  mis- 
chievous fellow  that  ever  lived  in  Salisbury. 
He  did  not  trouble  the  law-books  much." 

Andrew  was  now,  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
a  tall  young  man,  being  over  six  feet  in 
height.  He  was  slender,  remarkably  grace- 
ful and  dignified  in  his  manners,  an  exquis- 
ite horseman,  and  developed,  amidst  his 
loathesome  profanity  and  multiform  vices,  a 
vein  of  rare  magnanimity.  His  temper  was 
fiery  in  the  extreme;  but  it  was  said  of  him 
that  no  man  knew  better  than  Andrew 
Jackson  when  to  get  angry  and  when  not. 

In  1786  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
two  years  later  removed  to  Nashville, 
in  what  was  then  the  western  district  of 
North  Carolina,  with  the  appointment  of  so- 
licitor, or  public  prosecutor.  It  was  an  of- 
fice of  little  honor,  small  emolument  and 
great  peril.  Few  men  could  be  found  to 
accept  it. 

And  now  Andrew  Jackson  commenced 
vigorously  to  practice  law.  It  was  an  im- 
portant part  of  his  business  to  collect  debts. 
It  required  nerve.  During  the  first  seven 
years  of  his  residence  in  those  wilds  he 


traversed  the  almost  pathless  forest  between 
Nashville  and  Jonesborough,  a  distance  of 
200  miles,  twenty-two  times.  Hostile  In- 
dians were  constantly  on  the  watch,  and  a 
man  was  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  shot 
down  in  his  own  field.  Andrew  Jackson 
was  just  the  man  for  this  service — a  wild, 
daring,  rough  backwoodsman.  Daily  he 
made  hair-breadth  escapes.  He  seemed  to 
bear  a  charmed  life.  Boldly,  alone  or  with 
few  companions,  he  traversed  the  forests, 
encountering  all  perils  and  triumphing 
over  all. 

In  1790  Tennessee  became  a  Territory, 
and  Jackson  was  appointed,  by  President 
Washington,  United  States  Attorney  for 
the  new  district.  In  1791  he  married  Mrs. 
Rachel  Robards  (daughter  of  Colonel  John 
Donelson),  whom  he  supposed  to  have  been 
divorced  in  that  year  by  an  act  of  the  Leg- 
islature of  Virginia.  Two  years  after  this 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  learned,  to  their 
great  surprise,  that  Mr.  Robards  had  just 
obtained  a  divorce  in  one  of  the  courts  of 
Kentucky,  and  that  the  act  of  the  Virginia 
Legislature  was  not  final,  but  conditional. 
To  remedy  the  irregularity  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, a  new  license  was  obtained  and  the 
marriage  ceremony  was  again  performed. 

It  proved  to  be  a  marriage  of  rare  felic- 
ity. Probably  there  never  was  a  more 
affectionate  union.  However  rough  Mr. 
Jackson  might  have  been  abroad,  he  was 
always  gentle  and  tender  at  home;  and 
through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  their  lives,  he 
treated  Mrs.  Jackson  with  the  most  chival- 
ric  attention. 

Under  the  circumstances  it  was  not  un- 
natural that  the  facts  in  the  case  of  this 
marriage  were  so  misrepresented  by  oppo- 
nents in  the  political  campaigns  a  quarter 
or  a  century  later  as  to  become  the  basis 
of  serious  charges  against  Jackson's  moral- 
ity which,  however,  have  been  satisfactorily 
attested  by  abundant  evidence. 

Jackson   was  untiring  in   his  duties  as 


A.VDREH" 


United  States  Attorney,  which  demanded 
frequent  journeys  through  the  wilderness 
and  exposed  him  to  Indian  hostilities.  He 
acquired  considerable  property  in  land,  and 
obtained  such  influence  as  to  be  chosen 
a  member  of  the  convention  which  framed 
the  Constitution  for  the  new  State  of  Ten- 
nessee, in  1796,  and  in  that  year  was  elected 
its  first  Representative  in  Congress.  Albert 
Gallatin  thus  describes  the  first  appearance 
of  the  Hon.  Andrew  Jackson  in  the  House: 

"  A  tall,  lank,  uncouth-looking  personage, 
with  locks  of  hair  hanging  over  his  face  and 
a  cue  down  his  back,  tied  with  an  eel  skin; 
his  dress  singular,  his  manners  and  deport- 
ment those  of  a  rough  backwoodsman." 

Jackson  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the 
Democratic  party.  Jefferson  was  his  idol. 
He  admired  Bonaparte,  loved  France  and 
hated  England.  As  Mr.  Jackson  took  his 
seat,  General  Washington,  whose  second 
term  of  office  was  just  expiring,  delivered 
his  last  speech  to  Congress.  A  committee 
drew  up  a  complimentary  address  in  reply. 
Andrew  Jackson  did  not  approve  the  ad- 
dress and  was  one  of  twelve  who  voted 
against  it. 

Tennessee  had  fitted  out  an  expedition 
against  the  Indians,  contrary  to  the  policy 
of  the  Government.  A  resolution  was  intro- 
duced that  the  National  Government 
should  pay  the  expenses.  Jackson  advo- 
cated it  and  it  was  carried.  This  rendered 
him  very  popular  in  Tennessee.  A  va- 
cancy chanced  soon  after  to  occur  in  the 
Senate,  and  Andrew  Jackson  was  chosen 
United  States  Senator  by  the  State  of  Ten- 
nessee. John  Adams  was  then  President 
and  Thomas  Jefferson,  Vice-President. 

In  1798  Mr.  Jackson  returned  to  Tennes- 
see, and  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate. 
Soon  after  he  was  chosen  Judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  that  State,  with  a  salary  of 
$600.  This  office  he  held  six  years.  It  is 
said  that  his  decisions,  though  sometimes 
ungrammatical,  were  generally  right.  He 


did  not  enjoy  his  seat  upon  the  bench,  and 
renounced  the  dignity  in  1804.  About 
this  time  he  was  chosen  Major-General  of 
militia,  and  lost  the  title  of  judge  in  that  of 
General. 

When  he  retired  from  the  Senate  Cham- 
ber, he  decided  to  try  his  fortune  through 
trade.  He  purchased  a  stock  of  goods  in 
Philadelphia  and  sent  them  to  Nashville, 
where  he  opened  a  store.  He  lived  about 
thirteen  miles  from  Nashville,  on  a  tract  of 
land  of  several  thousand  acres,  mostly  un- 
cultivated. He  used  a  small  block-house 
for  a  store,  from  a  narrow  window  of 
which  he  sold  goods  to  the  Indians.  As  he 
had  an  assistant  his  office  as  judge  did  not 
materially  interfere  with  his  business. 

As  to  slavery,  born  in  the  midst  of  it,  the 
idea  never  seemed  to  enter  his  mind  that  it 
could  be  wrong.  He  eventually  became 
an  extensive  slave  owner,  but  he  was  one  of 
the  most  humane  and  gentle  of  masters. 

In  1804  Mr.  Jackson  withdrew  from  pol- 
itics and  settled  on  a  plantation  which  he 
called  the  Hermitage,  near  Nashville.  He 
set  up  a  cotton-gin,  formed  a  partnership 
and  traded  in  New  Orleans,  making  the 
voyage  on  flatboats.  Through  his  hot  tem- 
per he  became  involved  in  several  quarrels 
and  "  affairs  of  honor,"  during  this  period, 
in  one  of  which  he  was  severely  wounded, 
but  had  the  misfortune  to  kill  his  opponent, 
Charles  Dickinson.  For  a  time  this  affair 
greatly  injured  General  Jackson's  popular- 
ity. The  verdict  then  was,  and  continues 
to  be,  that  General  Jackson  was  outra- 
geously wrong.  If  he  subsequently  felt  any 
remorse  he  never  revealed  it  to  anyone. 

In  1805  Aaron  Burr  had  visited  Nash- 
ville and  been  a  guest  of  Jackson,  with 
whom  he  corresponded  on  the  subject  of  a 
war  with  Spain,  which  was  anticipated  and 
desired  by  them,  as  well  as  by  the  people 
of  the  Southwest  generally. 

Burr  repeated  his  visit  in  September, 
1806,  when  he  engaged  in  the  celebrated 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


combinations  which  led  to  his  trial  for  trea- 
son. He  was  warmly  received  by  Jackson, 
at  whose  instance  a  public  ball  was  given 
in  his  honor  at  Nashville,  and  contracted 
with  the  latter  for  boats  and  provisions. 
Early  in  1807,  when  Burr  tiad  been  pro- 
claimed a  traitor  by  President  Jefferson, 
volunteer  forces  for  the  Federal  service 
were  organized  at  Nashville  under  Jack- 
son's command;  but  his  energy  and  activ- 
ity did  not  shield  him  from  suspicions  of 
connivance  in  the  supposed  treason.  He 
was  summoned  to  Richmond  as  a  witness 
in  Burr's  trial,  but  was  not  called  to  the 
stand,  probably  because  he  was  out-spoken 
in  his  partisanship. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with  Great 
Britain  in  1812,  Jackson  tendered  his  serv- 
ices, and  in  January,  1813,  embarked  for 
New  Orleans  at  the  head  of  the  Tennessee 
contingent.  In  March  he  received  an  or- 
der to  disband  his  forces;  but  in  Septem- 
ber he  again  took  the  field,  in  the  Creek 
war,  and  in  conjunction  with  his  former 
partner,  Colonel  Coffee,  inflicted  upon  the 
Indians  the  memorable  defeat  at  Talladega, 
Emuckfaw  and  Tallapoosa. 

In  May,  1814,  Jackson,  who  had  now  ac- 
quired a  national  reputation,  was  appointed 
a  Major-General  of  the  United  States  army, 
and  commenced  a  campaign  against  the 
British  in  Florida.  He  conducted  the  de- 
fense at  Mobile,  September  15,  seized  upon 
Pensacola,  November  6,  and  immediately 
transported  the  bulk  of  his  troops  to  New 
Orleans,  then  threatened  by  a  powerful 
naval  force.  Martial  law  was  declared  in 
Louisiana,  the  State  militia  was  called  to 
arms,  engagements  with  the  British  were 
fought  December  23  and  28,  and  after  re-en- 
forcements had  been  received  on  both  sides 
the  famous  victory  of  January  8,  1815, 
crowned  Jackson's  fame  as  a  soldier,  and 
made  him  the  typical  American  hero  of 
the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

In  I8i7-'i8  Jackson   conducted  the  war 


against  the  Seminoles  of  Florida,  during 
which  he  seized  upon  Pensacola  and  exe- 
cuted by  courtmartial  two  British  subjects, 

Arbuthnot  and  Ambrister acts  which 

might  easily  have  involved  the  United 
States  in  war  both  with  Spain  and  Great 
Britain.  Fortunately  the  peril  was  averted 
by  the  cession  of  Florida  to  the  United 
States;  and  Jackson,  who  had  escaped  a 
trial  for  the  irregularity  of  his  conduct 
only  through  a  division  of  opinion  in  Mon- 
roe's cabinet,  was  appointed  in  1821  Gov- 
ernor of  the  new  Territory.  Soon  after  he 
declined  the  appointment  of  minister  to 
Mexico. 

In  1823  Jackson  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  nominated  by  the  Ten- 
nessee Legislature  for  the  Presidency.  This 
candidacy,  though  a  matter  of  surprise,  and 
even  merryment,  speedily  became  popular, 
and  in  1824,  when  the  stormy  electoral  can- 
vas resulted  in  the  choice  of  John  Quincy 
Adams  by  the  House  of  Representatives, 
General  Jackson  received  the  largest  popu- 
lar vote  among  the  four  candidates. 

In  1828  Jackson  was  triumphantly  elected 
President  over  Adams  after  a  campaign  of 
unparalleled  bitterness.  He  was  inaugu- 
rated March  4,  1829,  and  at  once  removed 
from  office  all  the  incumbents  belonging  to 
the  opposite  party — a  procedure  new  to 
American  politics,  but  which  naturally  be- 
came a  precedent. 

His  first  term  was  characterized  by  quar- 
rels between  the  Vice-President,  Calhoun, 
and  the  Secretary  of  State,  Van  Buren,  at- 
tended by  a  cabinet  crisis  originating  in 
scandals  connected  with  the  name  of  Mrs. 
General  Eaton,  wife  of  the  Secretary  of 
War;  by  the  beginning  of  his  war  upon  the 
United  States  Bank,  and  by  his  vigorous 
action  against  the  partisans  of  Calhoun, 
who,  in  South  Carolina,  threatened  to 
nullify  the  acts  of  Congress,  establishing  a 
protective  tariff. 

In    the    Presidential    campaign    of   1832 


AN  DREW 


Jackson  received  219  out  of  288  electoral 
votes,  his  competitor  being  Mr.  Clay,  while 
Mr.  Wirt,  on  an  Anti-Masonic  platform, 
received  the  vote  of  Vermont  alone.  In 
1833  President  Jackson  removed  the  Gov- 
ernment deposits  from  the  United  States 
bank,  thereby  incurring  a  vote  of  censure 
from  the  Senate,  which  was,  however,  ex- 
punged four  years  later.  During  this  second 
term  of  office  the  Cherokees,  Choctaws  and 
Creeks  were  removed,  not  without  diffi- 
culty, from  Georgia,  Alabama  and  Missis- 
sippi, t6  the  Indian  Territory;  the  National 
debt  was  extinguished;  Arkansas  and 
Michigan  were  admitted  as  States  to  the 
Union;  the  Seminole  war  was  renewed;  the 
anti-slavery  agitation  first  acquired  impor- 
tance; the  Mormon  delusion,  which  had 
organized  in  1829,  attained  considerable 
proportions  in  Ohio  and  Missouri,  and  the 
country  experienced  its  greatest  pecuniary 
panic. 

Railroads  with  locomotive  propulsion 
were  introduced  into  America  during  Jack- 
son's first  term,  and  had  become  an  impor- 
tant element  of  national  life  before  the 
close  of  his  second  term.  For  many  rea- 
sons, theretore,  the  administration  of  Presi- 
dent Jackson  formed  an  era  in  American 
history,  political,  social  and  industrial. 
He  succeeded  in  effecting  the  election  of 


his  friend  Van  Buren  as  his  successor,  re- 
tired from  the  Presidency  March  4,  1837; 
and  led  a  tranquil  life  at  the  Hermitage 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  June  8, 
1845. 

During  his  closing  years  he  was  a  pro- 
fessed Christian  and  a  member  oi  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  No  American  of  this 
century  has  been  the  subject  of  such  oppo- 
site judgments.  He  was  loved  and  hated 
with  equal  vehemence  during  his  life,  but 
at  the  present  distance  of  time  from  his 
career,  while  opinions  still  vary  as  to  the 
merits  of  his  public  acts,  few  of  his  country- 
men will  question  that  he  was  a  warm- 
hearted, brave,  patriotic,  honest  and  sincere 
man.  If  his  distinguishing  qualities  were 
not  such  as  constitute  statesmanship,  in  the 
highest  sense,  he  at  least  never  pretended 
to  other  merits  than  such  as  were  written 
to  his  credit  on  the  page  of  American  his- 
tory— not  attempting  to  disguise  the^le- 
merits  which  were  equally  legible.  The 
majority  of  his  countrymen  accepted  and 
honored  him,  in  spite  of  all  that  calumny 
as  well  as  truth  could  allege  against  him. 
His  faults  may  therefore  be  truly  said  to 
have  been  those  of  his  time;  his  magnifi- 
cent virtues  may  also,  with  the  same  jus- 
tice, be  considered  as  typical  of  a  state  o/ 
society  which  has  nearly  passed  away. 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


MARTIN  VAN  BU- 
REN, the   eighth 
President  of  the 
United  States,  1837- 
"41,  was  born  at  Kin- 
derhook,  New  York, 
December    5,    1782. 


His  ancestors  were  of  Dutch 
origin,  and  were  among  the 
earliest  emigrants  from  Hol- 
land to  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson.  His  father  was  a 
tavern-keeper,  as  well  as  a 
(  farmer,  and  a  very  decided 

Democrat. 

Martin  commenced  the  study 
of  law  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  politics  before  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  twenty.  In  1803  he  commenced 
the  practice  of  law  in  his  native  village. 
In  1809  he  removed  to  Hudson,  the  shire 
town  of  his  county,  where  he  spent  seven 
years,  gaining  strength  by  contending  in 
the  courts  with  some  of  the  ablest  men 
who  have  adorned  the  bar  of  his  State. 
The  heroic  example  of  John  Quincy  Adams 
in  retaining  in  office  every  faithful  man, 
without  regard  to  his  political  preferences, 
had  been  thoroughly  repudiated  by  Gen- 
eral Jackson.  The  unfortunate  principle 
was  now  fully  established,  that  "to  the 
victor  belong  the  spoils."  Still,  this  prin- 
ciple, to  which  Mr.  Van  Buren  gave  his  ad- 


herence, was  not  devoid  of  inconveniences. 
When,  subsequently,  he  attained  power 
which  placed  vast  patronage  in  his  hands, 
he  was  heard  to  say :  "  I  prefer  an  office 
that  has  no  patronage.  When  I  give  a  man 
an  office  I  offend  his  disappointed  competi- 
tors and  their  friends.  Nor  am  I  certain  of 
gaining  a  friend  in  the  man  I  appoint,  for, 
in  all  probability,  he  expected  something 
better." 

In  1812  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  elected  to 
the  State  Senate.  In  1815  he  was  appointed 
Attorney-General,  and  in  1816  to  the  Senate 
a  second  time.  In  1818  there  was  a  great 
split  in  the  Democratic  party  in  New  York, 
and  Mr.  Van  Buren  took  the  lead  in  or- 
ganizing that  portion  of  the  party  called 
the  Albany  Regency,  which  is  said  to  have 
swayed  the  destinies  of  the  State  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 

In  1821  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
convention  for  revising  the  State  Constitu- 
tion, in  which  he  advocated  an  extension  of 
the  franchise,  but  opposed  universal  suf- 
frage, and  also  favored  the  proposal  that 
colored  persons,  in  order  to  vote,  should 
have  freehold  property  to  the  amount  of 
$250.  In  this  year  he  was  also  elected  to 
the  United  States  Senate,  and  at  the  con- 
clusion of  his  term,  in  1827,  was  re-elected, 
but  resigned  the  following  year,  having 
been  chosen  Governor  of  the  State.  In 
March,  1829,  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of 


-A 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  HUNOiS 


MARTIN    VAN   BUR  EN. 


55 


State  by  President  Jackson,  but  resigned 
in  April,  1831,  and  during  the  recess  of 
Congress  was  appointed  minister  to  Eng- 
land, whither  he  proceeded  in  September, 
but  the  Senate,  when  convened  in  Decem- 
ber, refused  to  ratify  the  appointment. 

In  May,  1832,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  nomi- 
nated as  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Vice- 
President,  and  elected  in  the  following 
November.  May  26,  1836,  he  received  the 
nomination  to  succeed  General  Jackson  as 
President,  and  received  170  electoral  votes, 
out  of  283. 

Scarcely  had  he  taken  his  seat  in  the 
Presidential  chair  when  a  financial  panic 
swept  over  the  land.  Many  attributed 
this  to  the  war  which  General  Jackson  had 
waged  on  the  banks,  and  to  his  endeavor  to 
secure  an  almost  exclusive  specie  currency. 
Nearly  every  bank  in  the  country  was  com- 
pelled to  suspend  specie  payment,  and  ruin 
pervaded  all  our  great  cities.  Not  less  than 
254  houses  failed  in  New  York  in  one  week. 
All  public  works  were  brought  to  a  stand, 
and  there  was  a  general  state  of,  dismay. 
President  Van  Buren  urged  the  adoption  of 
the  independent  treasury  system,  which 
was  twice  passed  in  the  Senate  and  defeated 
in  the  House,  but  finally  became  a  law  near 
the  close  of  his  administration. 

Another  important  measure  was  the  pass- 
age of  a  pre-emption  law,  giving  actual  set- 
tlers the  preference  in  the  purchase  of 
public  lands.  The  question  of  slavery,  also, 
now  began  to  assume  great  prominence  in 
national  politics,  and  after  an  elaborate 
anti-slavery  speech  by  Mr.  Slade,  of  Ver- 
mont, in  the  House  of  Representatives,  the 
Southern  members  withdrew  for  a  separate 
consultation,  at  which  Mr.  Rhett,  of  South 
Carolina,  proposed  to  declare  it  expedient 
that  the  Union  should  be  dissolved ;  but 
the  matter  was  tided  over  by  the  passage 
of  a  resolution  that  no  petitions  or  papers 
relating  to  slavery  should  be  in  any  way 
considered  or  acted  upon. 


In  the  Presidential  election  of  1840  Mr. 
Van  Buren  was  nominated,  without  opposi- 
tion, as  the  Democratic  candidate,  William 
H.  Harrison  being  the  candidate  of  the 
Whig  party.  The  Democrats  carried  only 
seven  States,  and  out  of  294  electoral  votes 
only  sixty  were  for  Mr.  Van  Buren,  the  re- 
maining 234  being  for  his  opponent.  The 
Whig  popular  majority,  however,  was  not 
large,  the  elections  in  many  of  the  States 
being  very  close. 

March  4,  1841,  Mr.  Van  Buren  retired 
from  the  Presidency.  From  his  fine  estate 
at  Lindenwald  he  still  exerted  a  powerful 
influence  upon  the  politics  of  the  country. 
In  1844  he  was  again  proposed  as  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  the  Presidency, 
and  a  majority  of  the  delegates  of  the 
nominating  convention  were  in  his  favor ; 
but,  owing  to  his  opposition  to  the  pro- 
posed annexation  of  Texas,  he  could  not 
secure  the  requisite  two-thirds  vote.  His 
name  was  at  length  withdrawn  by  his 
friends,  and  Mr.  Polk  received  the  nomina- 
tion, and  was  elected. 

'In  1848  Mr.  Cass  was  the  regular  Demo- 
cratic candidate.  A  schism,  however, 
sprang  up  in  the  party,  upon  the  question 
of  the  permission  of  slavery  in  the  newly- 
acquired  territory,  and  a  portion  of  the 
party,  taking  the  name  of  "  Free-Soilers," 
nominated  Mr.  Van  Buren.  They  drew 
away  sufficient  votes  to  secure  the  election 
of  General  Taylor,  the  Whig  candidate. 
After  this  Mr.  Van  Buren  retired  to  his  es- 
tate at  Kinderhook,  where  the  remainder 
of  his  life  was  passed,  with  the  exception  of 
a  European  tour  in  1853.  He  died  at 
Kinderhook,  July  24,  1862,  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years. 

Martin  Van  Buren  was  a  great  and  good 
man,  and  no  one  will  question  his  right  to 
a  high  position  among  those  who  have 
been  the  successors  of  Washington  in  the 
faithful  occupancy  of  the  Presidential 
chair. 


PRESIDENTS  OP  THE.   UNITED  STATES. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HflHRISDN 


ILLIAM     HENRY 
HARRISON,  the 
ninth  President  of 
the  United  States, 
1841,    was    born 
February  9,   1773, 
in  Charles  County, 
Virginia,  at    Berkeley,  the   resi- 
dence  of    his   father,    Governor 
Benjamin  Harrison.     He  studied 
at    Hampden,    Sidney    College, 
with  a  view  of  entering  the  med- 
ical profession.    After  graduation 
he  went  to  Philadelphia  to  study 
medicine  under  the  instruction  of 
Dr.  Rush. 

George  Washington  was  then  President 
af  the  United  States.  The  Indians  were 
committing  fearful  ravages  on  our  North- 
western frontier.  Young  Harrison,  either 
lured  by  the  love  of  adventure,  or  moved 
by  the  sufferings  of  families  exposed  to  the 
most  horrible  outrages,  abandoned  his  med- 
ical studies  and  entered  the  army,  having 
obtained  a  commission  of  ensign  from  Pres- 
ident Washington.  The  first  duty  assigned 
him  was  to  take  a  train  of  pack-horses 
bound  to  Fort  Hamilton,  on  the  Miami 
River,  about  forty  miles  from  Fort  Wash- 
ington. He  was  soon  promoted  to  the 


rank  of  Lieutenant,  and  joined  the  army 
which  Washington  had  placed  under  the 
command  of  General  Wayne  to  prosecute 
more '  vigorously  the  war  with  the  In- 
dians. Lieutenant  Harrison  received  great 
commendation  from  his  commanding  offi- 
cer, and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Captain,  and  placed  in  command  at  Fo/t 
Washington,  now  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

About  this  time  he  married  a  daughter 
of  John  Cleves  Symmes,  one  of  the  fron- 
tiersmen who  had  established  a  thriving 
settlement  on  the  bank  of  the  Maumee. 

In  1797  Captain  Harrison  resigned  his 
commission  in  the  army  and  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  and 
ex-officio  Lieutenant-Governor,  General  St. 
Clair  being  then  Governor  of  the  Territory. 
At  that  time  the  law  in  reference  to  the 
disposal  of  the  public  lands  was  such  that 
no  one  could  purchase  in  tracts  less  than 
4,000  acres.  Captain  Harrison,  in  the 
face  of  violent  opposition,  succeeded  In 
obtaining  so  much  of  a  modification  of 
this  unjust  law  that  the  land  was  sold  in 
alternate  tracts  of  640  and  320  acres.  The 
Northwest  Territory  vas  then  entitled 
to  one  delegate  in  Congress,  and  Cap- 
tain Harrison  was  chosen  to  fill  that  of- 
fice. In  1800  he  was  appointed  Governor 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON. 


of  Indiana  Territory  and  soon  after  of 
Upper  Louisiana.  He  was  also  Superin- 
tendent of  Indian  Affairs,  and  so  well  did  he 
fulfill  these  duties  that  he  was  four  times 
appointed  to  this  office.  During  his  admin- 
istration he  effected  thirteen  treaties  with 
the  Indians,  by  which  the  United  States 
acquired  60,000,000  acres  of  land.  In  1804 
he  obtained  a  cession  from  the  Indians  of 
all  the  land  between  the  Illinois  River  and 
the  Mississippi. 

In  1812  he  was  made  Major-General  of 
Kentucky  militia  and  Brigadier-General 
in  the  army,  with  the  command  of  the 
Northwest  frontier.  In  1813  he  was  made 
Major-General,  and  as  such  won  much  re- 
nown by  the  defense  of  Fort  Meigs,  and  the 
battle  of  the  Thames,  Octobers,  1813.  In 
1814  he  left  the  army  and  was  employed  in 
Indian  affairs  by  the  Government. 

In  1816  General  Harrison  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  National  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives to  represent  the  district  of  Ohio. 
In  the  contest  which  preceded  his  election 
he  was  accused  of  corruption  in  respect  to 
the  commissariat  of  the  army.  Immedi- 
ately upon  taking  his  seat,  he  called  for  an 
investigation  of  the  charge.  A  committee 
was  appointed,  and  his  vindication  was 
triumphant.  A  high  compliment  was  paid 
to  his  patriotism,  disinterestedness  and 
devotion  to  the  public  service.  For  these 
services  a  gold  medal  was  presented  to  him 
with  the  thanks  of  Congress. 

In  1819  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of 
Ohio,  and  in  1824,  as  one  of  the  Presiden- 
tial electors  of  that  State,  he  gave  his  vote 
to  Henry  Clay.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 
In  1828  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Adams  minister  plenipotentiary  to  Colom- 
bia, but  was  recalled  by  General  Jackson 
immediately  after  the  inauguration  of  the 
Jatter. 

Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
General  Harrison  retired  to  his  farm  at 


North  Bend,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  six- 
teen miles  below  Cincinnati,  where  for 
twelve  years  he  was  clerk  ofr  the  County 
Court.  He  once  owned  a  distillery,  but 
perceiving  the  sad  effects  of  whisky  upon 
the  surrounding  population,  he  promptly 
abandoned  his  business  at  great  pecuniary 
sacrifice. 

In  1836  General  Harrison  was  brought 
forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency. 
Van  Buren  was  the  administration  candi- 
date; the  opposite  party  could  not  unite, 
and  four  candidates  were  brought  forward. 
General  Harrison  received  seventy-three 
electoral  votes  without  any  general  concert 
among  his  friends.  The  Democratic  party 
triumphed  and  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  chosen 
President.  In  1839  General  Harrison  was 
again  nominated  for  the  Presidency  by  the 
Whigs,  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  Mr. 
Van  Buren  being  the  Democratic  candi- 
date. General  Harrison  received  234  elec- 
toral votes  against  sixty  for  his  opponent. 
This  election  is  memorable  chiefly  for  the 
then  extraordinary  means  employed  during 
the  canvass  for  popular  votes.  Mass  meet- 
ings and  processions  were  introduced,  and 
the  watchwords  "  log  cabin  "  and  "  hard 
cider  "  were  effectually  used  by  the  Whigs, 
and  aroused  a  popular  enthusiasm. 

A  vast  concourse  of  people  attended  his 
inauguration.  His  address  on  that  occasion 
was  in  accordance  with  his  antecedents,  and 
gave  great  satisfaction.  A  short  time  after  he 
took  his  seat,  he  was  seized  by  a  pleurisy- 
fever,  and  after  a  few  days  of  violent  sick- 
ness, died  April  4,  just  one  short  month  after 
his  inauguration.  His  death  was  universally 
regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  National 
calamities.  Never,  since'  the  death  of 
Washington,  were 'there,  throughout  one 
land,  such  demonstrations  of  sorrow.  Not 
one  single  spot  can  be  found  to  sully  his 
fame;  and  through  all  ages  Americans  will 
pronounce  with  love  and  reverence  the 
name  of  William  Henry  Harrison. 


6o 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


^g&- 


rOHN   TYLER,  the   tenth 
President  of  the  United 
States,    was    born    in 
Charles    City    County, 
Virginia,  March  29, 1790. 
His  father,  Judge  John 
Tyler,   possessed    large 
landed  estates  in  Virginia, 
and   was  one  of   the  most 
distinguished    men    of    his 
day,    filling  the  offices   of 
Speaker  of   the   House   of 
Delegates,  Judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  and  Governor 
of  the  State. 

At  the  early  age  of  twelve 
young  John  entered  William  and  Mary 
College,  and  graduated  with  honor  when 
but  seventeen  years  old.  He  then  closely 
applied  himself  to  the  study  of  law,  and  at 
nineteen  years  of  age  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  When  only  twenty- 
one  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  State 
Legislature.  He  acted  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  advocated  the  measures  of 
Jefferson  and  Madison.  For  five  years  he 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  receiving 
nearly  the  unanimous  vote  of  his  county. 

When  but  twenty-six  years  of  age  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  Congress.  He  advo- 
cated a  strict  construction  of  the  Constitu- 
tion and  the  most  careful  vigilance  over 


State  rights.  He  was  soon  compelled  to 
resign  his  seat  in  Congress,  owing  to  ill 
health,  but  afterward  took  his  seat  in  the 
State  Legislature,  where  he  exerted  a 
powerful  influence  in  promoting  public 
works  of  great  utility. 

In  1825  Mr.  Tyler  was  chosen  Governor 
of  his  State — a  high  honor,  for  Virginia 
had  many  able  men  as  competitors  for 
the  prize.  His  administration  was  signally 
a  successful  one.  He  urged  forward  inter- 
nal improvements  and  strove  to  remove 
sectional  jealousies.  His  popularity  secured 
his  re-election.  In  1827  he  was  elected 
United  States  Senator,  and  upon  taking  his 
seat  joined  the  ranks  of  the  opposition.  He 
opposed  the  tariff,  voted  against  the  bank 
as  unconstitutional,  opposed  all  restrictions 
upon  slavery,  resisted  all  projects  of  inter- 
nal improvements  by  the  General  Govern- 
ment, avowed  his  sympathy  with  Mr.  Cal- 
houn's  views  of  nullification,  and  declared 
that  General  Jackson,  by  his  opposition  to 
the  nullifiers,  had  abandoned  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party.  Such  was  Mr. 
Tyler's  record  in  Congress. 

This  hostility  to  Jackson  caused  Mr. 
Tyler's  retirement  from  the  Senate,  after 
his  election  to  a  second  term.  He  soon 
after  removed  to  Williamsburg  for  the 
better  education  of  his  children,  and  again 
took  his  seat  in  the  Legislature. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


JOHN    TrLER. 


In  1839  he  was  sent  to  the  National  Con- 
vention at  Harrisburg  to  nominate  a  Presi- 
dent. General  Harrison  received  a  majority 
of  votes,  much  to  the  disappointment  of  the 
South,  who  had  wished  for  Henry  Clay. 
In  order  to  conciliate  the  Southern  Whigs, 
John  Tyler  was  nominated  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent. Harrison  and  Tyler  were  inaugu- 
rated March  4,  1841.  In  one  short  month 
from  that  time  President  Harrison  died, 
and  Mr.  Tyler,  to  his  own  surprise  as  well 
as  that  of  the  nation,  found  himself  an 
occupant  of  the  Presidential  chair.  His 
position  was  an  exceedingly  difficult  one, 
as  he  was  opposed  to  the  main  principles  of 
the  party  which  had  brought  him  into 
power.  General  Harrison  had  selected  a 
Whig  cabinet  Should  he  retain  them,  and 
thus  surround  himself  with  councilors 
whose  views  were  antagonistic  to  his  own? 
or  should  he  turn  against  the  party  that 
had  elected  him,  and  select  a  cabinet  in 
harmony  with  himself?  This  was  his  fear- 
ful dilemma. 

President  Tyler  deserves  more  charity 
than  he  has  received.  He  issued  an  address 
to  the  people,  which  gave  general  satisfac- 
tion. He  retained  the  cabinet  General 
Harrison  had  selected.  His  veto  of  a  bill 
chartering  a  new  national  bank  led  to  an 
open  quarrel  with  the  party  which  elected 
him,  and  to  a  resignation  of  the  entire 
cabinet,  except  Daniel  Webster,  Secretary 
of  State. 

President  Tyler  attempted  to  conciliate. 
He  appointed  a  new  cabinet,  leaving  out  all 
strong  party  men,  but  the  Whig  members 
of  Congress  were  not  satisfied,  and  they 
published  a  manifesto  September  13,  break- 
ing off  all  political  relations.  The  Demo- 
crats had  a  majority  in  the  House ;  the 
Whigs  in  the  Senate.  Mr.  Webster  soon 
found  it  necessary  to  resign,  being  forced 
out  by  the  pressure  of  his  Whig  friends. 

April  12, 1844,  President  Tyler  concluded, 
Through  Mr.  Calhoun,  a  treaty  for  the  an- 


nexation of  Texas,  which  was  rejected  by 
the  Senate ;  but  he  effected  his  object  in  the 
closing  days  of  his  administration  by  the 
passage  of  the  joint  resolution  of  March  i 
1845. 

He  was  nominated  for  the  Presidency  by 
an  informal  Democratic  Convention,  held 
at  Baltimore  in  May,  1844,  but  soon  with- 
drew from  the  canvass,  perceiving  that  he 
had  not  gained  the  confidence  of  the  Demo- 
crats at  large. 

Mr.  Tyler's  administration  was  particu- 
larly unfortunate.  No  one  was  satisfied. 
Whigs  and  Democrats  alike  assailed  him. 
Situated  as  he  was,  it  is  more  than  can 
be  expected  of  human  nature  that  he 
should,  in  all  cases,  have  acted  in  the  wisest 
manner ;  but  it  will  probably  be  the  verdict 
of  all  candid  men,  in  a  careful  review  of  his 
career,  that  John  Tyler  was  placed  in  a 
position  of  such  difficulty  that  he  could  not 
pursue  any  course  which  would  not  expose 
him  to  severe  censure  and  denunciation. 

In  1813  Mr.  Tyler  married  Letitia  Chris- 
tian, who  bore  him  three  sons -and  three 
daughters,  and  died  in  Washington  in  1842. 
June  26,  1844,  he  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Julia  Gardner,  of  New 
York.  He  lived  in  almost  complete  retire- 
ment from  politics  until  February,  1861, 
when  he  was  a  member  of  the  abortive 
"peace  convention,"  held  at  Washington, 
and  was  chosen  its  President.  Soon  after 
he  renounced  his  allegiance  to  the  United 
States  and  was  elected  to  the  Confederate 
Congress.  He  died  at  Richmond,  January 
17,  1862,  after  a  short  illness. 

Unfortunately  for  his  memory  the  name 
of  John  Tyler  must  forever  be  associated 
with  all  the  misery  of  that  terrible  Re- 
bellion, whose  cause  he  openly  espoused. 
It  is  with  sorrow  that  history  records  that 
a  President  of  the  United  States  died  while 
defending  the  flag  of  rebellion,  which  was 
arrayed  against  the  national  banner  in 
deadly  warfare. 


PRESIDENTS     OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


A  .\ [  K  8    K  N  O  X   P  O  LK, 
the  eleventh  President  of 
the  United  States,  1845- 
'49,  was  born  in   Meck- 
lenburg   County,  North 
Carolina,    November    2, 
1795.     He   was   the   eldest 
son  of  a  family  of  six  sons 
and  four  daughters,  and  was 
a  grand-nephew  of  Colonel 
Thomas  Polk,  celebrated  in 
connection  with  the  Meck- 
lenburg Declaration  of  In- 
dependence. 

In  1806  his  father,  Samuel 
Polk,  emigrated  with  his  fam- 
ily two  or  three  hundred  miles  west  to  the 
valley  of  the  Duck  River.  He  was  a  sur- 
veyor as  well  as  farmer,  and  gradually  in- 
creased in  wealth  until  he  became  one  of 
the  leading  men  of  the  region. 

In  the  common  schools  James  rapidly  be- 
came proficient  in  all  the  common  branches 
of  an  English  education.  In  1813  he  was 
sent  to  Murfreesboro  Academy,  and  in  the 
autumn  of  1815  entered  the  sophomore  class 
in  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  at 
Chapel  Hill,  graduating  in  1818.  After  a 
short  season  of  recreation  he  went  to  Nash- 
ville and  entered  the  law  office  of  Felix 
Grundy.  As  soon  as  he  had  his  finished 


legal  studies  and  been  admitted  to  the  bar, 
he  returned  to  Columbia,  the  shire  town  of 
Maury  County,  and  openeu  an  office. 

James  K.  Polk  ever  adhered  to  the  polit- 
ical faith  of  his  father,  which  was  that  of 
a  Jeffersonian  Republican.  In  1823  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee.  As 
a  "  strict  constructionist,"  he  did  not  think 
that  the  Constitution  empowered  the  Gen- 
eral Government  to  carry  on  a  system  of 
internal  improvements  in  the  States,  but 
deemed  it  important  that  it  should  have 
that  power,  and  wished  the  Constitution 
amended  that  it  might  be  conferred.  Sub- 
sequently, however,  he  became  alarmed  lest 
the  General  Government  become  so  strong 
as  to  undertake  to  interfere  with  slavery. 
He  therefore  gave  all  his  influence  to 
strengthen  the  State  governments,  and  to 
check  the  growth  of  the  central  power. 

In  January,  1824,  Mr.  Polk  married  Miss, 
Mary  Childress,  of  Rutherford  County,  Ten- 
nessee. Had  some  one  then  whispered  to 
him  that  he  was  destined  to  become  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  that  he  must 
select  for  his  companion  one  who  would 
adorn  that  distinguished  station,  he  could 
not  have  made  a  more  fitting  choice.  She 
was  truly  a  lady  of  rare  beauty  and  culture. 

In  the  fall  of  1825  Mr.  Polk  was  chosen 
a  member  of  Congress,  and  was  continu- 


LIBRARY 

Of  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINO'S 


JAMES    K.    POLK. 


ously  re-elected  until  1839.  He  then  with- 
drew, only  that  he  might  accept  the 
gubernatorial  chair  of  his  native  State. 
He  was  a  warm  friend  of  General  Jackson, 
who  had  been  defeated  in  the  electoral 
contest  by  John  Quincy  Adams.  This 
latter  gentleman  had  just  taken  his  seat  in 
the  Presidential  chair  when  Mr.  Polk  took 
his  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 
He  immediately  united  himself  with  the 
opponents  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  was  soon 
regarded  as  the  leader  of  the  Jackson  party 
in  the  House. 

The  four  years  of  Mr.  Adams'  adminis- 
tration passed  away,  and  General  Jackson 
took  tne  Presidential  chair.  Mr.  Polk  had 
now  become  a  man  of  great  influence  in 
Congress,  and  was  chairman  of  its  most 
important  committee — that  of  Ways  and 
Means.  Eloquently  he  sustained  General 
Jackson  in  all  his  measures — in  his  hostility 
to  internal  improvements,  to  the  banks,  and 
to  the  tariff.  Eight  years  of  General  Jack- 
son's administration  passed  away,  and  the 
powers  he  had  wielded  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Martin  Van  Buren ;  and  still  Mr. 
Polk  remained  in  the  House,  the  advocate 
of  that  type  of  Democracy  which  those 
distinguished  men  upheld. 

During  five  sessions  of  Congress  Mr. 
Polk  was  speaker  of  the  House.  He  per- 
formed his  arduous  duties  to  general  satis- 
faction, and  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  to 
him  was  passed  by  the  House  as  he  with- 
drew, March  4,  1839.  He  was  elected 
Governor  by  a  large  majority,  and  took 
the  oath  of  office  at  Nashville,  October  14, 
1839.  He  was  a  candidate  for  re-election 
in  1841,  but  was  defeated.  In  the  mean- 
time a  wonderful  revolution  had  swept 
over  the  country.  "W.  H.  Harrison, the  Whig 
candidate,  had  been  called  to  the  Presiden- 
tial chair,  and  in  Tennessee  the  Whig  ticket 
had  been  carried  by  over  12,000  majority. 
Under  these  circumstances  Mr.  Folk's  suc- 
cess was  hopeless.  Still  he  canvassed  the 


State  with  his  Whig  competitor,  Mr.  Jones, 
traveling  in  the  most  friendly  manner  to- 
gether, often  in  the  same  carriage,  and  at 
one  time  sleeping  in  the  same  bed.  Mr. 
Jones  was  elected  by  3,000  majority. 

And  now  the  question  of  the  annexation 
of  Texas  to  our  country  agitated  the  whole 
land.  When  this  question  became  national 
Mr.  Polk,  as  the  avowed  champion  of  an- 
nexation, became  the  Presidential  candidate 
of  the  pro-slavery  wing  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  George  M.  Dallas  their  candi- 
date for  the  Vice-Presidency.  They  were 
elected  by  a  large  majority,  and  were  in- 
augurated March  4,  1845. 

President  Polk  formed  an  able  cabinet, 
consisting  of  James  Buchanan,  Robert  J. 
Walker,  William  L.  Marcy,  George  Ban- 
croft,  Cave  Johnson  and  John  Y.  Mason. 
The  Oregon  boundary  question  was  settled, 
the  Department  of  the  Interior  was  created, 
the  low  tariff  of  1846  was  carried,  the 
financial  system  of  the  Government  was 
reorganized, '  the  Mexican  war  was  con- 
ducted, which  resulted  in  the  acquisition  of 
California  and  New  Mexico,  and  had  far- 
reaching  consequences  upon  the  later  fort- 
unes of  the  republic.  Peace  was  made. 
We  had  wrested  from  Mexico  territory 
equal  to  four  times  the  empire  of  France, 
and  five  times  that  of  Spain.  In  the  prose- 
cution of  this  war  we  expended  20/300 
lives  and  more  than  $100,000,000.  Of  this 
money  $15,000,000  were  paid  to  Mexico. 

Declining  to  seek  a  renomination,  Mr. 
Polk  retired  from  the  Presidency  March  4, 
1849,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  General 
Zachary  Taylor.  He  retired  to  Nashville, 
and  died  there  June  19,  1849,  in  the  fifty- 
fourth  year  of  his  age.  His  funeral  was  at- 
tended the  following  day,  in  Nashville,  with 
every  demonstration  of  respect.  He  left 
no  children.  Without  being  possessed  of 
extraordinary  talent,  Mr.  Polk  was  a  capable 
administrator  of  public  affairs,  and  irre- 
proachable in  private  life. 


PKESfDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


ACHARY  TAY- 
LOR, the  twelfth 
President  of  the 
United  States, 
i849-'5o,  was  born 
in  Orange  County, 
Virginia,  Septem- 
ber 24,  1784.  His  father, 
Richard  Taylor,  was  Colo- 
nel of  a  Virginia  regiment 
in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  removed  to  Kentucky 
in  1785 ;  purchased  a  large 
plantation  near  Louisville 
and  became  an  influential  cit- 
izen ;  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that 
framed  the  Constitution  of  Kentucky;  served 
in  both  branches  of  the  Legislature ;  was 
Collector  of  the  port  of  Louisville  under 
President  Washington ;  as  a  Presidential 
elector,  voted  for  Jefferson,  Madison,  Mon- 
roe and  Clay;  died  January  19,1829. 

Zachary  remained  on  his  father's  planta- 
tion until  1808,  in  which  year  (May  3)  he 
was  appointed  First  Lieutenant  in  the 
Seventh  Infantry,  to  fill  a  vacancy  oc- 
casioned by  the  death  of  his  elder  brother, 
Hancock.  Up  to  this  point  he  had  received 
but  a  limited  education. 

Joining  his  regiment  at  New  Orleans,  he 


was  attacked  with  yellow  fever,  with  nearly 
fatal  termination.  In  November,  1810,  he 
was  promoted  to  Captain,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1812  he  was  in  command  of  Fort 
Harrison,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  VVabash 
River,  near  the  present  site  of  Terre  Haute, 
his  successful  defense  of  which  with  but  a 
handful  of  men  against  a  large  force  of 
Indians  which  had  attacked  him  was  one  of 
the  first  marked  military  achievements  of 
the  war.  He  was  then  brevetted  Major, 
and  in  1814  promoted  to  the  full  rank. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  war  Taylor 
was  actively  employed  on  the  Western 
frontier.  In  the  peace  organization  of  1815 
he  was  retained  as  Captain,  but  soon  after 
resigned  and  settled  near  Louisville.  In 
May,  1816,  however,  he  re-entered  the  army 
as  Major  of  the  Third  Infantry  ;  became 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Eighth  Infantry 
in  1819,  and  in  1832  attained  the  Colonelcy 
of  the  First  Infantry,  of  which  he  had  been 
Lieutenant-Colonel  since  1821.  On  different 
occasions  he  had  been  called  to  Washington 
as  member  of  a  military  board  for  organiz- 
ing the  militia  of  the  Union,  and  to  aid  the 
Government  with  his  knowledge  in  the 
organization  of  the  Indian  Bureau,  having 
for  many  years  discharged  the  duties  of 
Indian  agent  over  large  tracts  of  Western 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


ZACHAItr     TAYLOR. 


7i 


country.  He  served  through  the  Black 
Hawk  war  in  1832,  and  in  1837  was  ordered 
to  take  command  in  Florida,  then  the  scene 
of  war  with  the  Indians. 

In  1846  he  was  transferred  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Southwest,  from 
which  he  was  relieved  the  same  year  at  his 
own  request.  Subsequently  he  was  sta- 
tioned on  the  Arkansas  frontier  at  Forts 
Gibbon,  Smith  and  Jesup,  which  latter  work 
flad  been  built  under  his  direction  in  1822. 

May  28,  1845,  he  received  a  dispatch  from 
the  Secretary  of  War  informing  him  of  the 
receipt  of  information  by  the  President 
"  that  Texas  would  shortly  accede  to  the 
terms  of  annexation,"  in  which  event  he 
was  instructed  to  defend  and  protect  her 
from  "foreign  invasion  and  Indian  incur- 
sions." He  proceeded,  upon  the  annexation 
of  Texas,  with  about  1,500  men  to  Corpus 
Chnsti,  where  his  force  was  increased  to 
some  4,000. 

Taylor  was  brevetted  Major-General  May 
p8,  and  a  month  later,  June  29,  1846,  his  full 
commission  to  that  grade  was  issued.  After 
needed  rest  and  reinforcement,  he  advanced 
in  September  on  Monterey,  which  city  ca- 
pitulated after  three-days  stubborn  resist- 
ance. Here  he  took  up  his  winter  quarters. 
The  plan  for  the  invasion  of  Mexico,  by 
way  of  Vera  Cruz,  with  General  Scott  in 
command,  was  now  determined  upon  by 
the  Govenrment,  and  at  the  moment  Taylor 
was  about  to  resume  active  operations,  he 
received  orders  to  send  the  larger  part  of 
his  force  to  reinforce  the  army  of  General 
Scott  at  Vera  Cruz.  Though  subsequently 
reinforced  by  raw  recruits,  yet  after  pro- 
viding a  garrison  for  Monterey  and  Saltillo 
he  had  but  about  5,300  effective  troops,  of 
which  but  500  or  600  were  regulars.  In 
this  weakened  condition,  however,  he  was 
destined  to  achieve  his  greatest  victory. 
Confidently  relying  upon  his  strength  at 
Vera  Cruz  to  resist  the  enemy  for  a  long 
time,  Santa  Anna  directed  his  entire  army 


against  Taylor  to  overwhelm  him,  and  then 
to  return  to  oppose  the  advance  of  Scott's 
more  formidable  invasion.  The  battle  of 
Buena  Vista  was  fought  February  22  and 
23,  1847.  Taylor  received  the  thanks  of 
Congress  and  a  gold  medal,  and  "  Old 
Rough  and  Ready,"  the  sobriquet  given 
him  in  the  army,  became  a  household  word. 
He  remained  in  quiet  possession  of  the 
Rio  Grande  Valley  until  November,  when 
he  returned  to  the  United  States. 

In  the  Whig  convention  which  met  at 
Philadelphiajune  7,  1848,  Taylor  was  nomi- 
nated on  the  fourth  ballot  as  candidate  if 
the  Whig  party  for  President,  over  Henry 
Clay,  General  Scott  and  Daniel  Webster. 
In  November  Taylor  received  a  majority 
of  electoral  votes,  and  a  popular  vote  of 
1,360,752,  against  1,219,962  for  Cass  and 
Butler,  and  291,342  for  Van  Buren  and 
Adams.  General  Taylor  was  inaugurated 
March  4,  1849. 

The  free  and  slave  States  being  then  equal 
in  number,  the  struggle  for  supremacy  on 
the  part  of  the  leaders  in  Congress  was 
violent  and  bitter.  In  the  summer  of  1849 
California  adopted  in  convention  a  Consti- 
tution prohibiting  slavery  within  its  borders. 
Taylor  advocated  the  immediate  admission 
of  California  with  her  Constitution,  and  the 
postponement  of  the  question  as  to  the  other 
Territories  until  they  could  hold  conven- 
tions and  decide  for  themselves  whether 
slavery  should  exist  within  their  borders. 
This  policy  ultimately  prevailed  through 
the  celebrated  "  Compromise  Measures"  of 
Henry  Clay ;  but  not  during  the  life  of  the 
brave  soldier  and  patriot  statesman.  July 
5  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  with  a  bilious 
fever,  which  proved  fatal,  his  death  occur- 
ring July  9,  1850.  One  of  his  daughters 
married  Colonel  W.  W.  S.  Bliss,  his  Adju- 
tant-General and  Chief  of  Staff  in  Florida 
and  Mexico,  and  Private  Secretary  during 
his  Presidency.  Another  daughter  was 
married  to  Jefferson  Davis. 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


LLARD  FILL- 
MORE,  the  thir- 
teenth  President 
of  the  United 
States,  i85o-'3,  was 
born  in  Summer 
Hill,  C  a  y  u  g  a 
County,  New  York,  Janu- 
ary 7,  1800.  He  was  of 
New  England  ancestry,  and 
his  educational  advantages 
were  limited.  He  early 
learned  the  clothiers'  trade, 
but  spent  all  his  leisure  time 
in  study.  At  nineteen  years 
of  age  he  was  induced  by 
Judge  Walter  Wood  to  abandon  his  trade 
and  commence  the  study  of  law.  Upon 
learning  that  the  young  man  was  entirely 
destitute  of  means,  he  took  him  into  his 
own  office  and  loaned  him  such  money  as 
he  needed.  That  he  might  not  be  heavily 
burdened  with  debt,  young  Fillmore  taught 
school  during  the  winter  months,  and  in 
various  other  ways  helped  himself  along. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  the  village  of  Aurora,  situated  on  the 


eastern  bank  of  the  Cayuga  Lake.  In  1825 
he  married  Miss  Abigail  Powers,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Lemuel  Powers,  a  lady  of  great 
moral  worth.  In  1825  he  took  his  seat  in 
the  House  of  Assembly  of  his  native  State, 
as  Representative  from  Erie  County, 
whither  he  had  recently  moved.  . 

Though  he  had  never  taken  a  very 
active  part  in  politics  his  vote  and  his  sym- 
pathies were  with  the  Whig  party.  The 
State  was  then  Democratic,  but  his  cour- 
tesy, ability  and  integrity  won  the  respect 
of  his  associates.  In  1832  he  was  elected 
to  a  seat  in  the  United  States  Congress. 
At  the  close  of  his  term  he  returned  to  his 
law  practice,  and  in  two  years  more  he  was 
again  elected  to  Congress. 

He  now  began  to  have  a  national  reputa- 
tion. His  labors  were  very  arduous.  To 
draft  resolutions  in  the  committee  room, 
and  then  to  defend  them  against  the  most 
skillful  opponents  on  the  floor  of  the  House 
requires  readiness  of  mind,  mental  resources 
and  skill  in  debate  such  as  few  possess. 
Weary  with  these  exhausting  labors,  and 
pressed  by  the  claims  of  his  private  affairs, 
Mr.  Fillmore  wrote  a  letter  to  his  constitu- 
ents and  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  re- 
election. Notwithstanding  this  ccmmuni- 


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MILLARD     FILLMORE. 


75 


cation  his  friends  met  in  convention  and 
renominated  him  by  acclamation.  Though 
gratified  by  this  proof  of  their  appreciation 
of  his  labors  he  adhered  to  his  resolve  and 
returned  to  his  home. 

In  1847  Mr.  Fillmore  was  elected  to  the 
important  office  of  comptroller  of  the  State. 
In  entering  upon  the  very  responsible  duties 
which  this  situation  demanded,  it  was  nec- 
essary for  him  to  abandon  his  profession, 
and  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Albany.  In 
this  year,  also,  the  Whigs  were  looking 
around  to  find  suitable  candidates  for  the 
President  and  Vice-President  at  the  ap- 
proaching election,  and  the  names  of  Zach- 
ary  Taylor  and  Millard  Fillmore  became 
the  rallying  cry  of  the  Whigs.  On  the  4th 
of  March,  1849,  General  Taylor  was  inaug- 
urated President  and  Millard  Fillmore 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

The  great  question  of  slavery  had  as- 
sumed enormous  proportions,  and  perme- 
ated every  subject  that  was  brought  before 
Congress.  It  was  evident  that  the  strength 
of  our  institutions  was  to  be  severely  tried. 
July  9,  1850,  President  Taylor  died,  and,  by 
the  Constitution,  Vice-President  Fillmore 
became  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  agitated  condition  of  the  country 
brought  questions  of  great  delicacy  before 
him.  He  was  bound  by  his  oath  of  office 
to  execute  the  laws  of  the  United  States. 
One  of  these  laws  was  understood  to  be, 
that  if  a  slave,  escaping  from  bondage, 
should  reach  a  free  State,  the  United  States 
was  bound  to  do  its  utmost  to  capture  him 
and  return  him  to  his  master.  Most  Chris- 
tian men  loathed  this  law.  President  Fill- 
more  felt  bound  by  his  oath  rigidly  to  see 
it  enforced.  Slavery  was  organizing  armies 
to  invade  Cuba  as  it  had  invaded  Texas, 
and  annex  it  to  the  United  States.  Presi- 
dent Fillmore  gave  all  the  influence  of  his 
exalted  station  against  the  atrocious  enter- 
prise. 

Mr.  Fillmore  had  serious   difficulties  to 


contend  with,  since  the  opposition  had  a 
majority  in  both  Houses.  He  did  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  conciliate  the  South, 
but  the  pro-slavery  party  in  that  section 
felt  the  inadequency  of  all  measures  of  tran- 
sient conciliation.  The  population  of  the 
free  States  was  so  rapidly  increasing  over 
that  of  the  slave  States,  that  it  was  inevita- 
ble that  the  power  of  the  Government 
should  soon  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  free 
States.  The  famous  compromise  measures 
were  adopted  under  Mr.  Fillmore's  admin- 
istration, and  the  Japan  expedition  was 
sent  out. 

March  4,  1853,  having  served  one  term, 
President  Fillmore  retired  from  office.  He 
then  took  a  long  tour  through  the  South, 
where  he  met  with  quite  an  enthusiastic 
reception.  In  a  speech  at  Vicksburg,  al- 
luding to  the  rapid  growth  of  the  country, 
he  said: 

"  Canada  is  knocking  for  admission,  and 
Mexico  would  be  glad  to  come  in,  and 
without  saying  whether  it  would  be  right 
or  wrong,  we  stand  with  open  arms  to  re- 
ceive them;  for  it  is  the  manifest  destiny  of 
this  Government  to  embrace  the  whole 
North  American  Continent." 

In  1855  Mr.  Fillmore  went  to  Europe 
where  he  was  received  with  those  marked 
attentions  which  his  position  and  character 
merited.  Returning  to  this  country  in 
1856  he  was  nominated  for  the  Presidency 
by  the  "Know-Nothing"  party.  Mr.  Bu- 
chanan, the  Democratic  candidate  was 
the  successful  competitor.  Mr.  Fillmore 
ever  afterward  lived  in  retirement.  Dur- 
ing the  conflict  of  civil  war  he  was  mostly 
silent.  It  was  generally  supposed,  how- 
ever, that  his  sympathy  was  with  the  South- 
ern Confederacy.  He  kept  aloof  from  the 
conflict  without  any  words  of  cheer  to  the 
one  party  or  the  other.  For  this  reason 
he  was  forgotten  by  both.  He  died  of 
paralysis,  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  March  8, 
1874. 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


'RANKLIN  PIERCE, 

the  fourteenth  Presi- 
dent of  the  United 
States,  was  born  in 
Hillsborough,  New 
Hampshire,  Novem- 
ber 23,  1804.  His 
father,  Governor 
Benjamin  Pierce,  was  a  Rev- 
olutionary soldier,  a  man  of 
rigid  integrity ;  was  for  sev- 
eral years  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature, a  member  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's council  and  a  General 
of  the  militia. 
Franklin  was  the  sixth  of  eight  children. 
As  a  boy  he  listened  eagerly  to  the  argu- 
ments of  his  father,  enforced  by  strong  and 
ready  utterance  and  earnest  gesture.  It 
was  in  the  days  of  intense  political  excite- 
ment, when,  all  over  the  New  England 
States,  Federalists  and  Democrats  were  ar- 
rayed so  fiercely  against  each  other. 

In  1820  he  entered  Bowdoin  College,  at 
Brunswick,  Maine,  and  graduated  in  1824, 
and  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Judge  Woodbury,  a  very  distin- 
guished lawyer,  and  in  1827  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  He  practiced  with  great  success 
in  Hillsborough  and  Concord.  He  served 


in  the  State  Legislature  four  years,  the  last 
two  of  which  he  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the 
House  by  a  very  large  vote. 

In  1833  he  was  elected  a  member  of  Con- 
gress. In  1837  ne  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  just  as  Mr.  Van  Buren  com- 
menced his  administration. 

In  1834  he  married  Miss  Jane  Means 
Appleton,  a  lady  admirably  fitted  to  adorn 
every  station  with  which  her  husband  was 
honored.  Three  sons  born  to  them  all 
found  an  early  grave. 

Upon  his  accession  to  office,  President 
Polk  appointed  Mr.  Pierce  Attorney-Gen- 
eral of  the  United  States,  but  the  offer  was 
declined  in  consequence  of  numerous  pro- 
fessional engagements  at  home  and  the 
precarious  state  of  Mrs.  Pierce's  health. 
About  the  same  time  he  also  declined  the 
nomination  for  Governor  by  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

The  war  with  Mexico  called  Mr.  Pierce 
into  the  army.  Receiving  the  appointment 
of  Brigadier-General,  he  embarked  with  a 
portion  of  his  troops  at  Newport,  Rhode 
Island,  May  27,  1847.  He  served  during 
this  war,  and  distinguished  himself  by  his 
bravery,  skill  and  excellent  judgment. 
When  he  reached  his  home  in  his  native 
State  he  was  enthusiastically  received  by 


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OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


FRANKLIN    PIERCE. 


the  advocates  of  the  war,  and  coldly  by  its 
opponents.  He  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  frequently  taking-  an  active  part 
in  political  questions,  and  giving  his  sup- 
port to  the  pro-slavery  wing  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

June  12,  1852,  the  Democratic  convention 
met  in  Baltimore  to  nominate  a  candidate 
for  the  Presidency.  For  four  days  they 
continued  in  session,  and  in  thirty-five  bal- 
lotings  no  one  had  received  the  requisite 
two-thirds  vote.  Not  a  vote  had  been 
thrown  thus  far  for  General  Pierce.  Then 
the  Virginia  delegation  brought  forward 
his  name.  There  were  fourteen  more  bal- 
lotings,  during  which  General  Pierce 
gained  strength,  until,  at  the  forty-ninth 
ballot,  he  received  282  votes,  and  all  other 
candidates  eleven.  General  Winfield  Scott 
was  the  Whig  candidate.  General  Pierce 
was  elected  with  great  unanimity.  Only 
four  States — Vermont,  Massachusetts,  Ken- 
tuck}'  and  Tennessee — cast  their  electoral 
votes  against  him.  March  4,  1853,  he  was 
inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  William  R.  King,  Vice-President. 

President  Pierce's  cabinet  consisted  of 
William  S.  Marcy,  James  Guthrie,  Jefferson 
Davis,  James  C.  Dobbin,  Robert  McClel- 
land, James  Campbell  and  Caleb  dishing. 

At  the  demand  of  slavery  the  Missouri 
Compromise  was  repealed,  and  all  the  Ter- 
ritories of  the  Union  were  thrown  open  to 
slavery.  The  Territory  of  Kansas,  west  of 
Missouri,  was  settled  by  emigrants  mainly 
from  the  North.  According  to  law,  they 
were  -about  to  meet  and  decide  whether 
slavery  or  freedom  should  be  the  law  of 
that  realm.  Slavery  in  Missouri  and 
other  Southern  States  rallied  her  armed 
legions,  marched  them  into  Kansas,  took 
possession  of  the  polls,  drove  away  the 
citizens,  deposited  their  own  votes  by 
handiuls,  went  through  the  farce  of  count- 
ing them,  and  then  declared  that,  by  an 
overwhelming  majority,  slavery  was  estab- 


lished in  Kansas.  These  facts  nobody 
denied,  and  yet  President  Pierce's  adminis- 
tration felt  bound  to  respect  the  decision 
obtained  by  such  votes.  The  citizens  of 
Kansas,  the  majority  of  whom  were  free- 
State  men,  met  in  convention  and  adopted 
the  following  resolve : 

"Resolved,  That  the  body  of  men  who, 
for  the  past  two  months,  have  been  passing 
laws  for  the  people  of  our  Territory, 
moved,  counseled  and  dictated  to  by  the 
demagogues  of  other  States,  are  to  us  a 
foreign  body,  representing  only  the  lawless 
invaders  who  elected  them,  and  not  the 
people  of  this  Territory  ;  that  we  repudiate 
their  action  as  the  monstrous  consummation 
of  an  act  of  violence,  usurpation  and  fraud 
unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the  Union." 

The  free-State  people  of  Kansas  also  sent 
a  petition  to  the  General  Government,  im- 
ploring its  protection.  It;  reply  the  Presi- 
dent issued  a  proclamation,  declaring  that 
Legislature  thus  created  must  be  recog-. 
.nized  as  the  legitimate  Legislature  of  Kan- 
sas, and  that  its  laws  were  binding  upon 
the  people,  and  that,  if  necessary,  the  whole 
force  of  the  Governmental  arm  would  be 
put  forth  to  inforce  those  laws. 

James  Buchanan  succeeded  him  in  the 
Presidency,  and,  March  4,  1857,  President 
Pierce  retired  to  his  home  in  Concord, 
New  Hampshire.  When  the  Rebellion 
burst  forth  Mr.  Pierce  remained  steadfast 
to  the  principles  he  had  always  cherished, 
and  gave  his  sympathies  to  the  pro-slavery 
party,  with  which  he  had  ever  been  allied. 
He  declined  to  do  anything,  either  by 
voice  or  pen,  to  strengthen  the  hands  of 
the  National  Government.  He  resided  in 
Concord  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
October,  1869.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
genial  and  social  of  men,  generous  to 
a  fault,  and  contributed  liberally  of  his 
moderate  means  for  the  alleviation  of  suf- 
fering and  Want.  He  was  an  honored 
communicant  of  the  Episcopal  c-hurch. 


PRESIDENTS    Of    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


AMES  BUCHANAN,  the 
fifteenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  i857-'6i, 
was     born    in    Franklin 
County,  Pennsylvania, 
April   23,    1791.      The 
place    where    his  father's 
cabin   stood    was    called 
Stony   Batter,   and  it   was 
situated  in  a  wild,  romantic 
spot,  in  a  gorge  of   mount- 
ains,   with    towering   sum- 
mits rising  all  around.     He 
was  of   Irish   ancestry,  his 
father  having  emigrated  in- 
1783,    with   very  little  prop- 
erty, save  his  own  strong  arms. 

James  remained  in  his  secluded  home  for 
eight  years  enjoying  very  few  social  or 
intellectual  advantages.  His  parents  were 
industrious,  frugal,  prosperous  and  intelli- 
gent. In  1799  his  father  removed  to  Mer- 
cersburg,  where  James  was  placed  in 
school  and  commenced  a  course  in  English, 
Greek  and  Latin.  His  progress  was  rapid 
and  in  1801  he  entered  Dickinson  College 
at  Carlisle.  Here  he  took  his  stand  among 
the  first  scholars  in  the  institution,  and  was 
able  to  master  the  most  abstruse  subjects 
with  facility.  In  1809  he  graduated  with 
the  highest  honors  in  his  class. 

He  was  then  eighteen  years  of  age,  tall, 


graceful  and  in  vigorous  health,  fond  ol 
athletic  sports,  an  unerring  shot  and  en- 
livened with  an  exuberant  flow  of  animal 
spirits.  He  immediately  commenced  the 
study  of  law  in  the  city  of  Lancaster,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1812.  He  rose 
very  rapidly  in  his  profession  and  at  once 
took  undisputed  stand  with  the  ablest  law- 
yers of  the  State.  When  but  t went)'- six 
years  of  age,  unaided  by  counsel,  he  suc- 
cessfully defended  before  the  State  Senate 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  State,  who  was 
tried  upon  articles  of  impeachment  At 
the  age  of  thirty  it  was  generally  admitted 
that  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the  bar,  and 
there  was  no  lawyer  in  the  State  who  had 
a  more  extensive  or  lucrative  practice. 

In  1812,  just  after  Mr.  Buchanan  had 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  the  law,  our 
second  war  with  England  occurred.  With 
all  his  powers  he  sustained  the  Govern- 
ment, eloquently  urging  the  rigorous  pros- 
ecution of  the  war;  and  even  enlisting  as  a 
private  soldier  to  assist  in  repelling  the 
British,  who  had  sacked  Washington  and 
were  threatening  Baltimore.  He  was  at 
that  time  a  Federalist,  but  when  the  Con- 
stitution was  adopted  by  both  parties, 
Jefferson  truly  said,  "  We  are  all  Federal- 
ists; we  are  all  Republicans." 

The  oppos;tion  of  the  Federalists  to  the 
war  with  England,  and  the  alien  and  sedi- 


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OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


JAMES    BUCHANAN. 


tion  laws  of  John  Adams,  brought  the  party 
into  dispute,  and  the  name  of  Federalist 
became  a  reproach.  Mr.  Buchanan  almost 
immediately  upon  entering  Congress  began 
to  incline  more  and  more  to  the  Repub- 
licans. In  the  stormy  Presidential  election 
of  1824,  in  which  Jackson,  Clay,  Crawford 
and  John  Quincy  Adams  were  candidates, 
Mr.  Buchanan  espoused  the  cause  of  Gen- 
eral Jackson  and  unrelentingly  opposed  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Adams. 

Upon  his  elevation  to  the  Presidency, 
General  Jackson  appointed  Mr.  Buchanan, 
minister  to  Russia.  Upon  his  return  in  1833 
lie  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  He  there  met  as  his  associates, 
Webster,  Clay,  Wright  and  Calhoun.  He 
advocated  the  measures  proposed  by  Presi- 
dent Jackson  of  making  reprisals  against 
France,  and  defended  the  course  of  the  Pres- 
ident in  his  unprecedented  and  wholesale 
removals  from  office  of  those  who  were  not 
the  supporters  of  his  administration.  Upon 
this  question  he  was  brought  into  direct  col- 
lision with  Henry  Clay.  In  the  discussion 
of  the  question  respecting  the  admission  of 
Michigan  and  Arkansas  into  the  Union,  Mr. 
Buchanan  denned  his  position  by  saying: 

"  The  older  I  grow,  the  more  I  am  in- 
clined to  be  what  is  called  a  State-rights 
man." 

M.  de  Tocqueville,  in  his  renowned  work 
upon  "  Democracy  in  America,"  foresaw 
the  trouble  which  was  inevitable  from  the 
doctrine  of  State  sovereignty  as  held  by 
Calhoun  and  Buchanan.  He  was  con- 
vinced that  the  National  Government  was 
losing  that  strength  which  was  essential 
to  its  own  existence,  and  that  the  States 
were  assuming  powers  which  threatened 
the  perpetuity  of  the  Union.  Mr.  Buchanan 
received  the  book  in  the  Senate  and  de- 
clared the  fears  of  De  Tocqueville  to  be 
groundless,  and  yet  he  lived  to  sit  in  the 
Presidential  chair  and  see  State  after  State, 
in  accordance  with  his  own  views  of  State 


rights,  breaking  from  the  Union,  thus 
crumbling  our  Republic  into  ruins;  while 
the  unhappy  old  man  folded  his  arms  in 
despair,  declaring  that  the  National  Consti- 
tution invested  him  with  no  power  to  arrest 
the  destruction. 

Upon  Mr.  Polk's  accession  to  the  Presi- 
dency, Mr.  Buchanan  became  Secretary  of 
State,  and  as  such  took  his  share  of  the 
responsibility  in  the  conduct  of  the  Mexi- 
can war.  At  the  close  of  Mr.  Polk's  ad- 
ministration, Mr.  Buchanan  retired  to  pri- 
vate life;  but  his  intelligence,  and  his  great 
ability  as  a  statesman,  enabled  him  to  exert 
a  powerful  influence  in  National  affairs. 

Mr.  Pierce,  upon  his  election  to  the 
Presidency,  honored  Mr.  Buchanan  with 
the  mission  to  England.  In  the  year  1856 
the  National  Democratic  convention  nomi- 
nated Mr.  Buchanan  for  the  Presidency. 
The  political  conflict  was  one  of  the  most 
severe  in  which  our  country  has  ever  en- 
gaged. On  the  4th  of  March,  1857,  Mr. 
Buchanan  was  inaugurated  President.  His 
cabinet  were  Lewis  Cass,  Howell  Cobb, 
J.  B.  Floyd,  Isaac  Toucey,  Jacob  Thomp- 
son, A.  V.  Brown  and  J.  S.  Black. 

The  disruption  of  the  Democratic  party, 
in  consequence  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
issue  of  the  nationality  of  slavery  was 
pressed  by  the  Southern  wing,  occurred  at 
the  National  convention,  held  at  Charleston 
in  April,  1860,  for  the  nomination  of  Mr. 
Buchanan's  successor,  when  the  majority 
of  Southern  delegates  withdrew  upon  the 
passage  of  a  resolution  declaring  that  the 
constitutional  status  of  slavery  should  be 
determined  by  the  Supreme  Court. 

In  the  next  Presidential  canvass  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  was  nominated  by  the  oppo- 
nents of  Mr.  Buchanan's  administration. 
Mr.  Buchanan  remained  in  Washington 
long  enough  to  see  his  successor  installed 
and  then  retired  to  his  borne  in  Wheatiand. 
He  died  June  i,  1868,  aged  seventy-seven 
years. 


PKES/DENTS    OF     THE     UN f  TED    STATES. 


.  ffc    -sU    ffo  _4-  _  ^fo  _!j»    «»  _-k 


^F 

*i!»- 


BRAHAM  LIN- 
COLN, the  sixteenth 
President  of  the 
United  States,  i86i-'5, 
was  born  February 
12,  1809,  in  Larue 
(then  Hardin)  County, 
Kentucky,  in  a  cabin  on  Nolan 
Creek,  three  miles  west  of 
Hudgensville.  H  i  s  parents 
were  Thomas  and  Nancy 
(Hanks)  Lincoln.  Of  his  an- 
cestry and  early  years  the  little 
that  is  known  may  best  be 
given  in  his  own  language  :  "  My 
parents  were  both  born  in  Virginia,  of  un- 
distinguished families — second  families,  per- 
haps I  should  say.  My  mother,  who  died 
in  my  tenth  year,  was  of  a  family  of  the 
name  of  Hanks,  some  of  whom  now  remain 
in  Adams,  and  others  in  Macon  County, 
Illinois.  My  paterna'  grandfather,  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  emigrated  from  Rockbridge 
County,  Virginia,  to  Kentucky  in  1781  or 
1782,  where,  a  year  or  two  later,  he  was 
killed  by  Indians — not  in  battle,  but  by 
stealth,  when  he  was  laboring  to  open  a 
farm  in  the  forest.  His  ancestors, Avho  were 
Quakers,  went  to  Virginia  from  Berks 
County,  Pennsylvania.  An  effort  to  iden- 


tify them  with  the  New  England  family  of 
the  same  name  ended  in  nothing  more  defi- 
nite than  a  similarity  of  Christian  names  in 
both  families,  such  as  Enoch,  Levi,  Mor- 
decai,  Solomon,  Abraham  and  the  like. 
My  father,  at  the  death  of  his  father,  was 
but  six  years  of  age,  and  he  grew  up,  liter- 
ally, without  education.  He  removed  from 
Kentucky  to  what  is  now  Spencer  County, 
Indiana,  in  my  eighth  year.  We  reached 
our  new  home  about  the  time  the  State  came 
into  the  Union.  It  was  a  wild  region,  with 
bears  and  other  wild  animals  still  in  the 
woods.  There  -I  grew  to  manhood. 

"  There  were  some  schools,  so  called,  but 
no  qualification  was  ever  required  of  a 
teacher  bevond  '  readin',  writin',  and  cipher- 
in'  to  the  rule  of  three.'  If  a  straggler,  sup- 
posed to  understand  Latin,  happened  to 
sojourn  in  the  neighborhood,  he  was  looked 
upon  as  a  wizard.  There  was  absolutely 
nothing  to  excite  ambition  for  education. 
Of  course,  when  I  came  of  age  I  did  not 
know  much.  Still,  somehow,  I  could  read, 
write  and  cipher  to  the  rule  of  three,  and 
that  was  all.  I  have  not  been  to  school 
since.  The  little  advance  I  now  have  upon 
this  store  of  education  I  have  picked  up 
from  time  to  time  under  the  pressure  of 
necessity.  I  was  raised  to  farm- work,  which 


i — 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


I  continued  till  I  was  twenty-two.  At 
twenty-one  I  came  to  Illinois  and  passed 
the  first  year  in  Macon  County.  Then  I  got 
to  New  Salem,  at  that  time  in  Sangamon, 
now  in  Menard  County,  where  I  remained 
a  year  as  a  sort  of  clerk  in  a  store. 

"  Then  came  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  I 
was  elected  a  Captain  of  volunteers — a  suc- 
cess which  gave  me  more  pleasure  than  any 
I  have  had  since.  I  went  the  campaign, 
was  elated ;  ran  for  the  Legislature  the 
same  year  (1832)  and  was  beaten,  the  only 
time  I  have  ever  been  beaten  by  the  people. 
The  next  and  three  succeeding  biennial 
elections  I  was  elected  to  the  Legislature, 
and  was  never  a  candidate  afterward. 

"  During  this  legislative  period  I  had 
studied  law,  and  removed  to  Springfield  to 
practice  it.  In  1846  I  was  elected  to  the 
Lower  House  of  Congress;  was  not  a  can- 
didate-for  re-election.  From  184910  1854, 
inclusive,  I  practiced  the  law  more  assid- 
uously than  ever  before.  Always  a  Whig 
in  politics,  and  generally  on  the  Whig  elec- 
toral tickets,  making  active  canvasses,  I  was 
losing  interest  in  politics,  when  the  repeal 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise  roused  me 
again.  What  I  have  done  since  is  pretty 
well  known." 

The  early  residence  of  Lincoln  in  Indi- 
ana was  sixteen  miles  north  of  the  Ohio 
River,  on  Little  Pigeon  Creek,  one  and  a 
half  miles  east  of  Gentryville,  within  the 
present  township  of  Carter.  Here  his 
mother  died  October  5,  1818,  and  the  next 
year  his  father  married  Mrs.  Sally  (Bush) 
Johnston,  of  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky.  She 
was  an  affectionate  foster-parent,  to  whom 
Abraham  was  indebted  for  his  first  encour- 
agement to  study.  He  became  an  eager 
reader,  and  the  few  books  owned  in  the 
vicinity  were  many  times  perused.  He 
worked  frequently  for  the  neighbors  as  a 
farm  laborer ;  was  for  some  time  clerk  in  a 
store  at  Gentryville;  and  became  famous 
throughout  that  region  for  his  athletic 


powers,  his  fondness  for  argument,  his  in- 
exhaustible fund  of  humerous  anecdote,  as 
well  as  for  mock  oratory  and  the  composi- 
tion of  rude  satirical  verses.  In  1828  he 
made  a  trading  voyage  to  New  Orleans  as 
"  bow-hand  "  on  a  flatboat ;  removed  to 
Illinois  in  1830;  helped  his  father  build  a 
log  house  and  clear  a  farm  on  the  north 
fork  of  Sangamon  River,  ten  miles  west  of 
Decatur,  and  was  for  some  time  employed 
in  splitting  rails  for  the  fences — a  fact  which 
was  prominently  brought  forward  for  a 
political  purpose  thirty  years  later. 

In  the  spring  of  1851  he,  with  two  of  his 
relatives,  was  hired  to  build  a  flatboat  on 
the  Sangamon  River  and  navigate  it  to 
New  Orleans.  The  boat  "  stuck  "  on  a 
mill-dam,  and  was  got  off  with  great  labor 
through  an  ingenious  mechanical  device 
which  some  years  later  led  to  Lincoln's 
taking  out  a  patent  for  "an  improved 
method  for  lifting  vessels  over  shoals." 
This  voyage  was  memorable  for  another 
reason— the  sight  of  slaves  chained,  mal- 
treated and  flogged  at  New  Orleans  was 
the  origin  of  his  deep  convictions  upon  the 
slavery  question. 

Returning  from  this  voyage  he  became  a 
resident  for  several  years  at  New  Salem,  a 
recently  settled  village  on  the  Sangamon, 
where  he  was  successively  a  clerk,  grocer, 
surveyor  and  postmaster,  and  acted  as  pilot 
to  the  first  steamboat  that  ascended  the 
Sangamon.  Here  he  studied  law,  inter- 
ested himself  in  local  politics  after  his 
return  from  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and 
became  known  as  an  effective  "stump 
speaker."  The  subject  of  his  first  political 
speech  was  the  improvement  of  the  channel 
of  the  Sangamon,  and  the  chief  ground  on 
which  he  announced  himself  (1832)  a  candi- 
date for  the  Legislature  was  his  advocacy 
of  this  popular  measure,  on  which  subject 
his  practical  experience  made  him  the  high- 
est authority. 

Elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1834  as  a 


88 


PltFSinR\TS    OP    THE     UXtTED    STATES. 


"  Henry  Clay  Whig,"  he  rapidly  acquired 
that  command  of  language  and  that  homely 
but  forcible  rhetoric  which,  added  to  his 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  people  from 
which  he  sprang,  made  him  more  than  a 
match  in  debate  for  his  few  well-educated 
opponents. 

Admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837  he  soon 
established  himself  at  Springfield,  where 
the  State  capital  was  located  in  1839, 
largely  through  his  influence;  became  a 
successful  pleader  in  the  State,  Circuit  and 
District  Courts;  married  in  1842  a  lady  be- 
longing to  a  prominent  family  in  Lexington, 
Kentucky;  took  an  active  part  in  the  Pres- 
idential campaigns  of  1840  and  1844  as 
candidate  for  elector  on  the  Harrison  and 
Clay  tickets,  and  in  1846  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  House  of  Representatives 
over  the  celebrated  Peter  Cartwright. 
During  his  single  term  in  Congress  he  did 
not  attain  any  prominence. 

He  voted  for  the  reception  of  anti-slavery 
petitions  for  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade 
in  the  District  of  Columbia  and  for  the 
Wilmot  proviso ;  but  was  chiefly  remem- 
bered for  the  stand  he  took  against  the 
Mexican  war.  For  several  years  there- 
after he  took  comparatively  little  interest 
in  politics,  but  gained  a  leading  position  at 
the  Springfield  bar.  Two  or  three  non- 
political  lectures  and  an  eulogy  on  Henry 
Clay  (1852)  added  nothing  to  his  reputation. 

In  1854  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise  by  the  Kansas-Nebraska  act 
aroused  Lincoln  from  his  indifference,  and 
in  attacking  that  measure  he  had  the  im- 
mense advantage  of  knowing  perfectly  well 
the  motives  and  the  record  .of  its  author, 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  of  Illinois,  then  popu- 
larly designated  as  the  "  Little  Giant."  The 
latter  came  to  Springfield  in  October,  1854, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  State  Fair,  to  vindi- 
cate his  policy  in  the  Senate,  and  the  "  Anti- 
Nebraska"  Whigs,  remembering  that  Lin- 
coln had  often  measured  his  strength  with 


Douglas  in  the  Illinois  Legislature  and  be- 
fore the  Springfield  Courts,  engaged  him 
to  improvise  a  reply.  This  speech,  in  the 
opinion  of  those  who  heard  it,  was  one  of 
the  greatest  efforts  of  Lincoln's  life ;  cer- 
tainly the  most  effective  in  his  whole  career. 
It  took  the  audience  by  storm,  and  from 
that  moment  it  was  felt  that  Douglas  had 
met  his  match.  Lincoln  was  accordingly 
selected  as  the  Anti-Nebraska  candidate  for 
the  United  States  Senate  in  place  of  General 
Shields,  whose  term  expired  March  4,  1855, 
and  led  to  several  ballots ;  but  Trumbull 
was  ultimately  chosen. 

The  second  conflict  on  the  soil  of  Kan- 
sas, which  Lincoln  had  predicted,  soon  be- 
gan. The  result  was  the  disruption  of  the 
Whig  and  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party.  At  the  Bloomington  State  Conven- 
tion in  1856,  where  the  new  party  first 
assumed  form  in  Illinois,  Lincoln  made  an 
impressive  address,  in  which  for  the  first 
time  he  took  distinctive  ground  against 
slavery  in  itself. 

At  the  National  Republican  Convention 
at  Philadelphia,  June  17,  after  the  nomi- 
nation of  Fremont,  Lincoln  was  put  for- 
ward by  the  Illinois  delegation  for  the 
Vice-Presidency,  and  received  on  the  first 
ballot  no  votes  against  259  for  William  L 
Dayton.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
canvass,  being  on  the  electoral  ticket. 

In  1858  Lincoln  was  unanimously  nomi- 
nated by  the  Republican  State  Convention 
as  its  candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate 
in  place  of  Douglas,  and  in  his  speech  of 
acceptance  used  the  celebrated  illustration 
of  a  "house  divided  against  itself ''  on  the 
slavery  question,  which  was,  perhaps,  the 
cause  of  his  defeat.  The  great  debate  car- 
ried on  at  all  the  principal  towns  of  Illinois 
between  Lincoln  and  Douglas  as  rival  Sena- 
torial candidates  resulted  at  the  time  in  the 
election  of  the  latter ;  but  being  widely  cir- 
culated as  a  campaign  document,  it  fixed 
the  attention  of  the  country  upon  the 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


former,  as  the  clearest  and  most  convinc- 
ing exponent  of  Republican  doctrine. 

Early  in  1859  he  began  to  be  named  in 
Illinois  as  a  suitable  Republican  candidate 
for  the  Presidential  campaign  of  the  ensu- 
ing year,  and  a  political  address  delivered 
at  the  Cooper  Institute,  New  York,  Febru- 
ary 27,  1860,  followed  by  similar  speeches 
at  New  Haven,  Hartford  and  elsewhere  in 
New  England,  first  made  him  known  to  the 
Eastern  States  in  the  light  by  which  he  had 
long  been  regarded  at  home.  By  the  Re- 
publican State  Convention,  which  met  at 
Decatur,  Illinois,  May  9  and  10,  Lincoln 
was  unanimously  endorsed  for  the  Presi- 
dency. It  was  on  this  occasion  that  two 
rails,  said  to  have  been  split  by  his  hands 
thirty  years  before,  were  brought  into  the 
convention,  and  the  incident  contributed 
much  to  his  popularity.  The  National 
Republican  Convention  at  Chicago,  after 
spirited  efforts  made  in  favor  of  Seward, 
Chase  and  Bates,  nominated  Lincoln  for 
the  Presidency,  with  Hannibal  Hamlin 
for  Vice-President,  at  the  same  time  adopt- 
ing a  vigorous  anti-slavery  platform. 

The  Democratic  party  having  been  dis- 
organized and  presenting  two  candidates, 
Douglas  and  Breckenridge,  and  the  rem- 
nant of  the  "  American"  party  having  put 
forward  John  Bell,  of  Tennessee,  the  Re- 
publican victory  was  an  easy  one,  Lincoln 
being  elected  November  6  by  a  large  plu- 
rality, comprehending  nearly  all  the  North- 
ern States,  but  none  of  the  Southern.  The 
secession  of  South  Carolina  and  the  Gulf 
States  was  the  immediate  result,  followed 
a  few  months  later  by  that  of  the  border 
slave  States  and  the  outbreak  of  the  great 
civil  war. 

The  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  became 
thenceforth  merged  in  the  history  of  his 
country.  None  of  the  details  of  the  vast 
conflict  which  filled  the  remainder  of  Lin- 
coln's life  can  here  be  given.  Narrowly 
escaping  assassination  by  avoiding  Balti- 


more on  his  way  to  the  capital,  he  reached 
Washington  February  23,  and  was  inaugu- 
rated President  of  the  United  States  March 
4,  1861. 

In  his  inaugural  address  he  said:  "  I  hold, 
that  in  contemplation  of  universal  law  and 
the  Constitution  the  Union  of  these  States  is 
perpetual.  Perpetuity  is  implied  if  not  ex- 
pressed in  the  fundamental  laws  of  all  na- 
tional governments.  It  is  safe  to  assert 
that  no  government  proper  ever  had  a  pro- 
vision in  its  organic  law  for  its  own  termi- 
nation. I  therefore  consider  that  in  view 
of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  the  Union 
is  unbroken,  and  to  the  extent  of  my  ability 
I  shall  take  care,  as  the  Constitution  en^ 
joins  upon  me,  that  the  laws  of  the  United 
States  be  extended  in  all  the  States.  In 
doing  this  there  need  be  no  bloodshed  or  vio- 
lence, and  there  shall  be  none  unless  it  be 
forced  upon  the  national  authority.  The 
power  conferred  to  me  will  be  used  to  hold, 
occupy  and  possess  the  property  and  places 
belonging  to  the  Government,  and  to  col- 
lect the  duties  and  imports,  but  beyond 
what  may  be  necessary  for  these  objects 
there  will  be  no  invasion,  no  using  of  force 
against  or  among  the  people  anywhere.  In 
your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow-country- 
men, is  the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war. 
The  Government  will  not  assail  you.  You 
can  have  no  conflict  without  being  your- 
selves the  aggressors.  You  have  no  oath 
registered  in  heaven  to  destroy  the  Gov- 
ernment, while  I  shall  have  the  most  sol- 
emn one  to  preserve,  protect  and  defend 
it." 

He  called  to  his  cabinet  his  principal 
rivals  for  the  Presidential  nomination  — 
Seward,  Chase,  Cameron  and  Bates;  se- 
cured the  co-operation  of  the  Union  Demo- 
crats, headed  by  Douglas ;  called  out  75,000 
militia  from  the  several  States  upon  the  first 
tidings  of  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter, 
April  15;  proclaimed  a  blockade  of  the 
Southern  posts  April  19;  called  an  extra 


PRBStDBNTS    OF    THE    U VI TED    STATES. 


session  o[  Congress  for  July  4,  from  which 
he  asked  and  obtained  400,000  men  and 
$400,000,000  for  the  war;  placed  McClellan 
at  the  head  of  the  Federal  army  on  General 
Scott's  resignation,  October  31;  appointed 
Edwin  M.  Stanton  Secretary  of  War,  Jan- 
uary 14,  1862,  and  September  22,  1862, 
issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the  free- 
dom of  all  slaves  in  the  States  and  parts  of 
States  then  in  rebellion  from  and  after 
January  i,  1863.  This  was  the  crowning 
act  of  Lincoln's  career — the  act  by  which 
he  will  be  chiefly  known  through  all  future 
time — and  it  decided  the  war. 

October  16, 1863,  President  Lincoln  called 
for  300,000  volunteers  to  replace  those 
whose  term  of  enlistment  had  expired ; 
made  a  celebrated  and  touching,  though 
brief,  address  at  the  dedication  of  the 
Gettysburg  military  cemetery,  November 
19,  1863;  commissioned  Ulysses  S.  Grant 
Lieutenant-General  and  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States, 
March  9,  1864;  was  re-elected  President  in 
November  of  the  same  year,  by  a  large 
majority  over  General  McClellan,  with 
Andrew  Johnson,  of  Tennessee,  as  Vice- 
President;  delivered  a  very  remarkable  ad- 
dress at  his  second  inauguration,  March  4, 
1865;  visited  the  army  before  Richmond  the 
same  month;  entered  the  capital  of  the  Con- 
federacy the  day  after  its  fall,  and  upon  the 
surrender  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee's  army, 
April  9,  was  actively  engaged  in  devising 
generous  plans  for  the  reconstruction  of  the 
Union,  when,  on  the  evening  of  Good  Fri- 
day, April  14,  he  was  shot  in  his  box  at 
Ford's  Theatre,  Washington,  byJohnWilkes 
Booth,  a  fanatical  actor,  and  expired  early 
on  the  following  morning,  April  15.  Al- 
most simultaneously  a  murderous  attack 
was  made  upon  William  H.  Seward,  Secre- 
tary of  State. 

At  noon  on  the  i$th  of  April  Andrew 


Johnson  assumed  the  Presidency,  and  active 
measures  were  taken  which  resulted  in  the 
death  of  Booth  and  the  execution  of  his 
principal  accomplices. 

The  funeral  of  President  Lincoln  was 
conducted  with  unexampled  solemnity  and 
magnificence.  Impressive  services  were 
held  in  Washington,  after  which  the  sad 
procession  proceeded  over  the  same  route 
he  had  traveled  four  years  before,  from 
Springfield  to  Washington.  In  Philadel- 
phia his  body  lay  in  state  in  Independence 
Hall,  in  which  he  had  declared  before  his 
first  inauguration  "that  I  would  sooner  be 
assassinated  than  to  give  up  the  principles 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence."  He 
was  buried  at  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  near 
Springfield,  Illinois,  on  May  4,  where  a 
monument  emblematic  of  the  emancipation 
of  the  slaves  and  the  restoration  of  the 
Union  mark  his  resting  place. 

The  leaders  and  citizens  of  the  expiring 
Confederacy  expressed  genuine  indignation 
at  the  murder  of  a  generous  political  adver- 
sary. Foreign  nations  took  part  in  mourn- 
ing the  death  of  a  statesman  who  had  proved 
himself  a  true  representative  of  American 
nationality.  The  freedmen  of  the  South 
almost  worshiped  the  memory  of  their  de- 
liverer; and  the  general  sentiment  of  the 
great  Nation  he  had  saved  awarded  him  a 
place  in  its  affections,  second  only  to  that 
held  by  Washington. 

The  characteristics  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
have  been  familiarly  known  throughout  the 
civilized  world.  His  tall,  gaunt,  ungainly 
figure,  homely  countenance,  and  his  shrewd 
mother-wit,  shown  in  his  celebrated  con- 
versations overflowing  in  humorous  and 
pointed  anecdote,  combined  with  an  accu- 
rate, intuitive  appreciation  of  the  questions 
of  the  time,  are  recognized  as  forming  the 
best  type  of  a  period  of  American  history 
now  rapidly  passing  away. 


UBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


ANDREW     JOHNSON. 


9? 


NDREWJOHNSON, 
the  seventeenth  Presi- 
dent of  the   United 
States,    i865-'9,    was 
born  at  Raleigh, 
North  Carolina,  De- 
c  em  b  e  r  29,    1808. 
Hisfatherdied  when 
he  was  four  years  old,  and  in 
his  eleventh  year  he    was  ap- 
prenticed  to  a  tailor.     He  nev- 
er   attended    school,    and    did 
not  learn  to  read  until  late  in 
his   apprenticeship,    when    he 
suddenly  acquired  a  passion  for 
obtaining  knowledge,  and  devoted 
all  his  spare  time  to  reading. 

After  working  two  years  as  a  journey- 
man tailor  at  Lauren's  Court-House,  South 
Carolina,  he  removed,  in  1826,  to  Green- 
ville, Tennessee,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  and  married.  Under  his  wife's  in- 
structions he  made  rapid  progress  in  his 
education,  and  manifested  such  an  intelli- 
gent interest  in  local  politics  as  to  be 
elected  as  "  workingmen's  candidate  "  al- 
derman, in  1828,  and  mayor  in  1830,  being 
twice  re-elected  to  each  office. 

During  this  period  he  cultivated  his  tal- 
ents as  a  public  speaker  by  Inking  part  in  a 


debating  society,  consisting  largely  of  stu- 
dents of  Greenville  College.  In  1835,  and 
again  in  1839,  ne  was  chosen  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  Legislature,  as  a  Democrat. 
In  1841  he  was  elected  State  Senator,  and 
in  1843,  Representative  in  Congress,  being 
re-elected  four  successive  periods,  until 
1853,  when  he  was  chosen  Governor  of 
Tennessee.  In  Congress  he  supported  the 
administrations  of  Tyler  and  Polk  in  their 
chief  measures,  especially  the  annexation 
of  Texas,  the  adjustment  of  the  Oregon 
boundary,  the  Mexican  war,  and  the  tariff 
of  1846. 

In  1855  Mr.  Johnson  was  re  elected  Gov- 
ernor, and  in  1857  entered  the  United 
States  Senate,  where  he  was  conspicuous 
as  an  advocate  of  retrenchment  and  of  the 
Homestead  bill,  and  as  an  opponent  of  the 
Pacific  Railroad.  He  was  supported  by  the 
Tennessee  delegation  to  the  Democratic 
convention  in  1860  for  the  Presidential 
nomination,  and  lent  his  influence  to  the 
Breckenridge  wing  of  that  party. 

When  the  election  of  Lincoln  had 
brought  about  the  first  attempt  at  secession 
in  December,  1860,  Johnson  took  in  the 
Senate  a  firm  attitude  for  the  Union,  and 
in  May,  1861,  on  returning  to  Tennessee, 
he  was  in  imminent  peril  of  suffering  from 


PRESIDENTS     OF     THF.     UNlThP    STATES. 


popular  violence  for  his  loyalty  to  the  "  old 
flag."  He  was  the  leader  of  the  Loyalists' 
convention  of  East  Tennessee,  and  during 
the  following  winter  was  very  active  in  or- 
ganizing relief  for  the  destitute  loyal  refu- 
gees from  that  region,  his  own  family  being 
among  those  compelled  to  leave. 

By  his  course  in  this  crisis  Johnson  came 
prominently  before  the  Northern  public, 
and  when  in  March,  1862,  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Lincoln  military  Governor  of 
Tennessee,  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral, he  increased  in  popularity  by  the  vig- 
orous and  successful  manner  in  which  he 
labored  to  restore  order,  protect  Union 
men  and  punish  marauders.  On  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1864, 
the  termination  of  the  war  being  plainly 
foreseen,  and  several  Southern  States  being 
partially  reconstructed,  it  was  felt  that  the 
Vice-Presidency  should  be  given  to  a  South- 
ern man  of  conspicuous  loyalty,  and  Gov- 
ernor Johnson  was  elected  on  the  same 
platform  and  ticket  as  President  Lincoln; 
and  on  the  assassination  of  the  latter  suc- 
ceeded to  the  Presidency,  April  15,  1865. 
In  a  public  speech  two  days  later  he  said: 
"The  American  people  must  be  taught,  if 
they  do  not  already  feel,  that  treason  is  a 
crime  and  must  be  punished;  that  the  Gov- 
ernment will  not  always  bear  with  its  ene- 
mies; that  it  is  strong,  not  only  to  protect, 
but  to  punish.  In  our  peaceful  history 
treason  has  been  almost  unknown.  The 
people  must  understand  that  it  is  the  black- 
est of  crimes,  and  will  be  punished."  He 
then  added  the  ominous  sentence:  "  In  re- 
gard to  my  future  course,  I  make  no  prom- 
ises, no  pledges."'  President  Johnson  re- 
tained the  cabinet  of  Lincoln,  and  exhibited 
considerable  severity  toward  traitors  in  his 
earlier  acts  and  speeches,  but  he  soon  inaug- 
urated a  policy  of  reconstruction,  proclaim- 
ing a  general  amnesty  to  the  late  Confeder- 
ates, and  successively  establishing  provis- 
ional Governments  in  the  Southern  States. 


These  States  accordingly  claimed  represen- 
tation in  Congress  in  the  following  Decem- 
ber, and  the  momentous  question  of  what 
should  be  the  policy  of  the  victorious  Union 
toward  its  late  armed  opponents  was  forced 
upon  that  body. 

Two  considerations  impelled  the  Repub- 
lican majority  to  reject  the  policy  of  Presi, 
dent  Johnson:  First,  an  apprehension  that 
the  chief  magistrate  intended  to  undo  the  re- 
sults of  the  war  in  regard  to  slavery; and, sec- 
ond, the  sullen  attitude  of  the  South,  which 
seemed  to  be  plotting  to  regain  the  policy 
which  arms  had  lost.  The  credentials  of  the 
Southern  members  elect  were  laid  on  the 
table,  a  civil  rights  bill  and  a  bill  extending 
the  sphere  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  were 
passed  over  the  executive  veto,  and  the  two 
highest  branches  of  the  Government  were 
soon  in  open  antagonism.  The  action  of 
Congress  was  characterized  by  the  Presi- 
dent as  a  "  new  rebellion."  In  July  the 
cabinet  was  reconstructed,  Messrs.  Randall, 
Stanbury  and  Browning  taking  the  places 
of  Messrs.  Denison,  Speed  and  Harlan,  and 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  by 
means  of  a  general  convention  in  Philadel- 
phia to  form  a  new  party  on  the  basisof  the 
administration  policy. 

In  an  excursion  to  Chicago  for  the  pur- 
pose of  laying  a  corner-stone  of  the  monu- 
ment to  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  President 
Johnson,  accompanied  by  several  members 
of  the  cabinet,  passed  through  Philadelphia, 
New  York  and  Albany,  in  each  of  which 
cities,  and  in  other  places  along  the  route, 
he  made  speeches  justifying  and  explaining 
his  own  policy,  and  violently  denouncing 
the  action  of  Congress. 

August  12,  1867,  President  Johnson  re- 
moved the  Secretary  of  War,  replacing 
him  by  General  Grant.  Secretary  Stanton 
retired  under  protest,  based  upon  the  ten- 
ure-of-office  act  which  had  been  passed  the 
preceding  March.  The  President  then  is- 
sued a  proclamation  declaring  the  insurrec- 


A  NDKE  W    JOHNSON. 


tion  at  an  end,  and  that  "  peace,  order,  tran- 
quility  and  civil  authority  existed  in  and 
throughout  the  United  States."  Another 
proclamation  enjoined  obedience  to  the 
Constitution  and  the  laws,  and  an  amnesty 
was  published  September  7,  relieving  nearly 
all  the  participants  in  the  late  Rebellion 
from  the  disabilities  thereby  incurred,  on 
condition  of  taking  the  oath  to  support  the 
Constitution  and  the  laws. 

In  December  Congress  refused  to  confirm 
the  removal  of  Secretary  Stanton,  who 
thereupon  resumed  the  exercise  of  his  of- 
fice; but  February  21,  1868,  President 
Johnson  again  attempted  to  remove  him, 
appointing  General  Lorenzo  Thomas  in  his 
place.  Stanton  refused  to  vacate  his  post, 
and  was  sustained  by  the  Senate. 

February  24  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives voted  to  impeach  the  President  for 
"  high  crime  and  misdemeanors,"  and  March 
5  presented  eleven  articles  of  impeachment 
on  the  ground  of  his  resistance  to  the  exe- 
cution of  the  acts  of  Congress,  alleging,  in 
addition  to  the  offense  lately  committed, 
his  public  expressions  of  contempt  for  Con- 
gress, in  "  certain  intemperate,  inflamma- 
tory and  scandalous  harangues"  pronounced 
in  August  and  September,  1866,  and  there- 
after declaring  that  the  Thirty-ninth  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  was  not  a 
competent  legislative  body,  and  denying 
its  power  to  propose  Constitutional  amend- 
ments. March  23  the  impeachment  trial 
began,  the  President  appearing  by  counsel, 
and  resulted  in  acquittal,  the  vote  lacking 


one  of    the    two-thirds   vote    required  for 
conviction. 

The  remainder  of  President  Johnson's 
term  of  office  was  passed  without  any  such 
conflicts  as  might  have  been  anticipated. 
He  failed  to  obtain  a  nomination  for  re- 
election by  the  Democratic  party,  though 
receiving  sixty-five  votes  on  the  first  ballot. 
July  4  and  December  25  new  proclamations 
of  pardon  to  the  participants  in  the  late 
Rebellion  were  issued,  but  were  of  little 
effect.  On  the  accession  of  General  Grant 
to  the  Presidency,  March  4,  1869,  Johnson 
returned  to  Greenville,  Tennessee.  Unsuc- 
cessful in  1870  and  1872  as  a  candidate  re- 
spectively for  United  States  Senator  and 
Representative,  he  was  finally  elected  to  the 
Senate  in  1875,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  extra 
session  of  March,  in  which  his  speeches 
were  comparatively  temperate.  He  died 
July  31,  1875,  and  was  buried  at  Green- 
ville. 

President  Johnson's  administration  was  a 
peculiarly  unfortunate  one.  That  he  should 
so  soon  become  involved  in  bitter  feud  with 
the  Republican  majority  in  Congress  was 
certainly  a  surprising  and  deplorable  inci- 
dent; yet,  in  reviewing  the  circumstances 
after  a  lapse  of  so  many  years,  it  is  easy  to 
find  ample  room  for  a  charitable  judgment 
of  both  the  parties  in  the  heated  contro- 
versy, since  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  any 
President,  even  Lincoln  himself,  had  he 
lived,  must  have  sacrificed  a  large  portion 
of  his  popularity  in  carrying  out  any  pos- 
sible scheme  of  reconstruction. 


PRESIDENTS     OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


SIMPSON 

GRANT,  the  eight- 
eenth President  of  the 
United  States,  i86o.-'77, 
was  born  April  27,  1 822, 
at  Point  Pleasant, 
j  Clermont  County, 
Ohio.  His  father  was  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  a  dealer  in  leather. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  en- 
tered the  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point,  and  four  years  later 
graduated  twenty-first  in  a  class 
of  thirty-nine,  receiving  the 
commission  of  Brevet  Second 
Lieutenant.  He  was  assigned 
to  the  Fourth  Infantry  and  re- 
mained in  the  army  eleven  years.  He  was 
engaged  in  every  battle  of  the  Mexican  war 
except  that  of  Buena  Vista,  and  received 
two  brevets  for  gallantry. 

In  1848  Mr.  Grant  married  Julia.daughter 
of  Frederick  Dent,  a  prominent  merchant  of 
St.  Louis,  and  in  1854,  having  reached  the 
grade  of  Captain,  he  resigned  his  commis- 
sion in  the  army.  For  several  years  he  fol- 
lowed farming  near  St.  Louis,  but  unsuc- 
cessfully ;  and  in  1860  he  entered  the  leather 
trade  with  his  father  at  Galena,  Illinois. 

When  the  civil  war  broke  out  in  1861, 
Grant  was  thirty-nine  years  of  age,  but  en- 
tirely unknown  to  public  men  and  without 


any  personal  acquaintance  with  great  affairs. 
President  Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops  was 
made  on  the  I5th  of  April,  and  on  the  igth 
Grant  was  drilling  a  company  of  volunteers 
at  Galena.  He  also  offered  his  services  to 
the  Adjutant-General  of  the  army,  but  re- 
ceived no  reply.  The  Governor  of  Illinois, 
however,  employed  him  in  the  organization 
of  volunteer  troops,  and  at  the  end  of  five 
weeks  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the 
Twenty-first  Infantry.  He  took  command 
of  his  regiment  in  June,  and  reported  first 
to  General  Pope  in  Missouri.  His  superior 
knowledge  of  military  life  rather  surprised 
his  superior  officers,  who  had  never  before 
even  heard  of  him,  and  they  were  thus  led 
to  place  him  on  the  road  to  rapid  advance- 
ment. August  7  he  was  commissioned  a 
Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  the  ap- 
pointment having  been  made  without  his 
knowledge.  He  had  been  unanimously 
recommended  by  the  Congressmen  from 
Illinois,  not  one  of  whom  had  been  his 
personal  acquaintance.  For  a  few  weeks 
he  was  occupied  in  watching  the  move- 
ments of  partisan  forces  in  Missouri. 

September  i  he  was  placed  in  command 
of  the  District  of  Southeast  Missouri,  with 
headquarters  at  Cairo,  and  on  the  6th,  with- 
out orders,  he  seized  Paducah,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee  River,  and  commanding 
the  navigation  both  of  that  stream  and  oJ 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


S.    GRANT. 


99 


the  Ohio.  This  stroke  secured  Kentucky 
to  the  Union ;  for  the  State  Legislature, 
which  had  until  then  affected  to  be  neutral, 
at  once  declared  in  favor  of  the  Govern- 
ment. In  November  following,  according 
to  orders,  he  made  a  demonstration  about 
eighteen  miles  below  Cairo,  preventing  the 
crossing  of  hostile  troops  into  Missouri ; 
but  in  order  to  accomplish  this  purpose  he 
had  to  do  some  fighting,  and  that,  too,  with 
only  3,000  raw  recruits,  against  7,000  Con- 
federates. Grant  carried  off  two  pieces  of 
artillery  and  200  prisoners. 

After  repeated  applications  to  General 
Halleck,  his  immediate  superior,  he  was 
allowed,  in  February,  1862,  to  move  up  the 
Tennessee  River  against  Fort  Henry,  in 
conjunction  with  a  naval  force.  The  gun- 
boats silenced  the  fort,  and  Grant  immedi- 
ately made  preparations  to  attack  Fort 
Donelson,  about  twelve  miles  distant,  on 
the  Cumberland  River.  Without  waiting 
for  orders  he  moved  his  troops  there,  and 
with  15,000  men  began  the  siege.  The 
fort,  garrisoned  with  21,000  men,  was  a 
strong  one,  but  after  hard  fighting  on  three 
successive  days  Grant  forced  an  "  Uncon- 
ditional Surrender "  (an  alliteration  upon 
the  initials  of  his  name).  The  prize  he  capt- 
ured consisted  of  sixty -five  cannon,  17,600 
small  arms  and  14,623  soldiers.  About  4,- 
ooo  of  the  garrison  had  escaped  in  the  night, 
and  2,500  were  killed  or  wounded.  Grant's 
entire  loss  was  less  than  2,000.  This  was  the 
first  important  success  won  by  the  national 
troops  during  the  war,  and  its  strategic  re- 
sults were  marked,  as  the  entire  States  of 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee  at  once  fell  into  the 
National  hands.  Our  hero  was  made  a 
Major-General  of  Volunteers  and  placed  in 
command  of  the  District  of  West  Ten- 
nessee. 

In  March,  1862,  he  was  ordered  to  move 
up  the  Tennessee  River  toward  Corinth, 
where  the  Confederates  were  concentrat- 
ing a  large  army  ;  but  he  was  directed  not 

8 


to  attack.  His  forces,  now  numbering  38.- 
ooo,  were  accordingly  encamped  near  Shi- 
loh,  or  Pittsburg  Landing,  to  await  the 
arrival  of  General  Buell  with  40,000  more; 
but  April  6  the  Confederates  came  out  from 
Corinth  50,000  strong  and  attacked  Grant 
violently,  hoping  to  overwhelm  him  before 
Buell  could  arrive  ;  5,000  of  his  troops  were 
beyond  supporting  distance,  so  that  he  was 
largely  outnumbered  and  forced  back  to  the 
river,  where,  however,  he  held  out  until 
dark,  when  the  head  of  Buell's  column 
came  upon  the  field.  The  next  day  the 
Confederates  were  driven  back  to  Corinth, 
nineteen  miles.  The  loss  was  heavy  on 
both  sides ;  Grant,  being  senior  in  rank  to 
Buell,  commanded  on  both  days.  Two 
days  afterward  Halleck  arrived  at  the  front 
and  assumed  command  of  the  army,  Grant 
remaining  at  the  head  of  the  right  wing  and 
the  reserve.  On  May  30  Corinth  was 
evacuated  by  the  Confederates.  In  July 
Halleck  was  made  General-in-Chief,  and 
Grant  succeeded  him  in  command  of  the 
Department  of  the  Tennessee.  September 
19  the  battle  of  luka  was  fought,  where, 
owing  to  Rosecrans's  fault,  only  an  incom- 
plete victory  was  obtained. 

Next,  Grant,  with  30,000  men,  moved 
down  into  Mississippi  and  threatened  Vicks- 
burg,  while  Sherman,  with  40,000  men,  was 
sent  by  way  of  the  river  to  attack  that  place 
in  front ;  but,  owing  to  Colonel  Murphy's 
surrendering  Holly  Springs  to  the  Con- 
. federates,  Grant  was  so  weakened  that  he 
had  to  retire  to  Corinth,  and  then  Sherman 
failed  to  sustain  his  intended  attack. 

In  January,  1863,  General  Grant  took 
command  in  person  of  all  the  troops  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  and  spent  several  months 
in  fruitless  attempts  to  compel  the  surrender 
or  evacuation  of  Vicksburg;  but  July  4, 
following,  the  place  surrendered,  with  31,- 
600  men  and  172  cannon,  and  the  Mississippi 
River  thus  fell  permanently  into  the  hands 
of  the  Government.  Grant  was  made  a 


PRESIDENTS     OF     THE     UNITED     STATES. 


Major-General  in  the  regular  army,  and  in 
October  following  he  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Division  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  same  month  he  wenjt  to  Chattanooga 
and  saved  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland 
from  starvation,  and  drove  Bragg  from  that 
part  of  the  country.  This  victory  over- 
threw the  last  important  hostile  force  west 
of  the  Alleghanies  and  opened  the  way  for 
the  National  armies  into  Georgia  and  Sher- 
man's march  to  the  sea. 

The  remarkable  series  of  successes  which 
Grant  had  now  achieved  pointed  him  out 
as  the  appropriate  leader  of  the  National 
armies,  and  accordingly,  in  February,  1864, 
the  rank  of  Lieutenant-General  was  created 
for  him  by  Congress,  and  on  March  17  he 
assumed  command  of  the  armies  of  the 
United  States.  Planning  the  grand  final 
campaign,  he  sent  Sherman  into  Georgia, 
Sigel  into  the  valley  of  Virginia,  and  Butler 
to  capture  Richmond,  while  he  fought  his 
own  way  from  the  Rapidan  to  the  James. 
The  costly  but  victorious  battles  of  the 
Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  North  Anna  and 
Cold  Harbor  were  fought,  more  for  the 
purpose  of  annihilating  Lee  than  to  capture 
any  particular  point.  In  June,  1864,  the 
siege  of  Richmond  was  begun.  Sherman, 
meanwhile,  was  marching  and  fighting  daily 
in  Georgia  and  steadily  advancing  toward 
Atlanta;  but  Sigel  had  been  defeated  in  the 
valley  of  Virginia,  and  was  superseded  by 
Hunter.  Lee  sent  Early  to  threaten  the  Na- 
tional capital ;  whereupon  Grant  gathered 
up  a  force  which  he  placed  under  Sheridan, 
and  that  commander  rapidly  drove  Early, 
in  a  succession  of  battles,  through  the  valley 
of  Virginia  and  destroyed  his  army  as  an 
organized  force.  The  siege  of  Richmond 
went  on,  and  Grant  made  numerous  attacks, 
but  was  only  partially  successful.  The 
people  of  the  North  grew  impatient,  and 
even  the  Government  advised  him  to 
abandon  the  attempt  to  take  Richmond  or 
crush  the  Confederacy  in  that  way ;  but  he 


never  wavered.  He  resolved  to  "  fight  it 
out  on  that  line,  if  it  took  all  summer." 

By  September  Sherman  had  made  his 
way  to  Atlanta,  and  Grant  then  sent  him 
on  his  famous  "  march  to  the  sea,"  a  route 
which  the  chief  had  designed  six  months 
before.  He  made  Sherman's  success  possi- 
ble, not  only  by  holding  Lee  in  front  of 
Richmond,  but  also  by  sending  reinforce- 
ments to  Thomas,  who  then  drew  off  and 
defeated  the  only  army  which  could  have 
confronted  Sherman.  Thus  the  latter  was 
left  unopposed,  and,  with  Thomas  and  Sheri- 
dan, was  used  in  the  furtherance  of  Grant's 
plans.  Each  executed  his  part  in  the  great 
design  and  contributed  his  share  to  the  re- 
sult at  which  Grant  was  aiming.  Sherman 
finally  reached  Savannah,  Schofield  beat 
the  enemy  at  Franklin,  Thomas  at  Nash- 
ville, and  Sheridan  wherever  he  met  him ; 
and  all  this  while  General  Grant  was  hold- 
ing Lee,  with  the  principal  Confederate 
army,  near  Richmond,  as  it  were  chained 
and  helpless.  Then  Schofield  was  brought 
from  the  West,  and  Fort  Fisher  and  Wil- 
mington were  captured  on  the  sea-coast,  so 
as  to  afford  him  a  foothold  ;  from  here  he 
was  sent  into  the  interior  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  Sherman  was  ordered  to  move 
northward  to  join  him.  When  all  this  was 
effected,  and  Sheridan  could  find  no  one  else 
to  fight  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Grant 
brought  the  cavalry  leader  to  the  front  of 
Richmond,  and,  making  a  last  effort,  drove 
Lee  from  his  entrenchments  and  captured 
Richmond. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  final  campaign 
Lee  had  collected  73,000  fighting  men  in 
the  lines  at  Richmond,  besides  the  local 
militia'  and  the  gunboat  crews,  amounting 
to  5,000  more.  Including  Sheridan's  force 
Grant  had  1 10,000  men  in  the  works  before 
Petersburg  and  Richmond.  Petersburg  fell 
on  the  2d  of  April,  and  Richmond  on  the 
3d,  and  Lee  fled  in  the  direction  of  Lynch- 
burg.  Grant  pursued  with  remorseless 


ULTSSBS    S.    GRANT. 


energy,  only  stopping  to  strike  fresh  blows, 
and  Lee  at  last  found  himself  not  only  out- 
fought but  also  out-marched  and  out-gen- 
eraled.  Being  completely  surrounded,  he 
surrendered  on  the  gth  of  April,  1865,  at 
Appomattox  Court-House,  in  the  open  field, 
with  27,000  men,  all  that  remained  of  his 
army.  This  act  virtually  ended  the  war. 
Thus,  in  ten  days  Grant  had  captured 
Petersburg  and  Richmond,  fought,  by  his 
subordinates,  the  battles  of  Five  Forks  and 
Sailor's  Creek,  besides  numerous  smaller 
ones,  captured  20,000  men  in  actual  battle, 
and  received  the  surrender  of  27,000  more 
at  Appomattox,  absolutely  annihilating  an 
army  of  70,000  soldiers. 

General  Grant  returned  at  once  to  Wash- 
ington to  superintend  the  disbandment  of 
the  armies,  but  this  pleasurable  work  was 
scarcely  begun  when  President  Lincoln  was 
assassinated.  It  had  doubtless  been  in- 
tended to  inflict  the  same  fate  upon  Grant ; 
but  he,  fortunately,  on  account  of  leaving 
Washington  early  in  the  evening,  declined 
an  invitation  to  accompany  the  President 
to  the  theater  where  the  murder  was  com- 
mitted. This  event  made  Andrew  Johnson 
President,  but  left  Grant  by  far  the  most 
conspicuous  figure  in  the  public  life  of  the 
country.  He  became  the  object  of  an  en- 
thusiasm greater  than  had  ever  been  known 
in  America.  Every  possible  honor  was 
heaped  upon  him ;  the  grade  of  General 
was  created  for  him  by  Congress;  houses 
were  presented  to  him  by  citizens;  towns 
were  illuminated  on  his  entrance  into  them ; 
and,  to  cap  the  climax,  when  he  made  his 
tour  around  the  world,  "  all  nations  did  him 
honor"  as  they  had  never  before  honored 
a  foreigner. 

The  General,  as  Commander-in-Chief, 
was  placed  in  an  embarrassing  position  by 
the  opposition  of  President  Johnson  to  the 
measures  of  Congress ;  but  he  directly  man- 
ifested his  characteristic  loyalty  by  obeying 
Congress  rather  than  the  disaffected  Presi- 


dent, although  for  a  short  time  he  had 
served  in  his  cabinet  as  Secretary  of  War. 

Of  course,  everybody  thought  of  General 
Grant  as  the  next  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  he  was  accordingly  elected  as 
such  in  1868  "by  a  large  majority,"  and 
four  years  later  re-elected  by  a  much  larger 
majority  —  the  most  overwhelming  ever 
given  by  the  people  of  this  country.  His  first 
administration  was  distinguished  by  a  ces- 
sation of  the  strifes  which  sprang  from  the 
war,  by  a  large  reduction  of  the  National 
debt,  and  by  a  settlement  of  the  difficulties 
with  England  which  had  grown  out  of  the 
depredations  committed  by  privateers  fit- 
ted out  in  England  during  the  war.  This 
last  settlement  was  made  by  the  famous 
"  Geneva  arbitration,"  which  saved  to  this 
Government  $15,000,000,  but,  more  than  all, 
prevented  a  war  with  England.  "  Let  us 
have  peace,"  was  Grant's  motto.  And  this 
is  the  most  appropriate  place  to  remark 
that  above  all  Presidents  whom  this  Gov- 
ernment has  ever  had,  General  Grant  was 
the  most  non-partisan.  He  regarded  the 
Executive  office  as  purely  and  exclusively 
executive  of  the  laws  of  Congress,  irrespect- 
ive of  "politics."  But  every  great  man 
has  jealous,  bitter  enemies,  a  fact  Grant 
was  well  aware  of. 

After  the  close  of  his  Presidency,  our 
General  made  his  famous  tour  around  the 
world,  already  referred  to,  and  soon  after- 
ward, in  company  with  Ferdinand  Ward, 
of.  New  York  City,  he  engaged  in  banking 
and  stock  brokerage,  which  business  was 
made  disastrous  to  Grant,  as  well  as  to  him- 
self, by  his  rascality.  By  this  time  an  in- 
curable cancer  of  the  tongue  developed 
itself  in  the  person  of  the  afflicted  ex- 
President,  which  ended  his  unrequited  life 
July  23,  1885.  Thus  passed  away  from 
earth's  turmoils  the  man,  the  General,  who 
was  as  truly  the  "  father  of  this  regenerated 
country"  as  was  Washington  the  father  of 
the  infant  nation. 


PRESIDENTS     OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


, 


UTHERFORD  BIRCH- 
ARD  HAYES,  the  nine- 
teenth President  of 
the  United  States, 
i877-'8i,  was  born  in 
Delaware,  Ohio,  Oc- 
tober 4,  1822.  His 
ancestry  can  be  traced  as  far 
back  as  1280,  when  Hayes  and 
Rutherford  were  two  Scottish 
chieftains  fighting  side  by  side 
with  Baliol,  William  Wallace 
and  Robert  Bruce.  Both  fami- 
lies belonged  to  the  nobility, 
owned  extensive  estates  and  had 
a  large  following.  The  Hayes 
family  had,  for  a  coat  of-arms,  a 
shield,  barred  and  surmounted  by  a  flying 
eagle.  There  was  a  circle  of  stars  about 
the  eagle  and  above  the  shield,  while  on  a 
scroll  underneath  the  shield  was  inscribed 
the  motto,  "Recte."  Misfortune  overtaking 
the  family,  George  Hayes  left  Scotland  in 
1680,  and  settled  in  Windsor,  Connecticut. 
He  was  an  industrious  worker  in  wood  and 
iron,  having  a  mechanical  genius  and  a  cul- 
tivated mind.  His  son  George  was  born 
in  Windsor  and  remained  there  during  his 
life. 

Daniel  Hayes,  son  of  the  latter,  married 
Sarah  Lee,  and  lived  in   Simsbury,  Con- 


necticut.  Ezekiel,  son  of  Daniel,  was  born 
in  1724,  and  was  a  manufacturer  of  scythes 
at  Bradford,  Connecticut.  Rutherford 
Hayes,  son  of  Ezekiel  and  grandfather  of 
President  Hayes,  was  born  in  New  Haven, 
in  August,  1756.  He  was  a  famous  black- 
smith and  tavern-keeper.  He  immigrated  to 
Vermont  at  an  unknown  date,  settling  in 
Brattleboro  where  he  established  a  hotel. 
Here  his  son  Rutherford,  father  of  Presi- 
dent Hayes,  was  born.  In  September,  1813, 
he  married  Sophia  Birchard,  of  Wilming- 
ton, Vermont,  whose  ancestry  on  the  male 
side  is  traced  back  to  1635,  to  John  Birch- 
ard, one  of  the  principal  founders  of  Nor- 
wich. Both  of  her  grandfathers  were 
soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  father  of  President  Hayes  was  of  a 
mechanical  turn,  and  could  mend  a  plow, 
knit  a  stocking,  or  do  almost  anything  that 
he  might  undertake.  He  was  prosperous 
in  business,  a  member  of  the  church  and 
active  in  all  the  benevolent  enterprises  of 
the  to wn.  After  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812 
he  immigrated  to  Ohio,  and  purchased  a 
farm  near  the  present  town  of  Delaware. 
His  family  then  consisted  of  his  wife  and 
two  children,  and  an  orphan  girl  whom  he 
had  adopted. 

It  was  in  1817  that  the  family  arrived  at 
Delaware.  Instead  of  settling  upon  his 


s 


U/LV.&-.O  &> 

~]   L, 


UNIVERSITV  Of  ILLINOIS 


RUTHERFORD    B.    HAYES. 


105 


farm,  Mr.  Hayes  concluded  to  enter  into 
business  in  the  village.  He  purchased  an 
interest  in  a  distillery,  a  business  then  as  re- 
spectable as  it  was  profitable.  His  capital 
and  recognized  ability  assured  him  the 
highest  social  position  in  the  community. 
He  died  July  22,  1822,  less  than  three 
months  before  the  birth  of  the  son  that  was 
destined  to  fill  the  office  of  President  of  the 
United  States. 

Mrs.  Hayes  at  this  period  was  very  weak, 
and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  so  feeble 
at  birth  that  he  was  not  expected  to  live 
beyond  a  month  or  two  at  most.  As  the 
months  went  by  he  grew  weaker  and  weaker 
so  that  the  neighbors  were  in  the  habit  of 
inquiring  from  time  to  time  "  if  Mrs. 
Hayes's  baby  died  last  night."  On  one  oc- 
casion a  neighbor,  who  was  on  friendly 
terms  with  the  family,  after  alluding  to  the 
boy's  big  head  and  the  mother's  assiduous 
care  of  him,  said  to  her,  in  a  bantering  way, 
"That's  right!  Stick  to  him.  You  have 
got  him  along  so  far,  and  I  shouldn't  won- 
der if  he  would  really  come  to  something 
yet."  "  You  need  not  laugh,"  said  Mrs. 
Hayes,  "  you  wait  and  see.  You  can't  tell 
but  I  shall  make  him  President  of  the 
United  States  yet." 

The  boy  lived,  in  spite  of  the  universal 
predictions  of  his  speedy  death;  and  when, 
in  1825,  his  elder  brother  was  drowned,  he 
became,  if  possible,  still  dearer  to  his  mother. 
He  was  seven  years  old  before  he  was 
placed  in  school.  His  education,  however, 
was  not  neglected.  His  sports  were  almost 
wholly  within  doors,  his  playmates  being 
his  sister  and  her  associates.  These  circum- 
stances tended,  no  doubt,  to  foster  that 
gentleness  of  disposition  and  that  delicate 
consideration  for  the  feelings  of  others 
which  are  marked  traits  of  his  character. 
At  school  he  was  ardently  devoted  to  his 
studies,  obedient  to  the  teacher,  and  care- 
ful to  avoid  the  quarrels  in  which  many  of 
his  schoolmates  were  involved.  He  was 


always  waiting  at  the  school-house  door 
when  it  opened  in  the  morning,  and  never 
late  in  returning  to  his  seat  at  recess.  His 
sister  Fannie  was  his  constant  companion, 
and  their  affection  for  each  other  excited 
the  admiration  of  their  friends. 

In  1838  young  Hayes  entered  Kenyon 
College  and  graduated  in  1842.  He  then 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Thomas  Sparrow  at  Columbus.  His  health 
was  now  well  established,  his  figure  robust, 
his  mind  vigorous  and  alert.  In  a  short 
time  he  determined  to  enter  the  law  school 
at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  where  for 
two  years  he  pursued  his  studies  with  great 
diligence. 

In  1845  ne  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Marietta,  Ohio,  and  shortly  afterward  went 
into  practice  as  an  attorney-at-law  with 
Ralph  P.  Buckland,  of  Fremont.  Here  he 
remained  three  years,  acquiring  but  limited 
practice,  and  apparently  unambitious  ot 
distinction  in  his  profession.  His  bachelor 
uncle,  Sardis  Birchard,  who  had  always 
manifested  great  interest  in  his  nephew  and 
rendered  him  assistance  in  boyhood,  was 
now  a  wealth)'  banker,  and  it  was  under- 
stood that  the  young  man  would  be  his 
heir.  It  is  possible  that  this  expectation 
may  have  made  Mr.  Hayes  more  indifferent 
to  the  attainment  of  wealth  than  he  would 
otherwise  have  been,  but  he  was  led  into  no 
extravagance  or  vices  on  this  account. 

In  1849  ne  removed  to  Cincinnati  where 
his  ambition  found  new  stimulus.  Two 
events  occurring  at  this  period  had  a  pow- 
erful influence  upon  his  subsequent  life. 
One  of  them  was  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Lucy  Ware  Webb,  daughter  of  Dr.  James 
Webb,  of  Cincinnati;  the  other  was  his 
introduction  to  the  Cincinnati  Literary 
Club,  a  body  embracing  such  men  as  Chief 
Justice  Salmon  P.  Chase,  General  John 
Pope  and  Governor  Edward  F.  Noyes. 
The  marriage  was  a  fortunate  one  as  every- 
body knows.  Not  one  of  all  the  wives  oi 


io6 


PRESIDENTS     OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


our  Presidents  was  more  universally  ad- 
mired, reverenced  and  beloved  than  is  Mrs. 
Hayes,  and  no  one  has  done  more  than  she 
to  reflect  honor  upon  American  woman- 
hood. 

In  1856  Mr.  Hayes  was  nominated  to  the 
office  of  Judge  of  the  Court  cf  Common 
Pleas,  but  declined  to  accept  the  nomina- 
tion. Two  years  later  he  was  chosen  to  the 
office  of  City  Solicitor. 

In  1861,  when  the  Rebellion  broke  out, 
he  was  eager  to  take  up  arms  in  the  defense 
of  his  country.  His  military  life  was 
bright  and  illustrious.  June  7,  1861,  he 
was  appointed  Major  of  the  Twenty-third 
Ohio  Infantry.  In  July  the  regiment  was 
sent  to  Virginia.  October  15,  1861,  he  was 
made  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  his  regiment, 
and  in  August,  1862,  was  promoted  Colonel 
of  the  Seventy-ninth  Ohio  Regiment,  but 
refused  to  leave  his  old  comrades.  He  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain, 
and  suffered  severely,  being  unable  to  enter 
upon  active  duty  for  several  weeks.  No- 
vember 30,  1862,  he  rejoined  his  regiment  as 
its  Colonel,  having  been  promoted  Octo- 
ber 15. 

December  25,  1862,  he  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Kanawha  division,  and  for 
meritorious  service  in  several  battles  was 
promoted  Brigadier-General.  He  was  also 
brevetted  Major-General  for  distinguished 


services  in  1864.  He  was  wounded  lour 
times,  and  five  horses  were  shot  from 
under  him. 

Mr.  Hayes  was  first  a  Whig  in  politics, 
and  was  among  the  first  to  unite  with  the 
Free-Soil  and  Republican  parties.  In  1864 
he  was  elected  to  Congress  from  che  Sec- 
ond Ohio  District,  which  had  always  been 
Democratic,  receiving  a  majority  of  3,098. 
In  1866  he  was  renominated  for  Congress 
and  was  a  second  time  elected.  In  1867  he 
was  elected  Governor  over  Allen  G.  Thur- 
man,  the  Democratic  candidate,  and  re- 
elected  in  1869.  In  1874  Sardis  Birchard 
died,  leaving  his  large  estate  to  General 
Hayes. 

In  1876  he  was  nominated  for  the  Presi- 
dency. His  letter  of  acceptance  excited 
the  admiration  of  the  whole  country.  He 
resigned  the  office  of  Governor  and  retired 
to  his  home  in  Fremont  to  await  the  result 
of  the  canvass.  After  a  hard,  long  contest 
he  was  inaugurated  March  5,  1877.  His 
Presidency  was  characterized  by  compro- 
mises with  all  parties,  in  order  to  please  as 
many  as  possible.  The  close  of  his  Presi- 
dential term  in  1881  was  the  close  of  his 
public  life,  and  since  then  he  has  remained 
at  his  home  in  Fremont,  Ohio,  in  Jefferso- 
nian  retirement  from  public  notice,  in  strik- 
ing contrast  with  most  others  of  the  world's 
notables. 


UBRARV 
UN/VERSITY  (/ILLINOIS 


JAMES    A.    GAKFIELD. 


109 


"AMES    A.    GARFIELD, 

twentieth  President  of 
the  United  States,  1881, 
was  born  November  19, 
1831,  in  the  wild  woods 
o  f  Cuyahoga  County, 
Ohio.  His  parents  were 
Abram  and  Eliza  (Ballou) 
Garfield,  who  were  of  New 
England  ancestry.  The 
senior  Garfield  was  an  in- 
dustrious farmer,  as  the 
rapid  improvements  which 
appeared  on  his  place  at- 
tested. The  residence  was 
the  familiar  pioneer  log  cabin, 
and  the  household  comprised  the  parents 
and  their  children — Mehetable,  Thomas, 
Mary  and  James  A.  In  May,  1833,  tne 
father  died,  and  the  care  of  the  house- 
hold consequently  devolved  upon  young 
Thomas,  to  whom  James  was  greatly  in- 
debted for  the  educational  and  other  ad- 
vantages he  enjoyed.  He  now  lives  in 
Michigan,  and  the  two  sisters  live  in  Solon, 
Ohio,  near  their  birthplace. 

As  the  subject  of  our  sketch  grew  up,  he, 
too,  was  industrious,  both  in  mental  and 
physical  labor.  He  worked  upon  the  farm, 
or  at  carpentering,  or  chopped  wood,  or  at 
any  other  odd  job  that  would  aid  in  support 
of  the  family,  and  in  the  meantime  made  the 


most  of  his  books.  Ever  afterward  he  was 
never  ashamed  of  his  humble  origin,  nor  for- 
got the  friends  of  his  youth.  The  poorest 
laborer  was  sure  of  his  sympathy,  and  he 
always  exhibited  the  character  of  a  modest 
gentleman. 

Until  he  was  about  sixteen  years  of  age, 
James's  highest  ambition  was  to  be  a  lake 
captain.  To  this  his  mother  was  strongly 
opposed,  but  she  finally  consented  to  his 
going  to  Cleveland  to  carry  out  his  long- 
cherished  design,  with  the  understanding, 
however,  that  he  should  try  to  obtain  some 
other  kind  of  employment.  He  walked  all 
the  way  to  Cleveland,  and  this  was  his  first 
visit  to  the  city.  After  making  many  ap- 
plications for  work,  including  labor  on 
board  a  lake  vessel,  but  all  in  vain,  he 
finally  engaged  as  a  driver  for  his  cousin, 
Amos  Letcher,  on  the  Ohio  &  Pennsyl- 
vania Canal.  In  a  short  time,  however,  he 
quit  this  and  returned  home.  He  then  at- 
tended the  seminary  at  Chester  for  about 
three  years,  and  next  he  entered  Hiram  In- 
stitute, a  school  started  in  1850  by  the 
Disciples  of  Christ,  of  which  church  he  was 
a  member.  In  order  to  pay  his  way  he 
assumed  the  duties  of  janitor,  and  at  times 
taught  school.  He  soon  completed  the  cur- 
riculum there,  and  then  entered  Williams 
College,  at  which  he  graduated  in  1856, 
taking  one  of  the  highest  honors  of  his  class. 


PRESIDENTS     OP     THE     U  KITED    STATES. 


Afterward  he  returned  to  Hiram  as  Presi- 
dent. In  his  youthful  and  therefore  zealous 
piety,  he  exercised  his  talents  occasionally 
as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel.  He  was  a 
man  of  strong  moral  and  religious  convic- 
tions, and  as  soon  as  he  began  to  look  into 
politics,  he  saw  innumerable  points  that 
could  be  improved.  He  also  studied  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1859. 
November  u,  1858,  Mr.  Garfield  married 
Miss  Lucretia  Rudolph,  who  ever  after- 
ward proved  a  worthy  consort  in  all  the 
stages  of  her  husband's  career.  They  had 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living. 

It  was  in  1859  that  Garfield  made  his 
first  political  speeches,  in  Hiram  and  the 
neighboring  villages,  and  three  years  later 
he  began  to  speak  at  county  mass-meetings, 
being  received  everywhere  with  popular 
favor.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate 
this  year,  taking  his  seat  in  January,  1860. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion  in  1861,  Mr.  Garfield  resolved  to 
fight  as  he  had  talked,  and  accordingly  he 
enlisted  to  defend  the  old  flag,  receiving 
his  commission  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
Forty-second  Regiment  of  the  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  August  14,  that  year.  He 
was  immediately  thrown  into  active  service, 
and  before  he  had  ever  seen  a  gun  fired  in 
action  he  was  placed  in  command  of  four 
regiments  of  infantry  and  eight  companies 
of  cavalry,  charged  with  the  work  of  driv- 
ing the  Confederates,  headed  by  Humphrey 
Marshall,  from  his  native  State,  Kentucky. 
This  task  was  speedily  accomplished,  al- 
though against  great  odds.  On  account  of 
his  success,  President  Lincoln  commissioned 
him  Brigadier-General,  January  u,  1862; 
and,  as  he  had  been  the  youngest  man  in 
the  Ohio  Senate  two  years  before,  so  now 
he  was  the  youngest  General  in  the  army. 
He  was  with  General  Buell's  army  at  Shi- 
loh,  also  in  its  operations  around  Corinth 
and  its  march  through  Alabama.  Next,  he 
was  detailed  as  a  member  of  the  general 


court-martial  for  the  trial  of  General  Fitz- 
John  Porter,  and  then  ordered  to  report  to 
General  Rosecrans,  when  he  was  assigned 
to  the  position  of  Chief  of  Staff.  His  mili- 
tary history  closed  with  his  brilliant  ser- 
vices at  Chickamauga,  where  he  won  the 
stars  of  Major-General. 

In  the  fall  of  1862,  without  any  effort  on 
his  part,  he  was  elected  as  a  Representative 
to  Congress,  from  that  section  of  Ohio 
which  had  been  represented  for  sixty  years 
mainly  by  two  men — Elisha  Whittlesey  and 
Joshua  R.  Giddings.  Again,  he  was  the 
youngest  member  of  that  body,  and  con- 
tinued there  by  successive  re-elections,  as 
Representative  or  Senator,  until  he  was 
elected  President  in  1880.  During  his  life 
in  Congress  he  compiled  and  published  by 
his  speeches,  there  and  elsewhere,  more 
information  on  the  issues  of  the  day,  espe- 
cially on  one  side,  than  any  other  member. 

June  8,  1880,  at  the  National  Republican 
Convention  held  in  Chicago,  General  Gar- 
field  was  nominated  for  the  Presidency,  in 
preference  to  the  old  war-horses,  Elaine 
and  Grant ;  and  although  many  of  the  Re- 
publican party  felt  sore  over  the  failure  of 
their  respective  heroes  to  obtain  the  nomi- 
nation, General  Garfield  was  elected  by  a 
fair  popular  majority.  He  was  duly  in- 
augurated, but  on  July  2  following,  before 
he  had  fairly  got  started  in  his  administra- 
tion, he  was  fatally  shot  by  a  half-demented 
assassin.  After  very  painful  and  protracted 
suffering,  he  died  September  19,  1881,  la- 
mented by  all  the  American  people.  Never 
before  in  the  history  of  this  country  had 
anything  occurred  which  so  nearly  froze 
the  blood  of  the  Nation,  for  the  moment,  as 
the  awful  act  of  Guiteau,  the  murderer. 
He  was  duly  tried,  convicted  and  put  to 
death  on  the  gallows. 

The  lamented  Garfield  was  succeeded  by 
the  Vice-President,  General  Arthur,  who 
seemed  to  endeavor  to  carry  out  the  policy 
inaugurated  by  his  predecessor. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


.  ...^ 


CHESTER    A.    ARTHUR. 


"3 


El 


HESTER  ALLEN 
ARTHUR,  the  twen- 
ty-first Chief  Execu- 
tive of  this  growing 
republic,  i88i-'s,  was 
born  in  Franklin 
County,  Vermont, 
October  5,  1830,  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  two  sons  and  five 
daughters.  His  father,  Rev. 
Dr.  William  Arthur,  a  Baptist 
clergyman,  immigrated  to  this 
country  from  County  Antrim, 
Ireland,  in  his  eighteenth  year, 
and  died  in  1875,  in  Newton- 
ville,  near  Albany,  New  York, 
after  serving  many  years  as  a  successful 
minister.  Chester  A.  was  educated  at  that 
old,  conservative  institution,  Union  Col- 
lege, at  Schenectady,  New  York,  where  he 
excelled  in  all  his  studies.  He  graduated 
there,  with  honor,  and  then  struck  out  in 
life  for  himself  by  teaching  school  for  about 
two  years  in  his  native  State. 

At  the  expiration  of  that  time  young 
Arthur,  with  $500  in  his  purse,  went  to  the 
city  of  New  York  and  entered  the  law  office 
of  ex-Judge  E.  D.  Culver  as  a  student.  In 
due  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  when 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  intimate 


••>' 


friend  and  old  room-mate,  Henry  D.  Gar. 
diner,  with  the  intention  of  practicing  law 
at  some  point  in  the  West;  but  after  spend- 
ing about  three  months  in  the  Westen. 
States,  in  search  of  an  eligible  place,  they 
returned  to  New  York  City,  leased  a  room, 
exhibited  a  sign  of  their  business  and  al- 
most immediately  enjoyed  a  paying  patron- 
age. 

At  this  stage  of  his  career  Mr.  Arthur's 
business  prospects  were  so  encouraging 
that  he  concluded  to  take  a  wife,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  married  the  daughter  of  Lieu- 
tenant Herndon,  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
who  had  been  lost  at  sea.  To  the  widow 
of  the  latter  Congress  voted  a  gold  medal, 
in  recognition  of  the  Lieutenant's  bravery 
during  the  occasion  in  which  he  lost  his 
life.  Mrs.  Artnur  died  shortly  before  her 
husband's  nomination  to  the  Vice-Presi- 
dency, leaving  two  children. 

Mr.  Arthur  obtained  considerable  celeb- 
rity as  an  attorney  in  the  famous  Lemmon 
suit,  which  was  brought  to  recover  posses- 
sion of  eight  slaves,  who  had  been  declared 
free  by  the  Superior  Court  of  New  York 
City.  The  noted  Charles  O'Conor,  who 
was  nominated  by  the  "  Straight  Demo- 
crats" in  1872  for  the  United  States  Presi- 
dency, was  retained  by  Jonathan  G.  Lem- 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


mon,  of  Virginia,  to  recover  the  negroes, 
but  he  lost  the  suit.  In  this  case,  however, 
Mr.  Arthur  was  assisted  by  William  M. 
Evarts,  now  United  States  Senator.  Soon 
afterward,  in  1856,  a  respectable  colored 
woman  was  ejected  from  a, street  car  in 
New  York  City.  Mr.  Arthur  sued  the  car 
company  in  her  behalf  and  recovered  $500 
damages.  Immediately  afterward  all  the 
car  companies  in  the  city  issued  orders  to 
their  employes  to  admit  colored  persons 
upon  their  cars. 

Mr.  Arthur's  political  doctrines,  as  well 
as  his  practice  as  a  lawyer,  raised  him  to 
prominence  in  the  party  of  freedom ;  and 
accordingly  he  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to 
the  first  National  Republican  Convention. 
Soon  afterward  he  was  appointed  Judge 
Advocate  for  the  Second  Brigade  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  then  Engineer-in- 
Chief  on  Governor  Morgan's  staff.  In  1861, 
the  first  year  of  the  war,  he  was  made  In- 
spector-General, and  next,  Quartermaster- 
General,  in  both  which  offices  he  rendered 
great  service  to  the  Government.  After 
the  close  of  Governor  Morgan's  term  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  law,  forming  first  a 
partnership  with  Mr.  Ransom,  and  subse- 
quently adding  Mr.  Phelps  to  the  firm. 
Each  of  these  gentlemen  were  able  lawyers. 

November  21,  1872,  General  Arthur  was 
appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New 
York  by  President  Grant,  and  he  held  the 
office  until  July  20,  1878. 

The  next  event  of  prominence  in  General 
Arthur's  career  was  his  nomination  to  the 
Vice-Presidency  of  the  United  States,  under 
the  influence  of  Roscoe  Conkling,  at  the 
National  Republican  Convention  held  at 
Chicago  in  June,  1880,  when  James  A.  Gar- 
field  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  ticket. 
Both  the  convention  and  the  campaign  that 
followed  were  noisy  and  exciting.  The 
iriends  of  Grant,  constituting  nearly  half 


the  convention,  were  exceedingly  persist- 
ent, and  were  sorely  disappointed  over 
their  defeat.  At  the  head  of  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  was  placed  a  very  strong  and 
popular  man  ;  yet  Garfield  and  Arthur  were 
elected  by  a  respectable  plurality  of  the 
popular  vote.  The  4th  of  March  following, 
these  gentlemen  were  accordingly  inaugu- 
rated ;  but  within  four  months  the  assassin's 
bullet  made  a  fatal  wound  in  the  person  of 
General  Garfield,  whose  life  terminated 
September  19,  1881,  when  General  Arthur, 
ex  officio,  was  obliged  to  take  the  chief 
reins  of  government.  Some  misgivings 
were  entertained  by  many  in  this  event,  as 
Mr.  Arthur  was  thought  to  represent  espe 
cially  the  Grant,  and  Conkling  wing  of  the 
Republican  party ;  but  President  Arthur 
had  both  the  ability  and  the  good  sense  to 
allay  all  fears,  and  he  gave  the  restless, 
critical  American  people  as  good  an  ad- 
ministration as  they  had  ever  been  blessed 
with.  Neither  selfishness  nor  low  parti- 
sanism  ever  characterized  any  feature  of 
his  public  service.  He  ever  maintained  a 
high  sense  of  every  individual  right  as  well 
as  of  the  Nation's  honor.  Indeed,  he  stood 
so  high  that  his  successor,  President  Cleve- 
land, though  of  opposing  politics,  expressed 
a  wish  in  his  inaugural  address  that  he 
could  only  satisfy  the  people  with  as  good 
an  administration. 

But  the  day  of  civil  service  reform  had 
come  in  so  far,  and  the  corresponding  re- 
action against  "third-termism"  had  en- 
croached so  far  even  upon  "second-term" 
service,  that  the  Republican  party  saw  fit 
in  1884  to  nominate  another  man  for  Presi- 
dent. Only  by  this  means  was  General 
Arthur's  tenure  of  office  closed  at  Wash- 
ington. On  his  retirement  from  the  Presi- 
dency, March,  1885,  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  New  York  City,  where  he 
died  November  18,  1886. 


LIBRARY 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


GROVER    CLEVELAND. 


117 


ROVER  CLEVE- 
LAND, the  twenty- 
second  President  of  the 
United  States,  1885—, 
was  born  in  Caldwell, 
Essex  County,  New 
Jersey,  March  18, 
1837.  The  house  in  which  he 
was  born,  a  small  two-story 
wooden  building,  is  still  stand- 
ing. It  was  the  parsonage  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of 
which  his  father,  Richard 
Cleveland,  at  the  time  was 
pastor.  The  family  is  of  New 
England  origin,  and  for  two  centuries  has 
contributed  to  the  professions  and  to  busi- 
ness, men  who  have  reflected  honor  on  the 
name.  Aaron  Cleveland,  Grover  Cleve- 
land's great-great-grandfather,  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  but  subsequently  moved  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  became  an  intimate 
friend  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  at  whose 
house  he  died.  He  left  a  large  family  of 
children,  who  in  time  married  and  settled 
in  different  parts  of  New  England.  A 
grandson  was  one  of  the  small  American 
force  that  fought  the  British  at  Bunker 
Hill.  He  served  with  gallantry  through- 
out the  Revolution  and  was  honorably 
discharged  at  its  close  as  a  Lieutenant  in 
the  Continental  army.  Another  grandson, 
William  Cleveland  (a  son  of  a  second  Aaron 


Cleveland,  who  was  distinguished  as  a 
writer  and  member  of  the  Connecticut 
Legislature)  was  Grover  Cleveland's  grand- 
father. William  Cleveland  became  a  silver- 
smith in  Norwich,  Connecticut.  He  ac- 
quired by  industry  some  property  and  sent 
his  son,  Richard  Cleveland,  the  father  of 
Grover  Cleveland,  to  Yale  College,  where 
he  graduated  in  1824.  During  a  year  spent 
in  teaching  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  after 
graduation,  he  met  and  fell  in  love  with  a 
Miss  Annie  Neale,  daughter  of  a  wealthy 
Baltimore  book  publisher,  of  Irish  birth. 
He  was  earning  his  own  way  in  the  world 
at  the  time  and  was  unable  to  marry;  but 
in  three  years  he  completed  a  course  of 
preparation  for  the  ministry,  secured  a 
church  in  Windham,  Connecticut,  and 
married  Annie  Neale.  Subsequently  he 
moved  to  Portsmouth,  Virginia,  where  he 
preached  for  nearly  two  years,  when  he 
was  summoned  to  Caldwell,  New  Jersey, 
where  was  born  Grover  Cleveland. 

When  he  was  three  years  old  the  family 
moved  to  Fayetteville,  Onondaga  County, 
New  York.  Here  Grover  Cleveland  lived 
until  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  the  rugged, 
healthful  life  of  a  country  boy.  His  frank, 
generous  manner  made  him  a  favorite 
among  his  companions,  and  their  respect 
was  won  by  the  good  qualities  in  the  germ 
which  his  manhood  developed.  He  at- 
tended the  district  school  of  the  village  and 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES. 


was  (or  a  short  time  at  the  academy.  His 
lather,  however,  believed  that  boys  should 
be  taught  to  labor  at  an  early  age,  and  be- 
fore he  had  completed  the  course  of  study 
at  the  academy  he  began  to  work  in  the 
village  store  at  $50  for  the  first  year,  and  the 
promise  of  $100  for  the  second  year.  His 
work  was  well  done  and  the  promised  in- 
crease of  pay  was  granted  the  second  year. 

Meanwhile  his  father  and  family  had 
moved  to  Clinton,  the  seat  of  Hamilton 
College,  where  his  father  acted  as  agent  to 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Missions, 
preaching  in  the  churches  of  the  vicinity. 
Hither  Grover  came  at  his  father's  request 
shortly  after  the  beginning  of  his  second 
year  at  the  Fayetteville  store,  and  resumed 
his  studies  at  the  Clinton  Academy.  After 
three  years  spent  in  this  town,  the  Rev. 
Richard  Cleveland  was  called  to  the  vil- 
lage church  of  Holland  Patent.  He  had 
preached  here  only  a  month  when  he  was 
suddenly  stricken  down  and  died  without 
an  hour's  warning.  The  death  of  the  father 
left  the  family  in  straitened  circumstances, 
as  Richard  Cleveland  had  spent  all  his 
salary  of  $1,000  per  year,  which  was  not 
required  for  the  necessary  expenses  of  liv- 
ing, upon  the  education  of  his  children,  of 
whom  there  were  nine,  Grover  being  the 
fifth.  Grover  was  hoping  to  enter  Hamil- 
ton College,  but  the  death  of  his  father 
made  it  necessary  for  him  to  earn  his  own  ! 
livelihood.  For  the  first  year  (185 3-'4)  he 
acted  as  assistant  teacher  and  bookkeeper  in 
the  Institution  for  the  Blind  in  New  York 
City,  of  which  the  late  Augustus  Schell  was 
for  many  years  the  patron.  In  the  winter 
of  1854  he  returned  to  Holland  Patent 
where  the  generous  people  of  that  placej 
Fayetteville  and  Clinton,  had  purchased  a 
home  for  his  mother,  and  in  the  following 
spring,  borrowing  $25,  he  set  out  for  the 
West  to  earn  his  living. 

Reaching  Buffalo  he  paid  a  hasty  visit  to 
an   uncle,    Lewis  F.  Allen,  a   well-known 


stock  farmer,  living  at  Black  Rock,  a  lew 
miles  distant.  He  communicated  his  plans 
to  Mr.  Allen,  who  discouraged  the  idea  of 
the  West,  and  finally  induced  the  enthusi- 
astic boy  of  seventeen  to  remain  with  him 
and  help  him  prepare  a  catalogue  of  blooded 
short-horn  cattle,  known  as  "  Allen's  Amer- 
ican Herd  Book,"  a  publication  familiar  to 
all  breeders  of  cattle.  In  August,  1855,  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Rogers,  Bowen 
&  Rogers,  at  Buffalo,  and  after  serving  a 
few  months  without  pay,  was  paid  $4  a 
week — an  amount  barely  sufficient  to  meet 
the  necessary  expenses  of  his  board  in  the 
family  of  a  fellow-student  in  Buffalo,  with 
whom  he  took  lodgings.  Life  at  this  time 
with  Grover  Cleveland  was  a  stern  battle 
with  the  world.  He  took  his  breakfast  by 
candle-light  with  the  drovers,  and  went  at 
once  to  the  office  where  the  whole  day  was 
spent  in  work  and  study.  Usually  he  re- 
turned again  at  night  to  resume  reading 
which  had  been  interrupted  by  the  duties 
of  the  day.  Gradually  his  employers  came 
to  recognize  the  ability,  trustworthiness 
and  capacity  for  hard  work  in  their  young 
employe,  and  by  the  time  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  (1859)  he  stood  high  in  their  con- 
fidence. A  year  later  he  was  made  confi- 
dential and  managing  clerk,  and  in  the 
course  of  three  years  more  his  salary  had 
been  raised  to  $1,000.  In  1863  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  district  attorney  of  Erie 
County  by  the  district  attorney,  the  Hon. 
C.  C.  Torrance. 

Since  his  first  vote  had  been  cast  in  1858 
he  had  been  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  until 
he  was  chosen  Governor  he  always  made 
it  his  duty,  rain  or  shine,  to  stand  at  the 
polls  and  give  out  ballots  to  Democratic 
voters.  During  the  first  year  of  his  term 
as  assistant  district  attorney,  the  Democrats 
desired  especially  to  carry  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors. The  old  Second  Ward  in  which 
he  lived  was  Republican-  ordinarily  by  250 
majority,  but  at  the  urgent  request  of  the 


GROVER     CLEVELAND. 


119 


party  Grover  Cleveland  consented  to  be 
the  Democratic  candidate  for  Supervisor, 
«tnd  came  within  thirteen  votes  of  an  elec- 
tion. The  three  years  spent  in  the  district 
attorney's  office  were  devoted  to  assiduous 
labor  and  the  extension  of  his  professional 
attainments.  He  then  formed  a  law  part- 
nership with  the  late  Isaac  V.  Vanderpoel, 
ex-State  Treasurer,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Vanderpoel  &  Cleveland.  Here  the-bulk 
of  the  work  devolved  on  Cleveland's  shoul- 
ders, and  he  soon  won  a  good  standing  at 
the  bar  of  Erie  County.  In  1869  Mr. 
Cleveland  formed  a  partnership  with  ex- 
Senator  A.  P.  Laning  and  ex-Assistant 
United  States  District  Attorney  Oscar  Fol- 
som,  under  the  firm  name  of  Laning,  Cleve- 
land &  Folsom.  During  these  years  he 
began  to  earn  a  moderate  professional  in- 
come; but  the  larger  portion  of  it  was  sent 
to  his  mother  and  sisters  at  Holland  Patent 
to  whose  support  he  had  contributed  ever 
since  1860.  He  served  as  sheriff  of  Erie 
County,  i87o-'4,  and  then  resumed  the 
practice  of  law,  associating  himself  with  the 
Hon.  Lyman  K.  Bass  and  Wilson  S.  Bissell. 


The  firm  was  strong  and  popular,  and  soon 
commanded  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 
Ill  health  forced  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Bass 
in  1879,  and  the  firm  became  Cleveland  & 
Bissell.  In  1881  Mr.  George  J.  Sicard  was 
added  to  the  firm. 

In  the  autumn  election  of  1881  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  Buffalo  by  a  majority  of 
over  3,500 — the  largest  majority  ever  given 
a  candidate  for  mayor — and  the  Democratic 
city  ticket  was  successful,  although  the 
Republicans  carried  Buffalo  by  over  1,000 
majority  for  their  State  ticket.  Grover 
Cleveland's  administration  as  mayor  fully 
justified  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by 
the  people  of  Buffalo,  evidenced  by  the 
great  vote  he  received. 

The  Democratic  State  Convention  mel 
at  Syracuse,  September  22, 1882,  and  nomi- 
nated Grover  Cleveland  for  Governor 
on  the  third  ballot  and  Cleveland  was 
elected  by  192,000  majority.  In  the  fall  of 
1884  he  was  elected  President  of  the  United 
States  by  about  1,000  popular  majority, 
in  New  York  State,  and  he  was  accordingly 
inaugurated  the  4th  of  March  following. 


PRESIDENTS    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


BENJAMIN    HAI^ISON 


^-?5  —  6)  -1    »• 


BENJAMIN  HAERISON, 
the  twenty-third  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States, 
1889,  was  born  at  North 
Bend,  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio,  in  the  house  of  his 
grandfather,  William  Hen- 
ry Harrison  (who  was  the 
ninth  President  of  this 
country),  August  20th, 
1833.  He  is  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  historical 
families  of  this  country,  as 
also  of  England.  The 
head  of  the  family  was  a 
Major-General  Harrison 
who  was  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Oliver 
Cromwell.  It  became  the  duty  of  this  Har- 
rison to  participate  in  the  trial  of  Charles  1. 
and  afterward  to  sign  the  death  warrant  of 
the  king,  which  subsequently  cost  him  his 
life.  His  enemies  succeeding  to  power,  he 
was  condemned  and  executed  October  13th, 
1660.  His  descendants  came  to  America, 
and  the  first  mention  made  in  history  of  the 
Harrison  family  as  representative  in  public 
aifairs,  is  that  of  Benjamin  Harrison,  great- 
grandfather of  our  present  President,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress, 
1774-5-6,  and  one  of  the  original  signers  of 


the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  three 
times  Governor  of  Virginia.  His  son,  Will- 
iam Henry  Harrison,  made  a  brilliant  mili- 
tary record,  was  Governor  of  the  Northwest 
Territory,  and  the  ninth  President  of  the 
United  States. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  at  an  early  age 
became  a  student  at  Farmers  College,  where 
he  remained  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  entered  Miami  University,  at  Ox- 
ford, Ohio.  Upon  graduation  from  said  seat 
of  learning  he  entered,  as  a  student,  the  of- 
fice of  Stover  &  Gwyne,  a  notable  law  firm  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  applied  himself 
closely  to  the  study  of  his  chosen  profession, 
and  here  laid  the  foundation  for  the  honora- 
ble and  famous  career  before  him.  He  spent 
two  years  with  the  firm  in  Cincinnati,  at  the 
expiration  of  which  time  he  received  the 
only  inheritance  of  his  life,  which  was  a  lot 
left  him  by  an  aunt,  which  he  sold  for  $800. 
This  sum  he  deemed  sufficient  to  justify  him 
in  marrying  the  lady  of  his  choice,  and  to 
whom  he  was  then  engaged,  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Scott,  then  Principal  of  a  female  school 
at  Oxford,  Ohio. 

After  marriage  he  located  at  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  where  he  began  the  practice  of  law. 
Meeting  with  slight  encouragement  he  made 
but  little  the  first  year,  but  applied  himself 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


BENJAMIN  HARRISON. 


123 


closely  to  his  business,  and  by  perseverance, 
honorable  dealing  and  an  upright  life,  suc- 
ceeded in  building  up  an  extensive  practice  and 
took  a  leading  position  in  the  legal  profession. 

In  1860  he  was  nominated  for  the  position 
of  Supreme  Court  Reporter  for  the  State  of 
Indiana,  and  then  began  his  experience  as  a 
stump  speaker.  He  canvassed  the  State 
thoroughly  and  was  elected. 

In  1862  his  patriotism  caused  him  to 
abandon  a  civil  office  and  to  offer  his  country 
his  services  in  a  military  capacity.  He  or- 
ganized the  Seventieth  Indiana  Infantry  and 
was  chosen  its  Colonel.  Although  his  regi- 
ment was  composed  of  raw  material,  and  he 
practically  void  of  military  schooling,  he  at 
once  mastered  military  tactics  and  drilled  his 
men,  so  that  when  he  with  his  regiment  was 
assigned  to  Gen.  Sherman's  command  it  was 
known  as  one  of  the  best  drilled  organ- 
izations of  the  army.  He  was  especially 
distinguished  for  bravery  at  the  battles  of 
Resacca  and  Peach  Tree  Creek.  For  his 
bravery  and  efficiency  at  the  last  named  bat- 
tle he  was  made  a  Brigadier-General,  Gen- 
eral Hooker  speaking  of  him  in  the  most 
complimentary  terms. 

While  General  Harrison  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  Held  the  Supreme  Court  declared 
the  office  of  Supreme  Court  Reporter  vacant, 
and  another  person  was  elected  to  fill  the 
position.  From  the  time  of  leaving  Indiana 
with  his  regiment  for  the  front,  until  the  fall 
of  1864,  General  Harrison  had  taken  no  leave 
of  absence.  But  having  been  nominated 
that  year  for  the  same  office  that  he  vacated 
in  order  to  serve  his  country  where  he  could 
do  the  greatest  good,  he  got  a  thirty-day  leave 
of  absence,  and  during  that  time  canvassed 
the  State  and  was  elected  for  another  term  as 
Supreme  Court  Reporter.  He  then  started 
to  rejoin  his  command,  then  with  General 
Sherman  in  the  South,  but  was  stricken  down 


with  fever  and  after  a  very  trying  siege,  made 
his  way  to  the  front,  and  participated  in  the 
closing  scenes  and  incidents  of  the  war. 

In  1868  General  Harrison  declined  a  re- 
election as  Reporter,  and  applied  himself  to 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  a 
candidate  for  Governor  of  Indiana  on  the 
Republican  ticket  in  1876.  Although  de- 
feated, the  brilliant  campaign  brought  him 
to  public  notice  and  gave  him  a  National 
reputation  as  an  able  and  formidable  debater 
and  he  was  much  sought  in  the  Eastern 
States  as  a  public  speaker.  He  took  an  act- 
ive part  in  the  Presidential  campaign  of 
1880,  and  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  where  he  served  six  years,  and  was 
known  as  one  of  the  strongest  debaters,  as 
well  as  one  of  the  ablest  men  and  best  law- 
yers. When  his  term  expired  in  the  Senate 
he  resumed  his  law  practice  at  Indianapolis, 
becoming  the  head  of  one  of  the  strongest 
law  firms  in  the  State  of  Indiana. 

Sometime  prior  to  the  opening  of  the 
Presidential  campaign  of  1888,  the  two  great 
political  parties  (Republican  and  Democratic) 
drew  the  line  of  political  battle  on  the  ques- 
tion of  tariff,  which  became  the  leading  issue 
and  the  rallying  watchword  during  the  mem- 
orable campaign.  The  Republicans  appealed 
to  the  people  for  their  voice  as  to  a  tariff  to 
protect  home  industries,  while  the  Democrats 
wanted  a  tariff  for  revenue  only.  The  Re- 
publican convention  assembled  in  Chicago  in 
June  and  selected  Mr.  Harrison  as  their 
standard  bearer  on  a  platform  of  principles, 
among  other  important  clauses  being  that  of 
protection,  which  he  cordially  indorsed  in 
accepting  the  nomination.  November  6, 
1888,  after  a  heated  canvass,  General  Harri- 
son was  elected,  defeating  Grover  Cleveland, 
who  was  again  the  nominee  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  was  inaugurated  and  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  his  office  March  4, 1889. 


UBRARV 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


SCHUYLER    AND    VROWN    COUNTIES. 


125 


fHOMAS  MONROE,  M.  D.,  Rushville, 
Illinois. — There  is,  in  the  career  of  the 
earnest  professional  or  business  man, 
toiling  on  through  the  busy,  work  a-day  years 
of  a  long  and  arduous  life,  but  little  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  an  idle  reader  in  search 
of  a  sensational  chapter.  But  for  the  mind 
fully  awake  to  the  real  meaning  of  human 
existence  there  are  immortal  lessons  in  the 
life  of  the  man  who,  without  other  means 
than  a  strong  arm,  a  true  heart  and  determined 
will,  conquers  adversity,  overcomes  obstacles, 
and  closes  the  evening  of  a  long  life  with 
an  honorable  competence  and  good  name. 
Such  a  man  is  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
Doctor  Thomas  Munroe. 

Doctor  Munroe  was  a  son  of  John  and  Ann 
(Wells)  Munroe,  and  was  born  at  Annapolis, 
Maryland,  January  4,  1807.  His  father  and 
mother  were  both  natives  of  Maryland ;  the 
former  was  born  August  6,  1763,  and  the 
latter  January  20,  1771.  They  were  married 
May  14,  1789.  The  boyhood  of  Thomas 
Munroe  did  not  differ  much  from  that  of 
other  boys  born  of  and  reared  by  Christian 
parents,  who  held  progressive  and  correct 
ideas  of  the  higher  duties  and  privileges  of 
American  citizenship.  He  entered  school  at 
an  early  age,  and,  being  an  apt  scholar,  made 
rapid  headway  in  his  studies  and  graduated 
from  St.  John's  College  with  honors,  having 
taken  the  full  classical  course. 

After  finishing  at  St.  John's  College,  he 
decided  to  adopt  the  profession  of  medicine 
as  his  life-work.  He  began  reading  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  Dennis  Claude,  and  later 
entered  the  University  of  Maryland  in  Balti- 
more, from  which  he  graduated  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  in  1829.  All  through  his  life, 
Dr.  Munroe  took  a  just  pride  in  having  upon 
his  diploma  the  famous  names  of  Drs.  Roger 

B.  Taney  and  Reverdy  Johnson,  —the  first  as 
10 


Provost,  the  second  a  member  of  the  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  University  of  Mary- 
land. 

After  graduating,  Dr.  Munroe  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Baltimore,  but 
after  twelve  mouths  concluded  it  was  bet- 
ter for  him  to  go  West.  In  accordance 
with  this  wise  conclusion,  he  closed  up  his 
business  in  Baltimore,  and  in  1834  re- 
moved to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Jacksonville, 
where  he  remained  until  1843,  when  he  came 
to  Rushville,  and  was  actively  engaged  in 
professional  labor  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  civil  war,  when  he  offered  his  services  to 
his  country,  and  was  commissioned  Surgeon 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  participated  in  all 
the  marches  of  the  regiment,  and  was  in  all 
its  campaigns  and  battles  for  two  years;  at 
the  end  of  that  period  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
sign his  commission  on  account  of  ill  health. 
He  returned  to  his  home  and  resumed  his 
practice,  which  he  continued,  with  great  ac- 
tivity and  success,  until  a  short  time  previous 
to  his  death,  which  occurred  April  23, 1891. 

Dr.  Munroe  was  married  October  5,  1841, 
to  Annis  Hininan,  who  was  born  at  Utica. 
New  York,  December  10,  1815;  her  father, 
Benjamin  Hinman,  was  a  native  of  South- 
bury,  Connecticut;  he  was  a  son  of  Deacon 
David  Hinman,  who  was  a  son  of  Benjamin 
Hinman,  who  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  Hinman, 
Sr.,  who  was  a  son  of  Sergeant  Edward  Hin- 
man, the  first  settler  of  that  name  in  this 
country.  (See  genealogy  published  by  R.  R. 
Hinman,  New  York.)  Mrs.  Munroe's  father 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
and  had  the  title  of  Major;  lie  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Little  Falls,  New  York,  and 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  there;  he 
afterward  removed  to  Utica,  New  York,  and 
died  in  Pennsylvania  in  1821,  while  making 


126 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


a  business  trip  to  the  State.  He  married 
Anna  Keyser,  who  was  born  at  Fort  Keyser, 
.New  York,  a  daughter  of  John  Keyser, 
of  Montgomery  county,  New  York.  Her 
father  was  taken  captive  by  the  Indians 
during  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  car- 
ried to  Canada,  where  he  was  held  for  three 
years;  his  death  occurred  at  Fort  Keyser; 
his  wife  survived  until  August  9,  1863;  she 
was  living  in  Illinois  at  that  time,  her  sons 
being  among  the  pioneers  of  Brown  county; 
they  emigrated  to  the  State  in  1836,  and 
were  of  a  party  that  laid  out  the  town  of 
La  Grange. 

Children  are  indeed  blessed  who  have  edu- 
cated and  Christian  parents  to  guide  and 
direct  those  early  impulses  which  have  so 
much  to  do  with  the  ultimate  direction  of 
ambition  and  mentality;  and  no  family  of 
children  were  ever  more  favored  in  this  than 
the  children  of  this  good  father  and  mother. 
The  breadth  of  Dr.  Munroe's  mind,  his  great 
wisdom  in  giving  his  children  splendid  edu- 
cations and  permitting  them  to  select  their 
own  vocations,  is  manifest  in  the  marked 
degree  of  success  which  has  attended  their 
efforts.  The  eldest  son,  Thomas,  is  one  of 
the  progressive  and  successful  men  of  Mus- 
kegon,  Michigan,  being  the  head  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Thomas  Munroe  &  Co.,  and 
the  general  superintendent  of  the  Thayer 
Lumber  Company,  both  of  Muskegon.  In  this 
double  capacity  he  has  acquired  more  than 
an  ordinary  fortune,  and,  with  his  marked 
success  as  a  financier,  he  has  won  a  greater 
meed  of  victory — that  of  the  love  and  re- 
spect of  all  who  know  him. 

The  second  son,  James  E.  Munroe,  resides 
in  Chicago,  and  is  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  law.  He  is  a  lawyer  of  good  ability,  fair 
attainments  and  great  industry.  As  the  re- 
sult of  twenty  years  of  labor  at  the  bar  he  has 


acquiesced  a  large   practice  and  a  handsome 
competence. 

The  daughter,  Mary  A.,  of  Rushville,  is 
deeply  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
betterment  and  advancement  of  mankind. 
She  resides  at  the  family  home,  the  compan- 
ion and  comfort  of  her  aged  and  gentle 
mother.  Her  brothers,  Hintnan  and  Charles 
G.,  are  also  residents  of  Rushville,  the  former 
being  married  and  residing  in  a  happy  home, 
a  close  neighbor  of  his  mother.  Charles  G. 
is  a  member  of  the  family  at  the  old  home- 
stead, and  is  engaged  with  his  brother  Hin- 
man  in  the  lumber  business,  in  which  thej 
are  eminently  successful.  The  youngest  son 
is  a  resident  of  Muskegon,  Michigan,  where 
he  holds  a  position  of  trust  under  his  brother. 
Dr.  Munroe  was  related  to  such  men  as 
Jonathan  Pickney,  Nathan  Hammond  and 
William  Munroe,  all  of  whom  occupy  honored 
places  in  the  early  history  of  the  United 
States  from  their  participation  in  the  notable 
events  incident  to  those  times.  The  fine 
engraved  portrait  of  Dr.  Munroe,  which  faces 
this  sketch,  was  executed  specially  for  this 
history.  An  examination  of  the  portrait 
will  reveal  better  than  word-painting  the 
character  of  the  man  herein  recorded. 

In  the  death  of  Dr.  Munroe,  the  city  of 
Rushville  lost  one  of  the  men  whose  great 
mentality,  indefatigable  energy  and  true 
Christian  manhood  did  so  much  to  make  the 
city  what  it  is.  The  following  appeared  in 
the  Schuyler  Citizen  a  short  time  after  Dr. 
Munroe's  death,  and  was  written  by  his  emi- 
nent co- laborer,  Dr.  J.  N.  Speed: 

"  No  man  in  the  community  performed 
more  faithfully  the  duties  of  a  citizen  and  a 
Christian,  or  led  a  more  exemplary  life  than 
he  did;  and  this  could  be  as  truly  said  of 
him  during  his  army  as  well  as  his  civil  life. 
He  was  a  life-long  member  of  the  Methodist 


SCIIOTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


127 


Episcopal  Church,  and  always  held  one  or 
more  official  positions;  and,  what  is  a  little  re- 
markable. he  held  the  position  of  Recording 
Steward  and  Secretary  in  the  Rushville  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  continuously  for  thir- 
ty-eight years,  and  then  resigned  by  reason 
only  of  the  infirmities  of  age.  I  doubt  if  in  the 
memory  of  any  person  a  like  office  has  been 
tilled  for  so  long  a  time  continuously  by  the 
same  person,  and  certainly  no  more  faithfully. 
He  was  very  regular  in  his  attendance  on  the 
means  of  grace.  Even  after  the  first  ad- 
monition of  his  approaching  affliction  his  seat 
at  church,  day  and  night,  at  prayer-  meeting 
and  class-meeting,  was  very  seldom  occupied 
by  any  other  than  himself.  As  a  citizen  he 
always  took  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  the  public,  and  his  influence  was  always  on 
the  side  of  the  public  welfare.  As  a  phy- 
sician Dr.  Munroe  was  ever  studious  and 
attentive,  and  his  habit  of  study  continued 
even  after  his  active  practice  ceased,  and  in 
all  his  intercourse  with  his  brother  physicians 
he  was  the  embodiment  of  professional  recti- 
tude, and  in  this  respect  he  had  no  superiors 
and  but  few  equals.  He  was  looked  upon  by 
all  who  knew  him  as  a  perfect  gentleman. 
He  was  always  kind  to  the  poor,  and  the  re- 
sources of  his  skill  and  watchfulness  were  as 
faithfully  extended  to  the  pallet  of  the  lowly 
as  to  the  silken  couch  of  the  affluent,  thus 
manifesting  in  his  life  the  saying  of  the  ven- 
erable Beerhaave,  that  '  the  poor  were  his  best 
patrons  because  God  was  their  paymaster.'  " 


HANSMEYER  was  born  in 
Lippe-Detmold,  Prussia,  Germany,  in 
1833.  He  came  of  pure  German  an- 
cestry and  of  hardy  stock.  His  father,  Fred 
Hansmeyer,  married  Wilhelmina  Hoy  of  the 


same  province.  In  1849  they  took  passage 
for  America  and  landed  in  New  Orleans  after 
a  seven-weeks  voyage.  Thence  the  family 
came  up  the  Mississippi,  to  St.  Louis, 
where  the  mother  and  one  child  died  of  the 
cholera  after  being  there  one  week.  The 
father  and  four  children  came  on  to  Chicago, 
where  Henry  was  attacked  by  the  cholera  and 
confined  to  the  house  for  two  weeks,  later 
he  joined  his  father  and  the  other  children  at 
Watertown,  and  it  was  near  there  that  the 
father  died  about  one  year  later,  being  then  in 
middle  life. 

Henry  Hansmeyer  is  the  second  of  the 
four  sons  yet  living.  He  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1849  and  lived  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson 
county,  Wisconsin,  until  1851,  working  for 
$10  a  month.  He  came  to  Beardstown  in 
1851  and  still  worked  by  the  month,  for  a 
time  for  $10;  he  saved  his  money,  became  a 
stock  dealer  and  trader  and  did  various  things 
until  he  accumulated  enough  to  purchase 
land.  In  1865  he  found  himself  on  safe 
ground  for  business,  which  he  carried  on 
successfully  and  extensively.  He  was  an 
active  farmer  and  stock-raiser  until  1880. 
In  that  year  he  retired  from  business  and 
moved  into  Beardstown.  He  owns  a  fine 
farm  of  306  acres,  250  acres  of  which  is 
under  the  plow  and  the  rest  is  pasture,  good 
land  and  all  supplied  with  first-class  farm 
buildings.  He  purchased  this  farm  in  1865 
and  also  owns  some  good  residence  property 
in  Beardstown,  the  opera  house  building  at 
Mount  Olive,  Illinois,  and  other  residence 
property  there. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  in  1857,  to 
Miss  Catharina  Schmidt.  She  was  born  in 
Hesse- Darmstadt.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  George  and  Kate  Schmidt,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1856,  settling  in 
Beardstown,  where  'they  died.  Mr.  Schmidt 


128 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


was  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  Lutheran. 
He  was  a  tine  minister  and  an  anti-slavery 
advocate,  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a 
leader  in  his  community.  Mrs.  Hansmeyer 
is  a  great  worker  in  the  Lutheran  Church 
and  a  very  tine  woman.  They  have  four 
children:  Augusta,  wife  of  Henry  Oetgen, 
a  farmer  in  Schuyler  county;  Minna, 
wife  of  Henry  Stock;  Katie,  wife  of  John 
Dnvall,  First  State  Bank  of  Beardstown; 
William,  a  miller  by  trade.  Mr.  Hansmeyer 
is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Street 
Lutheran  Church,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
Trustee  for  sixteen  years. 


fOSEPH  FRANKLIN  BLACK  was  born 
in  Murray  county,  Tennessee,  February 
23,  1828.  His  father,  William  Black, 
was  born  near  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  Jan- 
nary  3,  1796,  son  of  Thomaa  Gillespie  Black, 
who  was  born  in  Markingham  county,  North 
Carolina,  in  January,  1772,  whose  father, 
William  Black,  a  native  of  Maryland,  re- 
moved to  North  Carolina.  William  Black 
was  captain  of  a  company  of  militia  at  the 
time  the  Revolutionary  war  broke  out,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  who  refused  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British  government. 
He  died  soon  after  the  war  began.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Beard,  They 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Thomas  G.  Black  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  State.  He  taught  school  several 
years.  Removing  from  North  Carolina  to 
Georgia,  he  settled  near  Milledgeville,  where 
he  bought  a  tract  of  land  and  on  it  passed  the 
residue  of  his  life,  dying  in  1823.  He  was 
married  February  26,  1795,  to  Polly  Calla- 
lan,  who  was  born  April  7,  1773,  daughter 


of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Shepard)  Callahan. 
her  father  being  of  Irish  and  her  mother  of 
German  descent.  Mrs.  Black  went  to  Ten- 
nessee after  the  death  of  her  husband,  and 
from  there  to  Illinois  in  1825.  Her  death 
occurred  in  Morgan  county,  this  State,  in 
1853.  Grandfather  and  grandmother  Black 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
They  reared  ten  of  their  eleven  children,  viz.: 
William,  Susanna,  John,  Cynthia,  James, 
Thomas,  Polly,  Jefferson,  Eleanor  and  Eliza- 
beth. Rebecca  died  in  infancy. 

Willliam  Black,  father  of  the  subject  of 
our  sketch,  grew  up  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  his  native  State,  and  went  with  the 
family  to  Tennessee  directly  after  the  death 
of  his  father.  He  was  a  natural  mechanic 
and  with  his  brother  John  established  a 
a  furniture  factory  in  Maury  county,  remain- 
ing in  business  there  till  1834.  That  year, 
with  his  wife  and  six  children,  he  came 
to  Illinois,  their  removal  being  made  via  the 
Cumberland,  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers.  He  located  four  miles  north  of  Win- 
chester, in  Scott  county,  where  he  bought 
eighty  acres  of  prairie  and  eighty  acres  of 
timber  laud,  paying  $2.50  per  acre  for  a  part 
of  it.  He  at  once  built  a  small  frame  house, 
containing  two  rooms,  and  commenced  im- 
proving his  land.  In  1846  he  sold  this  farm 
for  $8  per  acre.  He  then  came  to  Cass 
county  and  bought  200  acres  of  land,  located 
six  miles  southeast  of  Virginia,  for  which  he 
paid  $6  an  acre.  There  was  a  double  log 
house  on  this  place,  which  the  family  occupied 
one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  moved 
into  the  substantial  brick  house  which  Mr. 
Black  erected,  and  which  still  stands.  He 
also  built  a  work  shop.  He,  however,  gave 
the  most  of  his  attention  to  farming.  He 
lived  there  till  after  the  death  of  his  wife, 
when  he  went  to  Virginia  and  spent  his  last 


BOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


129 


days  at  the  borne  of  his  son,  John,  where  he 
died  October  3,  1884.  December  4,  1823, 
he  married  Miss  Mary  S.  Vaughn,  who  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  November  1, 1803,  daugh- 
ter of  Dixon  and  Susan  Vaughn.  She  died 
on  the  home  farm,  January  29,  1881.  Of 
the  ten  children  born  to  them  they  reared 
eight,  namely:  Thomas  G.,  Joseph  F., William 
L.,  Richmond  V.,  Green  V.,  James  B.,  Mary 
J.  and  John.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  reared 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  after  coining 
to  Illinois  they  united  with  the  Christian 
Church,  of  which  they  remained  consistent 
members  till  the  time  of  their  death. 

Joseph  Franklin  Black,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  was  six  years  old  when  he  moved  to 
Illinois  with  his  parents,  and  remembers  dis- 
tinctly many  of  the  incidents  connected  with 
their  removal  and  frontier  life.  At  that  time 
Central  Illinois  was  sparsely  settled  and  it 
was  long  before  the  advent  of  railroads  here. 
Naples  was  the  principal  market  for  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Mr.  Black  relates  that 
at  one  time  his  father  went  to  St.  Louis  to 
mill.  Instead  of  being  gone  one  week,  as  he 
had  eApected,  he  was  gone  three  weeks,  and 
in  the  mean  time  the  supply  of  meal  gave 
out  at  home.  By  pounding  corn  in  a  mor- 
tar, the  children  made  meal  enough  to  last 
till  their  father's  return.  In  1836  three 
cooking  stoves  were  brought  to  Jacksonville, 
one  of  which  Mr.  Black's  father  bought,  pay- 
ing $75  for  it.  Such  a  curiosity  was  this 
stove  that  the  neighbors  for  miles  around 
came  to  see  it. 

Joseph  F.  received  his  education  in  the 
primitive  schools  of  Illinois.  He  inherited 
from  his  father  a  talent  for  mechanical  work 
and  early  began  to  assist  him  in  the  shop. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began  life  on  his 
own  responsibility,  commencing  at  once  as  a 
contractor  and  builder,  and  before  he  was 


twenty-one  he  bought  102  acres  of  land  near 
the  village  of  Philadelphia,  for  which  he  paid 
$3.50  an  acre.  He  continued  contracting  and 
building  for  a  time.  Then  for  three  years  he 
was  engaged  in  farming.  After  that  he 
moved  to  Philadelphia  and  devoted  his  time 
to  the  invention  of  farm  machinery.  To  him 
belongs  the  distinction  of  having  invented 
and  patented  the  first  self-binder  ever  made. 
He  took  three  different  patents  on  it,  and  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  William  got  two 
patents  on  a  gang  plow.  The  value  of  such 
a  man  to  a  communi'ty  cannot  be  estimated. 
Indeed,  the  worth  of  his  inventive  genius 
extends  beyond  his  own  community  and  State, 
being  felt  all  over  the  world. 

In  1867  he  resumed  farming  and  continued 
that  occupation  till  1876.  That  year  he  moved 
to  Virginia  and  established  himself  as  a  con- 
tractor and  builder.  Many  of  the  best  store 
buildings  and  residences  in  thiscity  are  monu- 
ments to  his  skill.  Nor  have  his  labors  been 
confined  to  Virginia.  He  has  done  work  in 
Springfield,  Jacksonville,  Beardstown,  and 
various  other  places.  For  some  years  past 
Mr.  Black  has  devoted  his  time  to  architecture, 
which  he  studied  in  his  younger  days,  pre- 
paring plans  and  specifications  and  superin- 
tending the  construction  of  buildings.  He 
made  the  plans  for  the  county  jail  and  super- 
intended its  construction;  also  the  two  addi- 
tions to  the  courthouse. 

Mr.  Black  was  married  May  17,  1849  to 
Mary  F.  Wilmott,  a  native  of  Illinois  and  a 
daughter  of  Charles  R.  Wilmott.  They  had 
five  children,  as  follows:  Charles  W.,  born 
September  23,  1850,  was  married  November 
24,  1870,  to  Elsie  Buckley,  and  has  five 
children:  Mabel,  Roy,  Mary,  Stella  and  Clyde; 
Mary,  born  May  28,  1855,  married  Armstead 
Mains,  and  has  seven  children:  Maude,  Elma, 
William,  Reatta,  Toura,  Louese  and  Leslie; 


130 


BIOGRAPHICAL  .REVIEW    Off    OAS8, 


Eva,  born  August  29,  1860,  was  married 
January  26,  1882,  to  William  G.  Payne; 
Robert,  born  September  22,  1864,  was  mar- 
ried October  18,  1889,  to  Maggie  Gray  and 
has  two  children,  Edna  and  an  infant;  and 
Frank  born  March  23,  1868,  married  a  Miss 
Elliott,  and  has  one  child,  Edward.  Mrs. 
Black  died  January  26,  1879,  and  in  May, 
1883,  Mr.  Black  wedded  Mary  (Thompson) 
Skiles. 

Mr.  Black  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  as  also  was  his  first  wife.  His  pres- 
ent companion  has  her  membership  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Politically,  he 
was  formerly  a  Whig,  but  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  he  has  affiliated 
with  it. 


jjARTIN  W.  GREEK,  a  life-  long  res- 
ident of  Rushville  township,  was 
born  August  5,  1843,  a  son  of  James 
Greer,  a  native  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
born  in  the  month  of  May,  1812.  Martin 
Greer,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  also  a  native  of  Ireland,  but  of 
Scotch  ancestry,  he  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  own 
country;  he  married  Lucy  Crosier,  who  after 
the  death  of  her  husband  came  to  America 
with  her  children;  she  died  at  the  residence 
of  her  son  James  in  1870,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years.  She  was  the  mother  of 
five  children,  all  of  whom  came  to  this 
country:  George,  James,  Jane,  Richard  and 
Robert.  James  Greer  was  a  youth  of  eigh- 
teen years  when  he  crossed  the  sea  to'  Amer- 
ica; he  resided  in  the  State  of  New  York 
until  1836,  and  then  came  to  Illinois,  lo- 
cating in  Schuyler  county.  After  is  mar- 
riage he  bought  a  farm  on  which  he  passed 


the  rest  of  his  life;  he  died  in  1875.  He 
was  married  in  1842,  to  Martha  Wilson, 
a  native  of  Nelson  county,  Kentucky,  born 
October  15,  1818.  Martha  Wilson  was  the 
daughter  of  Elijah  M.  Wilson,  who  was  born 
in  Prince  William  county,  Virginia,  a  son  of 
Henry  Wilson,  also  a  Virginian  by  birth  ; 
Henry  Wilson  married  Sarah  Melton,  who 
was  a  native  of  Virginia;  they  removed  to 
Kentucky  and  were  among  the  pioneers  of 
the  Blue-grass  State.  Elijah  M.  Wilson 
married  Jane  Hawley,  a  native  of  Virginia 
and  a  daughter  of  Absalom  and  Martha 
(Field)  Hawley.  He  removed  with  his  wife 
to  Illinois,  and  entered  a  tract  of  Government 
land  four  miles  south  of  Rushville;  at  the 
end  of  five  years  he  sold  this  place  for  $600, 
and  removed  to  Littleton  township,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  on  which  he  lived  until  his 
death.  To  them  were  born  nine  children: 
Martin  W.,  Elijah  M.,  William  J.,  George 
S.,  Samuel  E.,  Lucy  J.,  Mary  E.,  Maria  E.  and 
Vietta.  Lucy  married  James  Neill;  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  Fel  ix  Jackson ;  Maria  E.  m  arried  Charl  es 
E.  Lawler.  The  parents  were  both  devoted 
church  members,  the  father  having  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  his  youth ; 
the  mother  first  united  with  the  Baptist 
Church,  but  after  her  marriage  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Martin  W.  Greer  passed  his  youth  on  his 

4  » 

father's  farm,  assisting  in  the  labors  of  seed- 
time and  harvest,  and  attending  the  district 
school  a  portion  of  each  year.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  he  began  to  teach  school, 
and  was  engaged  in  this  profession  for  a  pe- 
riod of  six  terms.  Aside  from  this  experi- 
ence he  has  been  interested  exclusively  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he  has  been 
more  than  ordinarily  successful.  He  intro- 
duced the  first  Berkshire  hogs  into  the 
county,  and  has  a  fine  herd  of  short-horn 


SCHUYLER    AND    BHOWN    COUNTIES. 


131 


cattle;  his  horses  are  of  excellent  pedigree, 
and  he  takes  great  pride  in  elevating  the 
standard  of  all  classes  of  live  stock.  At  the 
time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Greer  settled  ou 
the  farm  he  now  owns  on  section  34,  Rush- 
ville  township;  he  has  good,  substantial  farm 
buildings,  an  orchard,  and  very  attractive 
grounds  surrounding  his  residence;  in  fact, 
the  farm  is  one  of  the  most  desirable  in  the 
county. 

He  was  married  in  April,  1867,  to  Susan 
H.  Krnse,  who  was  born  in  Rushville  town- 
ship, a  daughter  of  Francis  H.  and  Elizabeth 
Kruse,  whose  history  appears  on  another  page 
of  this  volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greer  are 
the  parents  of  five  children  living:  Fred  A., 
Luther  M.,  Henry  E.,  Millie  M.  and  Owen 
J.  The  father  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  but  the  mother  belongs 
to  the  Christian  denomination.  Politically, 
Mr.  Greer  has  always,  until  the  past  two 
years,  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  School 
Treasurer  of  Rushville  township  for  a  period 
of  sixteen  years;  he  has  always  been  loyal  to 
home  interests  and  home  industries,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  highly  respected  men  in  the 
county.  For  the  past  two  years  Mr.  Greer 
has  advocated  the  principles  of  the  People's 
party  arid  was  nominated  for  Congress  on 
that  ticket  for  the  Eleventh  district  by  the 
convention  held  at  Bnshnell,  June  11,  1892. 


WASHINGTON  BROCKMAN  is  one 

of  the  leading  business  men  of  Mount 
Sterling,  where  he  was  born  Septem- 
ber 13,  1844.  His  father,  James,  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  and  was  there  reared  and  edu- 
cated. He  turned  his  attention  to  the  study 
of  medicine  when  young.  He  graduated 
from  Lexington  Medical  College,  and  in  1836 


or  1837  he  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Mount 
Sterling,  where  he  began  his  practice.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  he  had  a  very  narrow 
escape  from  being  drowned  by  being  caught 
in  the  high  water  at  Meredosia.  His  prac- 
tice extended  into  Pike  and  Morgan  counties, 
where  he  had  to  go  on  horseback.  He  con- 
tinued practicing  until  18 — ,  when  lie  was 
elected  Circuit  Clerk,  which  position  he  held 
until  his  death.  His  wife's  name  was  Sophia 
Price,  of  Scott  county,  Kentucky,  the  daugh- 
ter of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Brown  county. 
Dr.  Brockman  was  a  Democrat;  served  as 
school  commissioner  of  Brown  county;  was  a 
member  of  the  Second  State  Constitutional 
Convention;  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  Hardin  Lodge,  No.  44,  A.  F.  and  A.  M., 
and  was  buried  with  Masonic  honors. 

"Washington  was  an  infant  when  his  mother 
died,  and  but  eight  years  when  his  father 
died.  His  step-mother  was  left  in  limited 
circumstances  with  four  children  to  care  for, 
and  consequently  at  thirteen  years  of  age  he 
went  to  live  with  an  uncle.  He  remained  with 
him  about  a  year,  and  then  went  to  live  with 
another  uncle,  who  owned  a  flour  mill.  For 
several  years  he  worked  in  the  mill,  in  a  black- 
smith shop  and  on  a  farm,  and  was  also  in  a 
drug  store  in  Mount  Sterling.  In  September, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Tenth  Illi- 
nois Cavalry,  and  went  to  Missouri.  His 
company  was  one  of  the  four  detached  from 
the  regiment  and  sent  to  join  General  Curtis 
after  the  Pea  Ridge  fight.  They  marched  to 
Helena,  Arkansas,  and  then  participated  in 
the  capture  of  Vicksburg,  after  which  he  was 
granted  a  furlough  of  twenty  days,  which  was 
extended  to  twenty  days  more,  and  then  his 
health  being  poor  he  was  assigned  to  duty  in 
the  drug  department.  He  remained  there  by 
order  of  the  physicians  until  the  spring  of 
1864.  when  he  was  ordered  to  take  charge  of 


132 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    UAS8, 


a  company  of  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 
He  was  honorably  discharged  in  December, 
1864,  as  his  term  had  expired,  and  he  returned 
home  and  soon  secured  a  position  in  the  post 
office  for  thirty  days,  and  then  was  clerk  in 
the  enrolling  department  of  the  Provost  Mar- 
shal's office,  remaining  there  until  after  the 
war,  when  the  office  was  discontinued.  He 
Went  to  Macomb,  Illinois,  to  secure  a  job,  but 
not  being  successful  he  returned  and  bought 
a  book  and  stationery  store.  In  less  than  a 
year  he  sold  out,  and  was  employed  at  various 
kinds  of  work  for  a  few  months,  and  then 
purchased  one-half  interest  in  another  book 
and  stationery  store;  later  he  bought  the 
interest  of  his  partner  and  conducted  the 
busines  alone.  He  carries  a  full  line  of 
books,  stationery,  wall  paper,  sporting  goods 
and  other  goods  of  like  nature.  In  1886  he 
opened  a  buggy  repository  and  farm  imple- 
ment business  and  conducted  it  successfully 
for  six  years,  but  in  1892,  owing  to  poor 
health,  he  was  obliged  to  sell  that  branch  of 
the  business. 

He  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Estdla  J. 
Leeped,  of  Mount  Sterling,  daughter  of  John- 
son and  Catherine  (Dawson)  Leeped.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brockman  have  four  living  chil- 
dren: George  Leon,  Clarence  Eugene,  Ernest 
Edgar  and  Percy  Washington.  Mr.  Brock- 
man  organized  the  Isaac  McNeil  Post,  of 
which  he  is  a  member,  No.  289,  G.  A.  R. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Unity  Lodge,  No. 
310,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  Mount  Sterling  Lodge,  No.  —  A.  O.  U. 
W. ;  and  of  the  Crescent  Lodge,  I.  O.  M.  A.; 
also  a  Fellow-craft  member  of  Hardin  Lodge, 
No.  44,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  He  and  his  wife 
are  greatly  respected  by  their  host  of  friends. 
He  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Mount  Ster- 
ling Building  and  Loan  Association,  and  is 
vice-president  of  the  Mount  Sterling  Elec- 


tric Light  and   Power  company,    which    he 
helped  to  organize. 

Politically  he  is  a  strong  Republican,  hav- 
ing cast  his  first  ballot  in  1864  for  "  honest 
Old  Abe  "  Lincoln,  and  from  this  party  he 
has  never  departed,  believing  that  the  prin- 
ciples of  said  party  are  just  and  true. 


ILL1AM  T.  BLACK,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Woodstock  township,  was 
born  in  Dubois  county,  Indiana, 
March  18,  1821.  When  he  was  four  years 
old  his  parents  removed  to  Schuyler  county. 
and  here  he  has  since  resided.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority,  and  then  he  started  out  in  life 
on  his  own  account;  he  first  rented  a  farm  in 
Woodstock  township,  which  he  cultivated  one 
year,  and  then  removed  to  Rushville  town- 
ship. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  October  30, 
1842,  to  Matilda  Matheny,  a  native  of  Mor- 
gan county,  Ohio,  born  March  29,  1823. 
Her  parents,  Andrew  and  Sarah  (Harris) 
Matheny,  were  natives  of  New  England  and 
Virginia  respectively;  they  emigrated  to  Illi- 
nois in  1835,  purchased  a  farm  in  Schuyler 
county,  and  there  spent  the  balance  of  their 
days.  Both  the  paternal  and  maternal  an- 
cestors were  patriots  and  fought  in  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  Mrs.  Black  is  one  of  a 
family  of  four  children.  After  his  marriage, 
Mr.  Black  rented  land  for  a  few  years  longer, 
and  in  1849  bought  120  acres,  on  which  he 
built  a  small  frame  house;  this  was  his  home 
until  1867,  when  he  sold  the  place  and  pur- 
chased 280  acres  in  Woodstock  township.  In 
1869  he  erected  a  dwelling,  which  has  since 
been  enlarged  and  remodeled;  he  has  made 
all  the  improvements  on  the  farm,  and  has 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


133 


developed  it  into  one  of  the  most  desirable  in 
the  township.  He  carried  on  a  general  farm- 
ing business,  and  is  considered  one  of  the 
leading  agriculturists  of  the  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black  are  the  parents  of  six 
children:  Austin  married  Nancy  King,  and 
they  have  one  son;  Athelinda  is  the  wife  of 
Richard  Kettenring,  and  the  mother  of  two 
sons;  Harriet  A.  died  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years;  William  H.  married  Rachel  Boiles, 
and  they  have  seven  children,  five  sons  and 
twodaughters;  Richard  married  Jane  Stevens, 
and  they  have  two  sons  and  a  daughter;  Frank- 
lin P.  married  Sarah  Kennedy,  and  they  have 
two  sons. 

Politically,  Mr.  Black  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party;  he  has  filled  the  office  of 
Assessor  for  three  years,  and  in  1877  he  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  is  the  present 
incumbent.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers' 
Alliance.  In  his  religious  faith  he  is  a  Bap- 
tist. He  has  endured  all  the  vicissitudes  of 
life  on  the  frontier,  and  has  accumulated  his 
property  entirely  by  his  own  exertions.  He 
has  always  employed  the  most  correct  busi- 
ness methods,  and  has  the  respect  of  the  en- 
tire community. 


IEORGE  W.  ALLPHIN,  section  15, 
Huntsville  township,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, September  13,  1830.  He  is  the 
son  of  Reuben  and  Susan  (Brumbeck)  All- 
phin.  He  was  five  years  old  when  the  family 
came  to  Illinois.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  helped  improve  the  new  land.  He  at- 
tended such  schools  as  those  early  days 
afforded,  when  they  had  log  houses,  with 
slabs  for  seats,  and  holes  on  the  south  side 
for  windows.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  California,  and  followed 


mining  for  four  years,  and  was  successful,  re- 
turning by  way  of  New  Orleans.  On  his  re- 
turn he  purchased  eighty  acres,  on  which  he 
now  resides.  The  land  was  unimproved  and 
covered  with  timber.  He  now  owns  115 
acres  of  land,  and  has  the  same  well  im- 
proved. He  has  also  a  fine  quality  of  stock. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  although  he 
was  a  Democrat  for  thirty  .years.  He  has 
been  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  held  many 
minor  offices.  He  has  been  a  successful  man, 
having  made  his  money  since  1854,  when  he 
came  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Huntsville. 

He  married,  December  10,  1854,  Miss  At- 
lanta Wilson,  daughter  of  Jamison  Wilson. 
She  was  born  in  Huntsville  township,  in 
February,  1835.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allphin  have 
had  six  children,  three  living:  Anna,  wife  of 
James  Bnrmood;  Calvin  and  Sherman.  They 
were  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church  for  many  years,  and  when  that 
society  failed  they  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Allphin  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Huntsville  Lodge,  No.  365,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  of  Cyclone  Lodge,  I.  O.  0.  F. 
He  and  his  wife  are  highly  respected  citizens 
of  Huntsville. 

Jamison  Wilson,  the  oldest  living  settler 
in  Huntsville  township,  was  born  in  what  is 
now  Grant  county,  Kentucky,  November  29, 
1829.  His  parents,  John  R.  and  Rachel 
(Junip)  Wilson,  were  early  settlers  in  this 
part  of  the  State.  He  resided  in  Kentucky 
until  1836,  and  then  came  to  Illinois,  locating 
in  Cass  county,  but  finally  settled  in  Adams 
county.  They  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  was  the  oldest.  The  second  child 
was  Polly;  the  others  were  Nancy,  Jane, 
Sarah,  Lucy,  Dora  and  Robert.  Jamison 
Wilson  was  reared  a  farmer,  and  in  1834  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Huntsville 
township.  He  entered  and  purchased  land, 


134 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


where  he  resided  until  quite  recently.  He 
became  the  owner  of  207  acres  of  land.  He 
continued  to  reside  on  a  farm  until  1886, 
since  which  he  has  resided  with  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Allphin.  In  politics  he 'was  a  Republi- 
can, and  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  a  time. 
He  has  been  a  church  member  all  his  life, 
having  been  connected  with  different  denomi- 
nations, as  convenient. 

He  was  married  in  1832,  to  Miss  Ellen 
Thornhill.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1810,  being  a  daughter  of  John  and  Jane 
Thornhill.  She  died  July  23,  1881.  They 
had  seven  children:  Ulysses  resides  in  Linn 
county,  Kansas;  Atlanta,  now  Mrs.  G.  W. 
Allphin;  Melvina  married  Solomon  Rawson, 
of  Jacksonville,  Iowa,  and  died  in  1862; 
Mary  married  John  Rawson,  and  resides  in 
Grant  county,  Kansas;  Lucurgus  resides  in 
Frederick,  Illinois;  Palenicus  resides  on  the 
old  homestead;  and  Xenophon  resides  in 
Huntsville  township,  Illinois. 


JEBULON  ALLPHIN  resides  on  section 
twenty-two,  Huntsville  Township,  and 
is  not  only  a  prosperous  farmer,  but  a 
specimen  of  1835,  born  in  Boone  county, 
Kentucky,  in  July,  1832.  His  father  Reu- 
ben Allphin,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  in 
1801,  and  was  the  son  of  Zebulon  Allphin, 
born  in  Virginia,  but  emigrated  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-six  years. 
He  had  nine  children,  of  whom  two  are  still 
living:  William,  Dollie,  Jackson,  Luke,  Shel- 
ton,  Ransom,  Rebecca,  Nancy  and  Reuben. 
All  came  to  Schuyler  county  except  Dollie 
and  Ransom,  who  removed  to  Kentucky. 
Father  of  subject  was  a  small  boy  when  the 
family  removed  to  Kentucky  and  was  reared 
a  farmer  and  overseer  on  his  father's  planta- 


tion. He  married  Susan  Brumbeck.  She 
was  born  in  Virginia  in  1800.  In  1835  they 
came  to  Illinois  and  settled  at  Camden.  Some 
time  after  they  settled  on  section  ten,  Hunts- 
ville township,  where  he  purchased  a  claim. 
In  1840  he  removed  to  Rushville  and  re- 
mained five  years,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
Mexican  war.  In  1848  he  came  to  Mc- 
Donough  county.  In  1850  he  returned  to 
Schuyler  county, and  after  the  Civil  war  went 
to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he  pursued 
farming  until  1870.  He  then  returned  to 
Schuyler  county  and  passed  his  remaining 
years  with  his  children.  His  wife  died  in 
1852.  They  had  eight  children:  William, 
Zarilda  Thornhill,  Sarah  Hills,  Henry, 
James,  George  W.,  Zebulon,  and  Susan 
Brumbeck.  The  parents  were  members  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  The 
father  is  buried  in  Rnshville  and  the  mother 
in  Huntsville.  Mr.  Allphin  was  a  Democrat, 
and  held  local  offices.  He  was  reasonably  suc- 
cessful as  a  farmer,  notwithstanding  he  was  an 
uneducated  man. 

Zebulon  was  but  three  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Schuyler  county  and  lived  with  the 
family  until  he  was  married.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  district  schools. 

He  was  married  in  1852,  to  Mary  L.  Cal- 
vin, daughter  of  Samuel  and  Phoebe  Calvin, 
and  a  native  of  Ohio.  After  marriage  Mr. 
Allphin  settled  where  he  now  resides  and 
soon  purchased  160  acres  of  unimproved  land/ 
He  has  since  resided  on  the  same,  and  now 
owns  over  240  acres  of  land.  He  is  a  general 
farmer,  dealing  in  live  stock.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Allphin  have  eight  children:  William  C.  re- 
sides in  Carthage,  Missouri;  James  Henry 
resides  in  Huntsville  township;  Addie,  wife 
of  Frank  Seward,  resides  in  Huntsville  town- 
ship; Cornelia,  wife  of  Harvey  Hoover  of 
Clark  county,  Misssouri;  George  M.,  at  home; 


SOHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


135 


Leonidas,  of  Huntsville;  and  Jessie,  at  home. 
Mr.  Allphin  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
has  been  Supervisor  several  times  and  has 
held  minor  offices.  His  wife  died  February 
25,  1890.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Allphin  is  a 
member  of  Hnntsville  Lodge,  No.  465,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.  He  has  made  all  his  property 
himself. 


fOHN  W.  SNYDER,  a  well  known  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  section  20, 
Bnena  Vista  township,  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Schuyler  county  in  1834.  He  is  a 
native  of  Virginia,  having  been  born  in 
Frederick  county  of  that  State,  June  4,  1823. 
His  father,  Jacob  Snyder,  was  a  farmer.  He 
married  Margaret  Hughes,  and  in  1834 
emigrated  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Buena  Vista 
township,  where  he  at  first  rented  land,  but 
later  purchased  a  tract,  adding  to  it  from  time 
to  time  until  he  owned  about  500  acres.  This 
he  improved  by  erecting  a  good  substantial 
residence  and  commodious  barns  for  his  grain 
and.  stock,  and  in  time  brought  the  land  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  He  died  September 
28,  1865,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  His  wife, 
the  mother  of  our  subject,  had  died  on  Nov- 
ember 7,  1849,  at  the  early  age  of  fifty-one 
years.  She  was  a  woman  of  intelligence  and 
warm  impulses,  a  faithful  wife  and  fond 
mother,  and  left  many  friends  to  mourn  her 
loss.  They  had  four  children:  John  W., 
James,  now  residing  near  Hamilton,  Illinois; 
Joseph,  a  resident  of  Littleton  township,  Illi- 
nois; and  George  Edward,  residing  in  Buena 
Vista  township,  same  State.  The  parents 
were  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  and  contributed  to  its 
support.  Politically  the  father  was  a  Demo- 
crat, but  was  never  an  office  seeker,  or  poli- 


tician   in  the    modern    sense   of    the   term. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch,  John  W.  Snyder, 
was  but  a  mere  boy  when  his  parents  came  to 
Illinois,  since  which  time  he  has  continued  a 
resident  of  Schnyler  county.  He  was  reared 
to  log-cabin  life  on  a  farm,  and  received  his 
education  in  a  log  schoolhonse.  He  lived  at 
home  until  he  attained  to  the  age  of  man- 
hood. He  married,  June  18,  1848,  Miss 
Cynthia  Blackley,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Jane  Blackley.  She  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
November,  1825.  After  his  marriage  our 
subject  resided  on  the  farm  on  which  he  still 
lives.  He  commenced  with  260  acres  of  land, 
with  no  improvements,  and  now  owns  190 
acres,  well  improved  with  good  house  and 
barns  for  grain  and  stock  and  other  modern 
improvement?,  while  his  land  is  well  cul- 
tivated, being  devoted  to  mixed  farming. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  have  had  nine  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  living.  Sarah  Jane 
was  born  June  21,  1849,  and  married  Harvey 
Cole.  She  died  in  Bueua  Vista  township 
May  3,  1878,  leaving  three  children.  Mar- 
garet E.  was  born  December  12,  1850,  and 
resides  at  home.  Martha  E.  was  born  April 
3,  1853,  and  died  June  18-,  1856.  Mary  E. 
was  born  April  3,  1853,  and  married  George 
Warrington,  and  resides  in  Buena  Vista 
township.  Lydia  F.  was  born  November  18, 
1859,  and  resides  at  home.  Louisa  A.  was 
born  December  27,  1862,  and  married  Ross 
Pittman,  and  now  resides  in  Rushville,  of 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  Cynthia  B.  was 
born  October  9,  1864,  and  died  December  15, 
1864.  Hannah  L.  was  born  May  24,  1867, 
and  resides  at  home.  Mazie  C.  was  born 
September  25,  1868,  and  lives  with  her  par- 
ents at  home. 

Mr.  Snyder  affiliates  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  has  been  honored  by  his  constitu- 
ents by  an  election  to  the  office  of  Justice  of 


136 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


the  Peace,  in  which  capacity  he  served  his 
county  ably  and  well.  Like  his  parents 
before  him,  he  is  a  Protestant  Methodist, 
to  the  support  of  which  church  he  contrib- 
utes. 

Commencing  life  with  little  means,  he  has, 
by  industry  and  economy,  accumulated  a 
competence,  and  by  reason  of  his  honest  deal- 
ings and  cordial  manner  he  has  won  the 

o 

friendship  and  good  will  of  the  community. 


fILLIAM  H UPPERS,  an  old  and  suc- 
cessful business  man  of  Beardstown, 
was  born  in  the  Rhine  province,  Oc- 
tober 1,  1839.  His  parents  lived  and  died 
in  their  native  province.  His  father,  Gear- 
heard  Huppers,  was  a  mechanic  and  small 
farmer,  and  had  been  quite  active  in  local 
matters  of  his  native  town.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six.  His  mother,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-one,  before  her  marriage 
bore  the  name  of  Elizabeth  Waltham.  They 
were  members  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church. 

Mr.  Huppers  was  well  reared,  and  when 
thirteen  years  of  age,  after  attending  public 
school,  was  apprenticed  to  the  tailor's  trade. 
After  completing  his  time  he  started  out  as 
a  journeyman  workman,  going  to  Belgium, 
where  he  spent  six  months,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Paris,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years,  and  then  came  to  the  United  States, 
stopping  first  in  New  York  and  then  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  and  later  coining  to  Beardstown. 
Here  he  has  made  all  his  money,  having, 
when  he  landed  in  Columbus,  less  than  one 
dollar  in  his  pocket.  He  now  does  a  large  and 
lucrative  business  as  merchant  tailor  and 
gentlemen's  furnisher,  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  State  streets.  He  arrived  in  Beardstown 


and  established  a  similar  business  with  Mr. 
Miller,  who  continued  with  him  until  1881; 
since  then  Mr.  Huppers  has  carried  the  busi- 
ness on  very  successfully  alone.  He  has  been 
a  leader  in  many  local  enterprises.  He  is 
interested  in  the  Beardstown  Electric  Light 
and  Power  Company,  is  a  director  of  the 
First  State  Bank,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education.  His  lellow-  citizens 
have  always  known  where  to  find  him  in 
public  matters. 

He  was  married  in  Arenzville,  to  Minnie 
Henkel,  of  Hesse  Darmstadt.  She  came 
with  her  mother  to  this  country  when  she 
was  twelve  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Henkel,  a 
much  respected  member  of  the  church,  died 
in  Beardstown,  aged  fifty-three  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Huppers  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Lula  A.,  who  was  educated  in 
Beardstown,  but  completed  her  course  in  the 
university  at  Evanston,  Illinois,  and  is  now 
a  skilled  teacher  in  vocal  arid  instrumental 
music;  Harry  C.,  twelve  years  of  age,  is  at 
home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huppers  are  leading 
people  in  this  city,  Mrs.  Huppers  being  a 
member  of  the  First  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
Huppers  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  F.  & 
A.  M.,  a  member  of  Cass  Lodge,  No.  23, 
of  Clark  Chapter  No.  29,  and  is  Treasurer  in 
both.  He  is  a  sound  Republican  in  politics. 


HARLES  N.  DUNN,  a  successful 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Beardstown, 
was  born  here,  and  has  always  lived  on 
this  farm.  His  father  was  John  Dunn,  of 
Cornwall,  England,  born  in  1822.  He  grew 
up  in  his  native  country  as  a  farmer  boy  and 
with  his  brother  Luke  came  to  the  United 
States  in  the  '40s,  on  a  sailing  vessel  from 
Liverpool  and  landed  in  New  York  and  came 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


137 


from  there  to  Beardstown.  Soon  afterward  he 
came  out  to  his  present  location  where  he 
purchased  160  acres  of  wild  land,  which  is 
now  owned  by  his  son.  On  this  place  John 
Dunn  began  life  as  a  young  single  man  and 
here  made  farming  a  success.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Caroline  Treadway,  who  was  born  in 
Maryland,  but  had  come  to  Cass  county  when 
young,  as  her  parents  were  old  settlers.  They 
soon  accumulated  320  acres  of  fine  land  in 
what  is  known  as  the  Sangamon  bottoms  and 
here  John  Dunn  died  in  1877,  aged  fifty- 
five  years.  His  wife  survived  him  until  1885, 
when  she  died,  aged  seventy-two  years.  She 
was  a  noble,  good  woman  and  the  best  of 
neighbors.  Mr.  Dunn  was  an  honest  man 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  highly  esteemed 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Charles  Dunn  is  the  youngest  of  a  family 
of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  yet  liv- 
ing, Mary  Paschal,  now  living  in  Morgan 
county;  Sarah  Kuhlman,  living  near  Vir- 
ginia, this  county;  William,  a  farmer  in  But- 
ler county,  Kansas;  and  Charles,  who  has 
never  been  married.  He  is  a  sound  Repub- 
lican of  good  habits  and  sound  principles. 
He  has  been  a  very  successful  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  and  now  owns  a  fine  farm  of  160 
acres,  well  improved  and  with  a  fine  set  of 
farm  buildings.  The  place  has  been  his  own 
for  fifteen  years,  and  is  where  he  was  born 
and  resides. 


>MAZIAH  C.  EDGAR  was  born  at  Vir- 
ginia, Cass  county,  Illinois,  May  12, 
1845.  His  father,  George  Edgar,  was 
a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Kentucky,  and 
was  there  reared  and  married;  he  emigrated 
to  Illinois  at  an  early  day,  and  was  one  of 
the  honored  pioneers  of  Schuyler  county. 
After  a  few  years  he  removed  to  Cass  county, 


Illinois,  and  located  at  Virginia,  engaging  in 
fanning  near  that  place.  In  1849,  when  the 
gold  fever  swept  this  country,  he  joined  the 
train  of  emigrants  journeying  to  the  Pacific 
coast.  He  remained  in  the  Golden  State  six- 
teen years,  and  then  returned  to  Illinois,  and 
resumed  agricultural  pursuits  in  Cass  county; 
his  death  occurred  soon  after  his  return.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Nail,  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  a  daughter  of  Gabriel 
and  Fanny  (Tnttl)  Nail.  To  them  were  born 
four  children:  Martha,  Robert,  Amaziah  C., 
the  subject  of  this  biography,  and  Henrietta. 

Mr.  Edgar  received  his  education  at  Vir- 
ginia, and  in  early  life  was  thrown  upon  his 
own  responsibility;  he  also  assisted  in  the 
support  of  the  family,  and  by  industry  and 
economy  managed  to  save  his  earnings  until 
he  could  get  a  start  in  the  world.  He  resided 
at  Virginia  until  after  his  marriage,  and  then 
removed  to  Macon  county,  Illinois,  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Niantic;  here  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1882, 
when  he  sold  this  land  and  came  to  Rushville, 
where  he  lives  a  retired  life. 

He  has  been  twice  married:  In  1868  he 
was  united  to  Julia  (Carr)  Cook,  a  native  of 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  David 
Carr;  her  first  husband  was  John  Cook,  and 
her  death  occurred  in  1875.  Mr.  Edgar's 
second  marriage  was  in  1878,  to  Eliza  E. 
Ford,  a  native  of  Arkansas  and  a  daughter  of 
Elias  E.  Ford;  her  father  was  a  Kentuckian 
by  birth  and  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Macon 
county,  Illinois;  he  removed  thence  to-  Ar- 
kansas in  search  of  health,  but  soon  returned 
and  now  lives  a  retired  life  at  Niantic;  he 
married  Sarah  McDonald,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
Mrs.  Edgar  died  at  Las  Vegas,  New  Mexico, 
April  23,  1892,  on  the  thirty-fourth  anniver- 
sary of  her  birth ;  she  had  gone  there  in  quest 
of  health,  but  the  hand  of  death  was  laid 


138 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


upon  her,  and  she  was  called  from  this  life  to 
the  reality  of  the  future.  She  was  the  mother 
of  two  children:  Effie  May  and  Ballinger. 
Mr.  Edgar  had  one  child  by  his  first  marriage, 
named  Nevada.  Politically  he  has  always 
been  a  Democrat,  and  a  stanch  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  the  party.  He  represented 
Niantie  on  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors 
for  six  years,  and  as  a  member  of  the  County 
Central  Committee.  He  was  president  of  the 
Macon  County  Fair  Association  four  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  Rushville  Lodge,  No.  9, 
A.  F.  and  A.  M.  In  all  the  walks  of  life  his 
action  has  been  characterized  by  that  integrity 
and  honor  which  insures  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  the  entire  community. 


fONATHAN  PATTESON  was  born  in 
State  of  Virginia,  June  1,  1797.  His 
father  was  Charles  Patteson,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  who  removed  from  that 
State  to  Green  county,  Kentucky  about  the 
year  1800,  and  was  thus  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  that  locality.  He  bought  a  tract  of  timber 
land,  and  erected  thereon  a  log  cabin,  in  which 
were  domiciled  the  family.  They  were  in  a 
wilderness  and  were  compelled  to  live  off  the 
products  of  their  little  place  and  the  game 
that  was  found  in  abundance  in  the  woods. 
Mr.  Patteson  was  an  owner  of  slaves,  and  they 
cultivated  flax  and  cotton,  and  used  to  card, 
spin  and  weave  all  the  cloth  for  the  entire 
family.  They  were  compelled  to  be  self-sup- 
porting, and  knew  little  of  the  outside  world 
because  railroads  were  unheard  of,  newspapers 
rarely  seen,  and  even  steamboats  had  but  just 
been  heard  of.  He  continued  to  reside  in 
Green  county  until  his  death.  His  wife, 
the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  Regina  De- 
Graphenreidt,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 


who  died  when  our  subject  was  but  four  years 
of  age. 

Our  subject,  Jonathan  Patteson,  is  the  only 
survivor  of  a  family  of  six  children.  He  was 
reared  on  the  farm  in  Kentucky  and  was  there 
married.  At  quite  an  early  age  he  went  to 
live  with  a  merchant  in  Columbia,  Adair 
county,  and  there  he  remained,  clerking  in  a 
store,  until  he  was  married.  He  then  went 
to  that  part  of  Adair  county  now  included  in 
Russell  county,  and  took  charge  of  a  paper 
mill.  Soon  after  his  location  there,  Russell 
county  was  organized,  and  the  first  court  was 
held  in  his  house.  He  lived  there  until  1837, 
at  which  time  he  came  to  Illinois.  While  in 
Kentucky  he  lived  on  a  small  stream,  six  miles 
from  the  Cumberland  river.  This  little  stream 
was  known  as  Greasy  creek.  He  built  a  flat 
boat,  and  himself  and  family,  accompanied  by 
Thomas  J.  Garrett,  floated  down  to  the  Cum- 
berland river  and  there  took  a  steamer  and 
continued  on  down  to  the  Ohio,  thence  down 
to  the  Misssissippi,  thence  up  the  Mississippi 
and  Illinois  rivers,  stopping  at  Erie  (now 
Frederick),  Schuyler  county.  This  country 
was  then  an  utter  wilderness,  tilled  with  wild 
animals  and  with  a  few  scattering  pioneers, 
almost  as  wild  as  the  animals.  He  bought  a 
tract  of  160  acres,  two  miles  east  of  town, 
covered  with  heavy  timber,  upon  which  two 
log  cabins  had  been  erected  and  a  few  acres 
cleared  by  the  former  owner.  He  paid  $2,- 
000  for  the  entire  tract,  which  was  then  con- 
sidered a  very  high  price.  Here  he  lived 
and  labored  until  1871,  when  he  came  to 
Rushville  and  has  since  lived  there  retired 
from  active  business.  He  is  the  oldest  man 
now  living  in  Schuyler  county.  Generally 
his  health  has  been  good,  but  of  late  years  he 
has  suffered  with  rheumatism,  though  his 
mind  and  memory  are  yet  well  preserved. 
During  his  long  life  he  has  witnessed  the  in- 


SCHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


139 


trod  action  of  railroads  and  steamboats,  tele- 
graph lines,  and  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  as 
he  passed  through  Louisville,  he  traded  for 
two  stoves,  the  first  ever  brought  to  Schnyler 
county.  They  were  rough,  primitive  affairs, 
which  would  now  sell  for  about  three  dollars, 
but  for  which  he  paid  the  sum  of  seventy 
dollars.-  In  1822  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Matilda  Caldwell,  a  native  of  Columbia,  Ken- 
tucky, and  a  daughter  of  William  aud  Eliza 
(Pyles)  Caldwell.  To  himself  and  wife  have 
been  born  seven  children:  Eliza  M.,  Charles 
JR.,  William  C.,  Harriet  J.,  Laura,  Matilda 
and  Louisa  Caroline.  Of  these  children  all 
are  living  except  the  daughter,  Laura,  who 
died  in  1872. 


§EONIDAS  SCOTT,  one  of  the  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Rushville,  Schnyler 
county,  Illinois,  is  a  native  of  this  county, 
born  September  7,  1855  (for  family  history, 
see  sketch  of  Mrs.  T.  W.  Scott).  He  was 
united  in  marriage  March  25,  1874,  to  Me- 
linda  B.  Demaree,  a  native  of  Mercer  county, 
Kentucky,  born  August  9,  1855.  Her  par- 
ents, Hold  man  and  Martha  J.  Demaree,  were 
also  natives  of  Mercer  county,  Kentucky. 
They  emigrated  to  Schuyler  county  in  1857, 
and  bought  land  on  which  they  lived  until 
death;  they  had  born  to  them  eight  children, 
six  of  whom  are  living.  Mrs.  Scott's  grand- 
parents were  Virginians  by  birth,  and  were 
among  the  pioneers  of  Kentucky. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  have  two  children: 
Laura  B.  was  born  March  18,  1876,  and 
Catherine,  born  August  16,  1888.  Mr.  Scott 
passed  an  uneventful  youth,  being  reared  to 
the  occupation  of  a  farmer;  after  his  marriage 
he  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  1887, 
when  he  purchased  his  present  residence  in 
Rushville.  He  rents  his  farm,  which  consists 


of  200  acres,  and  devotes  his  time  to  the 
breeding  of  fine  horses.  Netty  Thorn  is  a 
very  line  animal  belonging  to  his  stables,  and 
he  has  sent  out  some  of  the  most  promising 
horses  that  are  on  the  turf  to-day. 

Our  worthy  subject  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  order.  His  wife  belongs  to  the 
Christian  Church.  They  are  giving  their 
children  a  good  education,  and  are  thus  pro- 
viding them  with  a  legacy  of  which  no  man 
can  defraud  them. 


S  REDE  RICK  E.  BERRY,  one  of  the 
managers  of  the  National  Union  store 
at  Rushville,  was  born  in  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  December  23, 1841,  a  son  of 
Daniel  and  Msry  A.  (Crow)  Berry,  natives  of 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania.  Samuel 
Berry,  the  paternal  grandfather,  was  also  a 
resident  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Daniel  Berry  was  reared  to  the  occupation  of 
a  farmer;  he  emigrated  to  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  in  an  early  day,  and  settled  in  Rush- 
ville township,  where  he  purchased  eighty 
acrea  of  land,  partially  improved;  here  he 
lived  until  his  death  in  1871;  his  widow  still 
resides  on  the  home  farm.  They  had  a  family 
of  nine  children,  all  of  \vhom  grew  to  mature 
years:  William  C.  died  in  Rushville,  leaving 
a  family;  Daniel  died  in  California;  George 
G.  died  at  Tombstone,  Arizona;  Sarah  is  the 
wife  of  Morris  Hobart;  Elizabeth  married 
C.  L.  Easley;  Mary  A.  is  the  wife  of  W.  R. 
Milby;  Frederick  E.  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Martha  M.  is  the  wife  of  A.  V. 
Quinn;  John  S.  died  in  New  York  city; 
Frederick  E.  was  brought  up  amid  rural 
scenes,  and  attended  the  common  schools. 
When  the  great  Civil  war  arose  between  the 


140 


BIOGRAPHICAL     REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


North  and  South,  he  was  not  slow  to  espouse 
the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  May  10,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  State  Govern- 
ment; and  May  24,  1861,  enlisted  for  three 
years  in  Company  G,  Sixteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  spent  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1861  in  Missouri;  in  January,  1862, 
he  went  to  Cairo  and  afterward  joined  Pope's 
army  in  the  siege  of  New  Madrid;  he  partici- 
pated in  the  capture  of  Island  No.  10,  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  and  was  afterward  stationed 
at  Big  Spring,  Mississippi;  next  at  Tuscum- 
bia,  Alabama,  and  took  part  in  the  retreat  of 
Negley's  and  Palmer's  brigades;  next  they 
were  at  Decatnr  and  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
remaining  at  the  latter  place  during  the  two 
months  of  the  siege;  he  was  at  Stone  river, 
at  Nashville,  and  during  the  siege  of  Chatta- 
nooga was  at  Kelly's  Ferry.  January  1,  1864, 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Sixtieth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Tunnel  Hill  and  Buzzard  Roost 
Gap;  he  was  transferred  March  1st  to  the 
Sixteenth  Regiment,  which  he  joined  in  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  and  served  until  May 
2d,  when  he  began  the  Atlanta  campaign;  he 
went  as  far  as  Burnt  Hickory,  and  there  was 
ordered  back,  and  June  13th,  at  Chattanooga, 
was  discharged.  He  returned  to  his  home, 
and  resumed  the  more  peaceful  pursuit  of 
agriculture. 

Mr.  Berry  was  married  January  3,  1867, 
to  Miss  Maggie  Milby,  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Mary  Milby,  a  native  of  Delaware, 
born  January  30,  1845.  He  then  took  charge 
of  his  father's  farm,  which  he  managed  until 
the  fall  of  1891.  In  October  of  that  year  the 
branch  store  of  the  National  Union  Company 
was  organized;  he  was  made  manager  at  Rush- 
ville;  this  company  does  a  general  mercantile 
business,  carries  a  well  selected  stock,  and  is 
worthy  of  the  generous  patronage  received. 


Mr.   Berry  owns  the  old  homestead  left  by 
his  father,  which  consists  of  178  acres. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berry  have  had  born  to  them 
a  family  of  live  children:  Katie  is  the  wife 
of  Miles  Van  Horn;  Anna,  Elizabeth,  Grace 
and  Fred  E.  In  politics  Mr.  Berry  is  inde- 
pendent, although  he  formerly  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  been  Tax  Col- 
lector and  served  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Board.  He  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  has  been  Commanderof  Colonel 
Harney  Post,  No.  131;  he  is  also  a  member 
of  the  A.  ().  U.  "W.,  and  is  Secretary  of  the 
County  Alliance.  He  has  also  been  interested 
in  public  movements,  and  has  been  a  loyal 
supporter  of  home  industries.  He  is  a  man 
of  superior  business  qualifications,  and 
through  strictly  honorable  methods  he  has 
accumulated  considerable  property. 


RS.  WILLIAM  PRICE,  a  resident 
of  Rushville,  Illinois,  has  the  honor 
of  being  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
of  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  her  parents  re- 
moving there  in  1826.  She  was  born  in 
Crawford  county,  Indiana,  October  8,  1816, 
a  daughter  of  Wiliarn  and  Cassie  (Frakes) 
McKee,  whose  history  appears  on  another 
page  of  this  volume.  She  recalls  many  in- 
cidents of  life  on  the  frontier,  and  has  not 
forgotten  the  privations  and  hardships  en- 
dured by  those  who  were  courageous  enough 
to  undertake  to  subdue  the  wild  land  and  con- 
vert it  into  fertile  farms.  She  was  married 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  to  William  Price, 
a  native  of  Tennessee,  born  October  8,  1809, 
a  son  of  Samuel  and  Beersheba  (Atehily) 
Price;  his  father  removed  from  Tennessee  to 
Illinois,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Schuyler  county; 
he  afterward  removed  to  Arkansas,  and  lived 


SCHUYLSR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


141 


there  until  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  when 
he  returned  to  Illinois;  he  spent  his  last  years 
at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Price  in  Rushville. 
William  Price  was  reared  in  his  native  State, 
and  there  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith; 
he  remained  in  Tennessee  until  1830,  when 
he  emigrated  to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death.  At  the  time 
of  his  marriage  lie  settled  on  the  land  now  oc- 
cupied by  Mrs.  Mary  Price,  which  was  the 
gift  of  her  father;  he  followed  his  trade,  and 
at  the  same  time  superintended  the  cultiva- 
tion of  his  farm;  he  made  many  excellent 
improvements,  erecting  good  buildings,  and 
bringing  the  land  to  a  high  state  of  produc- 
tiveness. His  death  occurred  March  21, 
1887. 

Mrs.  Price  has  four  children  living;  John 
married  Margaret  Owen;  George  married 
ErnmaMeador;  Agnes  is  the  wife  of  Oscar 
B.  Hite;  James  F.  married  Nannie  Boden- 
heimer. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Price  adhered  to 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  integrity  of  character,  and 
enjoyed  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  him. 


CHARLES  GOTTHELF  JOKISCH,  an 

old  settler  and  farmer  of  Cass  county, 
now  deceased,  was  born  in  Saxony,  Ger- 
many, February  27,  1819.  He  was  one  of 
nine  children.  His  grandfather,  believing 
that  opportunities  for  young  men  were  better 
in  the  United  States  than  in  Germany,  urged 
his  two  sons  and  their  families  to  emigrate 
to  this  country.  This  they  did  early  in  the 
thirties,  and  began  in  Cass  county  on  Govern- 
ment land,  and  here  the  father  of  Gotthelf 
died  in  what  is  now  Bluff  Springs  precinct, 
at  about  the  age  of  fifty.  He  had  accumulated 


a  tine  property  and  left  an  estate  valued  at 
twenty-rive  thousand  dollars.  His  aged  father 
also  died  here.  (For  fuller  history  of  family 
see  biography  of  William  Jockisch.) 

Charles  Gotthelf  grew  up  an  industrious 
boy,  and  was  ever  afterward  identified  with 
the  best  interests  of  the  county,  but  unfortu- 
nately died  before  he  was  very  old.  In  spite 
of  his  early  death  lie  left  an  estate  that  was 
very  valuable.  His  death  occurred  in  March; 
1874,  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  By 
industry  and  economy  he  first  was  able  to  buy 
a  small  farm,  and  from  time  to  time  increased 
it  until  he  owned  a  property  of  350  acres,  most 
of  it  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  was 
a  quiet,  good  man,  gave  his  en  tire  time  to  his 
business,  never  engaged  in  politics,  except  to 
vote  the  Republican  ticket. 

He  was  married  here  to  Elinore  Carls,  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  November  1,  1846.  Her 
mother  had  died  in  Germany,  arid  she  carne 
to  this  country  with  her  father  and  other 
members  of  the  family  in  1843,  and  has  since 
lived  in  the  borders  of  Cass  county.  (For 
family  history,  bee  biography  of  Louis  M. 
Carls.)  Mrs.  Jokisch  is  the  youngest  of  the 
family  now  living.  She  has  two  brothers, 
George  and  Henry,  both  of  this  county.  She 
is  a  well  preserved  lady  and  very  intelligent. 
She  and  her  husband  were  life-long  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

She  is  the  mother  of  ten  children:  Theophi- 
lus,  Otto,  George  and  Matilda  (Loomis)  are 
deceased;  those  living  are:  Maurice  W.,  a  far- 
mer living  in  Virginia;  Mary  E.,  a  noble 
character,  living  at  home;  Philip  J.,  a  very 
successful  farmer  of  this  township;  Amelia 
Hackman,  a  native  of  this  county;  Edward 
F.,  a  successful  farmer  in  Virginia;  Harry  J., 
now  running  the  homestead,  is  a  well  edu- 
cated farmer.  He  attended  the  high  school 
of  Virginia,  and  also  the  Wesleyan  University 


142 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OA88, 


at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  and  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  School.  He  taught  recently  in  the 
schools  of  Beardstown.  He  is  industrious 
and  knows  how  to  put  his  education  to  good 
use.  He  clings  to  the  same  political  faith  as 
did  his  father,  and  bids  fair  to  do  that  parent 
honor. 


fILLIAM  OETGEN,  one  of  the  old 
settlers  and  successful  farmers  living 
inCass  county,  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  May  31,  1817.  He  came  of  pure 
German  ancestry.  His  father,  G.  Henry, 
was  a  native  of  the  same  place  in  Germany, 
born  in  1787  and  died  December  26,  1820. 
He  was  a  blacksmith,  as  were  all  his  brothers 
and  his  father  before.  They  were  all  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church.  The  name  of 
his  mother  was  Helen  L.  Veslage,  a  native  of 
Hanover,  who  survived  her  first  husband,  and 
in  1823  married  Dr.  J.  C.  A.  Seeger,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1831,  and  in 
1832  was  joined  by  his  wife  and  oar  subject. 
The  family  settled  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsy- 
lvania, in  September,  1832,  where  Mr.  Oetgen 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  Mr.  Oeto-en 

r") 

made  a  quick  passage  of  twenty-eight  days 
and  landed  in  New  York  City.  In  1834  his 
parents  came  to  Beardstown,  and  were  joined 
a  year  later  by  our  subject.  They  both  died 
here,  but  left  no  children:  hence  Mr.  Oetgen 
is  the  only  one  of  his  family  now  living  that 
came  from  Germany.  Mr.  Oetgen  landed  in 
this  county  July  25,  1835.  He  began  here  a 
poor  boy  and  worked  for  years  for  $8  a  month; 
later  he  received  as  much  as  $12.50  a  month, 
and  in  1843  fanned  one  year  as  a  renter,  and 
in  1844  purchased  his  first  land  not  far  from 
Beardstown  city.  This  consisted  of  290 
acres,  which  he  improved,  and  in  1859  he  pur- 


chased 126  acres  on  section  20,  township  18, 
range  11,  where  he  now  lives.  He  later 
added  120  acres,  and  then  seventy  acres  more, 
and  again  eighty  acres,  all  of  which  is  valu- 
able and  some  of  which  is  worth  more  than 
$100  an  acre.  He  has  been  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  county,  and  has  had  all  the 
experiences  of  a  pioneer.  Being  a  smart  and 
intelligent  man  he  has  a  tine  memory,  and 
can  tell  in  a  very  interesting  manner  of  the 
condition  of  things  in  the  past  history  of  the 
county.  He  has  been  a  good  citizen. 

He  was  married,  in  Cass  county,  to  Cathe- 
rine Middlebusher,  born  in  Hanover,  near 
Osnabruck,  December  23,  1826,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1835,  and  to  Cass  county 
with  her  parents,  Adam  and  Petro  N".  (Ket- 
wick)  Middlebusher,  who  died  here  of  cholera 
two  weeks  after  landing  in  Beardstown. 
They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  while  only  in  this  country  a  short  time 
theycame  in  a  day  when  their  names  should 
be  associated  with  the  other  pioneers.  Mrs. 
Oetgen  was  yet  very  young  when  her  parents 
died,  and  was  partly  reared  by  the  mother 
and  step-father  of  Mr.  Oetgen.  She  is  yet 
living.  She  was  married,  April  7,  1843,  to 
Mr.  Oetgen,  and  has  proved  herself  a  good, 
true  wife.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  Mary  and  Hannah  died 
young.  John  recently  died  in  Beardstown, 
leaving  a  wife  and  two  bright  children.  He 
had  been  educated  at  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York,  and  was  book-keeper  for  Henry  Keil. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  promising 
young  man  and  a  worthy  member  of  the 
family.  The  living  are:  Helen  Fricke,  of 
Lafayette  county,  Missouri;  Henry  William, 
who  married  Augusta  Hansmier,  a  farmer  in 
Schuyler  county;  and  George  C.,  who  married 
Henrietta  Reichert,  and  also  on  the  old  home- 
stead; Martha,  wife  of  Louis  Leonhard,  work- 


SGHUYLER    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


143 


ing  Mr.  Oetgen  farm  in  this  township;  and 
Edward  L.,  on  the  home  farm.  The  latter 
was  appointed  in  1890  as  a  census  enumerator 
in  this  county.  The  children  are  all  smart 
and  self-sustaining,  and  are  all  active  Repub- 
licans. 


HERRON,  a  prominent  farmer 
of  Bainbridge   township,  was  born  in 
county  Down,  Ireland,  in  June,  1829, 
a  son  of  Robert  Herron,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  county;  the  paternal  grandfather, 
Eobert  Herron,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  of 
Scotch  ancestry.     The  father  of   our  subject 
learned  the  trade  of   linen  weaver  at  a  time 
when  this  work  was  done  on  hand  looms,  and 
followed  this  occupation   through  life.     He 
married  Mary  Cleland,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Jane  (Bell)  Cleland,  natives  of  Ireland, 
of  Scotch  lineage.     After  the  death  of  her 
husband,  Mrs.  Herron  emigrated  to  America, 
in  1850,  and  spent  the  last  years  of  her  life 
in  Schuyler  county,   Illinois.     She  was  the 
mother   of   eight    children:     Sarah,   Robert, 
Thomas,    Jane,    David,  John,  William    and 
Hugh.     David   Herron   passed  his  youth  in 
his  native  country,   and   there  received   his 
education.     In  1850  he  determined  to  try  his 
fortunes  in  the  New  World,  and  accordingly, 
the  27th  day  of  March,  sailed  from   Belfast 
on  the  vessel  Annie,  and  landed  at  the  port 
of  New  York  after  a  voyage  of    forty-nine 
days.      He  went  directly  to  Ohio,   via  the 
Hudson    river    and  Erie    canal    to    Buffalo, 
and  thence  by  lake  to  Cleveland;  from  that 
city  he  went  by  team  to  Mahoning  county. 
He  began  to  learn  the  tanner's   trade,  but  on 
account  of  ill  health  abandoned  the  plan;  he 
then  went   to   work   in  the  iron  furnaces  and 
continued  there  for  two  years,  after  which  he 


engaged  in  farming;  he  was  employed  by  the 
month  until  1858,  when  he  came  to  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  and  purchased  160  acres  of 
land;  about  eighty  acres  of  this  tract  were 
cleared,  and  a  log  cabin  had  been  built,  which 
was  their  first  Illinois  home.  Mr.  Herron 
has  added  to  his  first  purchase  of  land  until 
he  now  owns  240  acres,  more  than  half  of 
which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation; 
he  has  erected  a  good  set  of  frame  buildings, 
and  has  developed  the  place  into  one  of  the 
most  desirable  in  the  township. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1857,  to  Mary 
Hull,  who  was  born  in  Mahoning  county, 
Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Logan  and  Annie  (Ross) 
Hull,  of  the  same  county;  Mrs.  Herron's 
paternal  grandfather,  Benjamin  Ross,  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  and  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Mahoning  county;  he  was  a  man 
of  much  energy  and  enterprise,  and  erected 
the  first  mill  operated  by  water  power  in 
Mahoning  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herron 
are  the  parents  of  six  children:  Jane,  Thomas, 
Blanche,  Lula,  Mary  A.  and  Robert  L.,  who 
died  in  1865.  They  are  consistent  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Poli- 
tically Mr.  Herron  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 


EORGE  BORDENKIRCHER,  Chair- 
man of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors, 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Ohio,  May  1, 
1842.  His  father  was  named  Wendal,  and 
was  born  in  Germany;  and  his  father,  David, 
was  born  in  Germany,  and  there  married  and 
came  to  America  about  1833  and  settled  in 
Coshocton  county,  Ohio.  He  bought  a  large 
tract  of  land  there,  and  lived  there  until  his 
death.  Wendal  was  eighteen  years  old  when 
he  came  to  America,  and  he  resided  with  his 


144 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


parents  until  his  marriage,  when  his  father 
gave  him  land  in  Coschocton  county,  and  he 
lived  there  until  1851,  when  he  moved  to  In- 
diana and  lived  there  until  1856,  and  then 
came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Mount  Ster- 
ling township,  and  bought  a  tract  of  unim- 
proved land  with  a  set  of  log  buildings  Their 
first  home  was  a  log  hut.  He  quickly  im- 
proved his  land,  erected  frame  buildings  and 
lived  there  until  1878,  when  he  removed  into 
the  city  of  Mount  Sterling,  and  now  lives 
retired.  His  wife's  name  was  Mary  Stous, 
born  in  Germany,  and  came  an  orphan  girl 
to  America.  When  she  died  in  Mount  Ster- 
ling she  left  four  children. 

George  attended  school  both  in  Ohio  and 
Indiana.  He  remained  on  the  farm  with  his 
father  until  his  enlistment,  August  8,  1863, 
in  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  and  remained  with  the 
regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  in 
all  the  various  marches,  campaigns  and  bat- 
tles of  his  regiment.  He  worked  his 
father's  farm  in  1867,  then  bought  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  section  14,  Mount  Sterling 
township,  which  is  included  in  his  present 
farm.  He  has  in  all  180  acres  of  land. 

He  was  married,  April  10,  1866,  to  Floren- 
tine Meyer,  born  in  Alsace,  Germany,  April 
29,  1846.  Her  lather  came  to  America 
in  1851  and  settled  in  Ohio,  and  his  wife  and 
seven  children  followed  him  two  years  later. 
He  followed  his  trade  of  tailor  for  four  years 
in  Cincinnati,  and  then  moved  to  Mount 
Sterling  and  continued  the  business.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  B.  have  six  children  living:  Emily, 
Edward,  Anna,  Albert,  Celestine  and  Freddie. 
Our  subject  with  his  family  is  a  member  of 
the  St.  Joseph  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  is  now  serving  his 
third  term  as  Supervisor  and  second  term  as 
chairman  of  the  board,  and  is  president  of 


the  Brown  County  Agricultural  Society. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Western  Catholic 
Union,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  Society. 


jORTIMER  AYERS,  M.  D.,  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  medical  fraternity 
in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  has  been 
a  resident  of  Rushville  since  October  1,  1873. 
He  was  born  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  June 
35,  1848,  a  son  of  Grover  and  Jane  (Stock- 
dale)  Ayers.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
New  York  state,  born  near  Penn  Yan,  May 
21,  1818,  and  emigrated  to  Wapakoneta, 
Ohio,  with  his  family  at  an  earl}'  day.  There 
he  was  married,  and  in  1844  he  emigrated  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  at  Springfield  ;  here  he 
embarked  in  a  general  mercantile  trade,  which 
he  carried  on  nntil  1862,  when  he  retired 
from  active  life;  he  removed  to  Vermont, 
Fulton  county,  in  1876,  and  there  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  days;  his  death  occurred  in 
1880;  his  wife  survives  him,  and  is  a  resident 
of  Vermont,  Illinois.  He  was  very  prosperous 
in  business  and  accumulated  a  competency. 
In  his  religious  faith  he  was  a  Baptist.  The 
family  consisted  of  five  children:  Bryon  W., 
died  in  Springfield,  Illinois;  Ada  is  the  wife 
of  George  W.  Whitney;  Sylvanus  resides  in 
La  Fayette,  Indiana;  the  fourth  born  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Grover  died  at  Spring- 
field, at  the  age  of  twenty  years. 

Dr.  Ayers  passed  his  boyhood  days  at 
Springfield,  and  attended  the  public  schools 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
entered  the  United  States  Navy  as  midship- 
and served  in  this  capacity  for  three 


man, 


years;  the  greater  portion  of  this  time  was 
spent  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  although  he 
made  several  cruises.  In  1866  he  returned 


SOHUYLEB    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


145 


to  Springfield,  and  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, soon  afterward  going  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  continued  the  pursuit  of  the  science 
under  the  direction  of  Prof.  T.  G.  Comstock. 
He  entered  the  Homeopathic  Medical  College 
of  Missouri  at  St.  Louis,  and  was  graduated 
in  the  spring  of  1868.  He  then  located  at 
Pana,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  practice. 
He  had  not  yet  attained  his  majority,  being 
only  twenty  years  of  age,  and  he  soon  decided 
to  enter  the  navy;  when  he  reached  New 
York,  however,  he  went  on  board  a  merchant 
vessel  as  surgeon,  sailed  to  South  America, 
and  was  absent  three  years.  Returning  to 
the  United  States  at  the  end  of  that  period, 
he  located  at  Rusliville,  Illinois.  He  has 
taken  several  special  courses  in  medicine,  the 
last  of  which  was  at  the  Royal  Ophthalmic 
Hospital,  London,  England;  he  has  been  a 
close  and  careful  student  of  all  topics  per- 
taining to  the  science  and  practice  of  medi- 
cine, and  has  made  his  mark  as  a  skillful 
physician.  He  is  the  only  member  of  the 
Homoepathic  school  in  Rusliville. 

Dr.  Avers  was  united  in  marriage,  July 
15,  1874,  to  Miss  Dora  Hill,  a  daughter  of 
Major  William  Hill,  and  a  native  of  Little- 
ton township,  Schuyler  county.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  Itorn  to  them,  Ethel  and 
Olive.  In  his  religious  faith  the  Doctor  is  a 
Presbyterian.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge, 
chapter  and  commandery ;  he  has  held  the 
office  of  Commander  of  Rusliville  Com- 
mandery, No.  56,  K.  T. 

Major  William  Hill  was  born  in  Lan- 
cashire, England,  June  27,  1825.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  he  emigrated  to 
America,  and  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Schuyler  county  in  1846.  He  was  a  cabinet- 
maker by  trade,  and  followed  this  vocation 
for  ten  years.  He  married  Rachel  Knowles, 


a  daughter  of  Joseph  Knowles,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  with  his  family  aboard  the 
same  vessel  with  the  Major.  After  abandon- 
ing his  trade  he  was  interested  in  a  flouring 
mill,  but  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  was 
one  of  the  first  to  respond  to  the  call  for 
troops;  he  raised  a  company,  which  was 
mustered  into  the  service  as  part  of  the  En- 
gineer's Regiment  of  the  West;  he  was 
elected  Captain,  served  through  the  entire 
conflict,  and  was  mustered  out  with  the  rank 
of  Lieutenant  Colonel  by  brevet;  he  had 
arisen  in  regular  order  to  the  rank  of  Major. 
After  the  war  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  J.  &  J.  Knowles  &  Co.,  and  was  con- 
nected with  this  firm  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  March  25,  1877.  His  wife  died 
April  12,  1877.  They  had  a  family  of  five 
Children,  four  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years: 
Maria,  wife  of  C.  M.  Cowan,  of  York,  Ne- 
braska; Mary  A.  is  Deputy  County  Clerk  of 
York  county,  Nebraska;  Dora  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  M.  Ayers;  Laura  was  the  wife  of  the  late 
Luther  Jackson,  of  Rushville. 

Major  Hill  was  a  staunch  Republican,  and 
took  a  prominent  part  in  local  affairs.  He 
was  a  man  of  plain  and  unpretentious  manner, 
true  to  his  convictions,  and  worthy  of  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held. 


[ARL  TRAUGOTT  JOKISCH,  a  good 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  sections 
twenty-eight  and  twenty  nine,  township 
eighteen,  range  eleven  west,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many near  Bautzen,  January  4,  1822.  He 
is  the  fifth  of  his  father's  children  and 
the  oldest  one  now  living.  He  was  thirteen 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  left  Germany 
for  the  United  States  in  the  fall  of  1834,  com- 
ing on  a  sailing  vessel  and  landing  in  New 


146 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


Orleans,  January  1,  1835.  They  came  up 
the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers  to  Beards- 
town,  landing  February  2,  1835,  and  have  as 
a  family  since  been  identified  with  the  history 
of  the  county.  The  mother  died  in  the  latter 
part  of  January,  1835,  at  St.  Louis,  while  the 
family  were  on  the  way.  She  was  only  forty 
two  years  of  age.  She  was  always  a  member 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  as  was  her 
husband  who  survived  her. 

Traugott  has  always  been  a  farmer  in  the 
county  to  which  he  came  so  many  years  ago. 
He  was  raised  by  an  uncle,  C.  G.  Jokisch, 
now  deceased,  the  father  having  died  in  1851. 
The  father  had  obtained  new  lands  in  this 
county  and  here  spent  the  remaining  years 
of  his  life.  (See  William  Jokisch,  this 
book.) 

The  farm  of  our  subject  has  a  beautiful  lo- 
cation near  Bluff  Springs,  in  the  Illinois  river 
valley,  where  he  owns  a  tine  and  well  im- 
proved farm  of  235  acres,  with  substantial 
farm  buildings. 

He  was  married,  in  this  county  to  Mary 
Ellen  Carls,  born  in  Hanover  in  1834.  She 
came  with  her  parents  to  the  United  States 
and  Cass  county  in  1845  and  has  since  lived 
here,  being  a  true  helpmate  to  a  good  hus- 
band. She  is  an  honest,  good  woman.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  John  Frederick  and 
Elizabeth  Carls,  natives  of  Hanover,  who 
came  with  their  family  to  this  country,  but 
misfortune  overtook  them.  Early  after  land- 
ing the  father  was  killed  by  an  accident  while 
building  a  house  for  his  family  in  Beards- 
town.  A  piece  of  timber  fell  on  him  and 
caused  his  death.  He  was  then  in  the  prime 
of  life,  being  then  about  thirty-eight.  He 
was  a  very  skillful  cabinet-maker,  a  good 
citizen  and  devoted  Christian  for  many  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  four  years  and 
then  died,  in  Beardstown,  in  1849,  of  the 


cholera,  which  was  epidemic  at  that  time. 
She  was  a  Christian  woman. 

Mrs.  Jokisch  has  one  sister  and  two 
brothers.  The  sister,  a  widow,  is  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Kuhl,  living  in  Pekin,  Illinois;  Henry 
is  a  farmer  in  Montana;  and  John  F.  is  a 
farmer  in  Cass  county,  Illinois.  They  are 
both  married. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jokisch  and  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  are  very 
good,  moral,  upright  people.  Mr.  Jokisch  is 
a  Republican  in  politics.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jokisch  are  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
four  of  whom  are  deceased:  John  W.  died  an 
infant;  Edward,  married,  left  a  wife  and  one 
child;  Philipena  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six, 
leaving  two  children;  Ida  died  in  Montana 
when  twenty  years  of  age.  The  living  ones 
are:  Louis,  a  teacher  for  more  than  twenty 
years  in  Central  Illinois,  and  is  single;  Emme, 
wife  of  Charles  Wilson,  farmer  and  fruit- 
grower of  Virginia;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Adam 
Hegeman,  farmer  in  this  county;  Albert  W., 
living  near  the  homestead,  farming;  George 
F.,  living  in  the  east  end  of  the  county  on  a 
farm;  Richard,  at  home,  helping  on  the  farm; 
Cora  and  Tillie  are  also  at  home. 


L.  CALEF,  one  of  the  old,  representa- 
tive families  of  Cass  county,  lives  on 
a  fine  farm  on  section  nine,  township 
eighteen,  range  eleven,  where  he  owns  320 
acres,  all  well  improved  except  a  few  acres, 
and  all  lying  in  the  familiar  and  famous 
Sangamon  bottom.  On  this  tine  land  he  has 
erected  two  sets  of  tine  buildings.  He  came 
to  the  county  in  the  fall  of  1844,  when  he 
was  a  man  of  small  means,  but  in  a  year's 
time  he  was  able  to  purchase  his  first  land  of 
eighty  acres  and  began  to  farm  on  his  own 


SG SUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


147 


account.  Soon  after  this  he  bought  another 
eighty,  and  some  years  later  invested  in  160 
acres  more,  making  320  acres  in  all.  He  has 
as  fine  land  as  there  is  in  the  county,  and  it 
is  all  paid  for.  He  has  a  comfortable  bank 
account  in  addition,  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  well-to-do  men  of  the  county.  He  gave 
up  active  farming  some  fifteen  years  ago, 
and  since  that  time  has  been  taking  life  easy, 
having  rented  his  farm  to  William  Coleman 
(see  biography).  Mr.  Calef  came  to  this 
county  and  State  from  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  was  born,  near  Plainfield,  Sullivan 
county,  June  25,  1820.  He  came  of  New 
England  parents,  born  in  New  Hampshire, 
of  English  ancestry.  His  father,  Nathaniel 
Calef,  was  a  native  of  Salisbury,  New  Hamp- 
shire, son  of  Benjamin  Calef,  who  was  born 
in  New  Hampshire,  and  lived  and  died  in 
Salisbury,  New  Hampshire,  being  a  farmer 
all  his  life.  He  was  an  old  man  when  he 
died,  and  had  always  been  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  society.  He  married  a  New  Hamp- 
shire lady  who  li  ed  and  died  there  when 
quite  old.  Nathaniel  Calef  was  married 
twice.  He  was  married  for  the  first  time  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Hall,  who  died  on  the  farm 
where  they  had  settled  after  marriage.  She 
left  several  children,  of  whom  John  Hall  Ca- 
lef is  still  living.  He  is  on  the  old  Calef 
farm  in  New  Hampshire,  and  is  an  old  man, 
aged  eighty-six.  His  second  wife,  mother 
of  subject,  was  Sarah  Pettengill,  she  having 
been  first  married  and  borne  a  family  to  a 
Mr.  Little,  who  died,  and  she  married  Na- 
thaniel Calef,  to  whom  she  proved  a  good 
and  faithful  wife.  She  bore  him  our  subject 
and  a  daughter,  Lucinda,  who  became  Mrs. 
Harrington,  and  died  in  New  Hampshire,  as 
did  her  mother,  both  old  people.  Nathaniel 
Calef,  the  oldest  half-brother  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 


Our  subject  was  married  in  Cass  county 
to  Lucy  A.  Main.  She  was  born,  reared  and 
educated  in  Geanga  county,  Ohio,  in  1829, 
and  came  to  Illinois  when  young,  settling  on 
a  farm  in  Cass  county  with  her  parents,  Lod- 
rick  and  Ann  Eliza  (Beard)  Main.  They 
were  early  settlers  and  improved  their  farm, 
and  died  when  old  people.  They  were  na- 
tives of  Connecticut  and  went  to  Ohio  when 
young,  marrying  in  Geuaga  county,  from 
which  they  came  to  Cass  county,  Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calef  have  no  children, 
but  have  raised  and  helped  several  young 
people.  They  are  very  well  known  people 
and  have  made  a  host  of  friends  for  them- 
selves during  their  lives  in  this  county. 
Mrs.  Calef  is  a  Methodist,  and  her  husband  is 
a  Republican  in  politics. 


fOHN  SHANK,  a  successful  farmer,  hor- 
ticulturist and  florist,  and  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Mount  Sterling,  Illinois,  was 
born  in  Frauklin,  Johnson  county,  Indiana, 
July  11,  1843.  His  paternal  grandparents 
were  John  and  Catherine  (Dosing)  Shank, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  of 
German  descent,  while  the  latter  was  of 
French  ancestry.  The  former  was  an  early 
settler  of  Ohio,  when  that  State  was  the  fron- 
tier of  civilization,  his  last  days  having  been 
passed  at  his  home  in  Preble  county,  near 
Eaton,  that  State.  His  son,  William  Shank, 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county,  Virginia,  in 
May,  1821,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  death.  After  this 
event  his  mother  removed  with  her  family  to 
Indiana,  and  located  in  Johnson  county,  near 
Morgan  sville.  Here  William  Shank  grew  to 
manhood,  and,  in  1842,  married  Julia  E.  Me- 


148 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


Cord,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Her  parents 
were  John  and  Mary  (Brown)  McCord,  both 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  who  emigrated  in  an 
early  day  from  Virginia  to  Tennessee,  whence, 
about  the  year  1836,  they  removed  to  In- 
diana. They  resided  in  that  State  nearly 
twenty  years,  when  finally,  in  1855,  they  re- 
moved to  Illinois.  Here  the  father  pur- 
chased land  in  Moultrie  county,  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Bethany,  on  which  he  and  his  wife 
settled,  and  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1865,  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him.  Will- 
iam Shank  and  his  young  wife  preceded  her 
parents  to  Illinois  by  eleven  years,  having 
removed  thence  in  1844,  two  years  after  their 
marriage.  They  settled  in  Pea  Ridge  town- 
ship, Brown  county,  where  William  bought 
a  tract  of  land,  a  portion  of  which  was  heav- 
ily timbered.  Here  they  resided  for  many 
years,  the  wife,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  dying  in  1889,  universally  beloved 
and  mourned. 

John  Shank,  whose  name  heads  this  biog- 
raphy, was  thus  about  a  year  old  when  his 
parents  removed  to  the  Prairie  State>  which 
was  then  new  and  sparsely  settled.  Here,  in 
the  freedom  of  a  wild  expanse,  he  grew  to 
manhood, — physically  strong  and  athletic, 
and  mentally  acute  and  active,— receiving 
the  educational  advantages  afforded  by  his 
surroundings  and  circumstances. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  great  Civil  war, 
with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  youth  and  patriot- 
ism, he  rallied  to  the  defense  of  his  country's 
flag,  enlisting  in  Company  B,  Fiftieth  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  on  August  20,  1861,  and 
serving  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  most 
important  engagements  in  which  he  partici- 
pated were  the  siege  of  Corinth,  Shiloh,  Co- 
rinth and  Resaca.  In  January,  1864,  he 
re-enlisted  or  veteranized,  and  was  given  a 
furlough  of  thirty  days.  After  the  battle  of 


Resaca,  at  Rome,  Georgia,  he  was  placed  on 
detached  duty  in  the  Commissary  Depart- 
ment of  General  Sherman's  army,  where  he 
continued  until  cessation  of  hostilities.  He 
was  honorably  discharged  with  his  regiment 
at  Springfield,  Illinois,  on  July  14,  1865. 

He  then,  like  thousands  of  others,  resumed 
his  former  peaceful  occupations,  engaging, 
during  the  first  year  of  his  return,  in  farm- 
ing. Later,  he  embarked  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits at  Clayton,  Illinois,  remaining  there  for 
about  three  years,  when  he  sold  his  business 
and  acted  as  traveling  salesman  for  about 
eight  years,  making  Clayton  his  home.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  period,  he  bought  a  part  of  his 
father's  land  in  Pea  Ridge  township,  and, 
discontinuing  traveling,  he  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming,  making  a  specialty  of  horti- 
culture. In  1874  he  engaged  in  the  nursery 
business  and  raising  of  small  fruits,  in  which 
he  continued  successfully  for  some  time. 
Finally,  in  1884,  he  removed  to  Mount  Ster- 
ling, the  county  seat,  his  present  home,  where 
lie  continued  the  nursery  and  fruit  business, 
to  which  he  later  added  that  of  floriculture. 
His  natural  adaptability  and  careful  attention 
to  business  have  resulted  in  well-merited  suc- 
cess, while  his  liberal  methods  and  uniform 
courtesy  have  secured  for  him  a  constantly 
increasing  patronage,  until  he  now  realizes  a 
comfortable  income  from  these  various  indus- 
tries. 

Mr.  Shank  was  married  in  1867,  to  Miss 
Sue  Mead,  an  estimable  lady  and  a  native  of 
Morgan  county,  Ohio.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Zaccheus  and  Margaret  (Logue)  Mead,  the 
former  a  native  of  New  York,  where  he  was 
reared  and  married.  He  and  his  wife  were 
prominent  and  esteemed  pioneers  of  Morgan 
county,  Ohio,  where  they  resided  many  years, 
the  father  finally  expiring  there,  regretted  by 
his  family  and  many  friends.  The  mother 


SOHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


149 


still  survives,  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Shank. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shank  have  four  children: 
Jesse  E.,  Samuel  M.,  Nora  A.  and  Joe  H. 

Politically,  Mr.  Shank  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party.  Religiously,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  while  his 
wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  de- 
nomination. Both  are  esteemed  residents  of 
Mount  Sterling,  to  the  social  and  financial 
status  of  which  they  have  given  material  aid 
by  their  energy,  public  spirit  and  sterling 
worth. 


(EORGE  W.  TRONE,  one  of  the  most 
practical  and  progressive  farmers  of 
Schuyler  county,  has  resided  here  since 
he  was  a  youth  of  fifteen  years.  He  was  born 
in  Carroll  county,  Maryland,  April  4,  1849, 
a  son  of  Adam  Trone,  a  native  of  York 
county,  Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  a 
miller  by  trade,  and  followed  that  vocation 
in  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland;  he  settled  in 
Carroll  county  before  his  marriage,  and  re- 
sided there  until  1858,  when  he  removed  to 
Illinois  and  settled  at  Astoria.  Fulton  county; 
there  he  operated  a  mill  until  1863,  when  he 
invested  in  land  in  Rushville  township;  the 
remainder  of  his  life  was  devoted  to  agricult- 
ure. He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rebecca 
Erb,  a  native  of  Carroll  county,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Erb.  The  paternal  ancestors  of 
our  subject  were  of  German  extraction,  while 
those  on  the  mother's  side  were  of  Irish  ori- 
gin. Mrs.  Trone  still  resides  on  the  farm  in 
Rushville  township.  George  W.  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  at  Astoria  and  in  Rushville  town- 
ship. When  but  a  boy  he  began  to  assist  his 
father  in  the  mill,  but  he  preferred  farming, 
and  did  not  follow  the  trade  any  length  of 


time.  After  the  family  removed  to  Rushville 
township  he  was  occupied  on  the  farm  until 
he  attained  his  majority. 

In  1871  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Bain- 
bridge  township,  one-half  of  which  he  sold 
afterward.  In  1880  he  purchased  the  farm 
he  now  occupies;  it  consists  of  150  acres  of 
land  in  Rnshville  township,  and  the  most  of 
it  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  In  1883 
he  sold  fifty-three  acres.  Mr.  Trone  devotes 
his  entire  time  to  farming  and  stock-raising; 
he  breeds  high-class  registered  stock,  and  fre- 
quently exhibits  at  the  county  and  State  fairs, 
and  as  frequently  carries  off  the  prizes. 

He  was  married  in  1874  to  Sarah  R.  Boise, 
a  native  of  Rushville  township  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Matthew  Boise;  they  have  three  chil- 
dren: Libbie  E.,  George  Carl  and  Earl  R. 
The  mother  is  a  worthy  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Politically, 
Mr.  Trone  affiliates  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

,ENSSELAER  WELLS  was  born  in  Lo- 
rain  county,  Ohio,  February  22,  1823. 
He  was  the  son  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth 
(Durand)  Wells.  The  latter  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  came  to  Illinois  when  subject 
was  eleven  years  old,  and  settled  in  Littleton 
township,  this  county,  and  died  at  Rushville, 
aged  sixty-five  years.  His  wife  was  born  in 
the  same  county  as  her  son,  and  she  died  on 
the  old  farm,  aged  thirty-five. 

Subject  remained  at  home  until  his  mar- 
riage, when  he  bought  his  present  farm  and 
put  up  a  log  cabin,  where  they  lived  for  sev- 
eral years,  until  he  built  the  frame  house  in 
which  they  lived  until  1871.  He  then  built 
their  present  fine  residence,  which  cost 
$3,500.  He  has  now  about  500  acres  of  land, 
where  he  carries  on  mixed  farming,  and  he 


150 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


has  made  this  farm  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
county. 

He  was  married  in  1844,  to  Rebecca  Rose, 
born  in  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  daughter  of 
Randolph  and  Rebecca  (Bazier)  Rose,  the 
latter  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  .Rose  died  in 
this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers,  and  Mrs.  Wells  was  one 
of  eight  children,  five  yet  living.  Mr. 
Wells  is  one  of  seven  children,  two  yet 
living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren: George,  married  and  has  three  chil- 
dren, Randolph,  married  and  has  two  chil- 
dren; William,  at  home;  David,  married 
and  has  two  children;  Charles,  married  and 
has  one  child;  Mary  A.,  single  and  at  home. 
They  have  all  been  well  educated.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wells  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  Mr.  Wells  is  a  Democrat,  voting 
first  in  1844.  He  takes  no  active  part  in 
politics. 

He  traces  his  grandfather  Durand  back  to 
his  residence  in  France,  of  which  country  he 
was  a  native,  first  settling  in  Ohio,  where  he 
died  when  a  very  old  man. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  are  very  good  people, 
and  are  highly  respected  by  all  who  have  the 
pleasure  of  knowing  them. 


JOHN  C.  BAGBY,  attorney  at 
law,  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Barren  coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  January  24,  1819.  His 
father  was  Rev.  Sylvanus  M.  Bagby,  a  native 
of  Louisa  county,  Virginia,  born  September 
29,  1787.  His  grandfather  was  Richard 
Bagby,  a  native  of  the  same  county,  and  his 
great  grandfather  was  John  Bagby,  a  native 
of  Scotland,  who  went  from  there  to  Wales, 
where  he  married  and  lived  a  number  of  years, 


and  then  came  to  America  in  colonial  times, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  and  settled  in 
Virginia.  He  settled  in  Louisa  county, 
where  he  became  a  prominent  planter  and 
slave  owner.  Richard  Bagby,  the  son  of 
John  Bagby,  and  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  also  a  planter  and  passed  his  entire  life 
in  Louisa  county.  His  wife  was  Miss  Sarah 
Kimbrongh,  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion 
and  of  Welsh  descent.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  Sylvanus  M.  Bagby,  was  left  an  or- 
phan at  an  early  age  and  was  cared  tor  by 
an  uncle,  John  Bagby,  of  Rocbkridge  county, 
Virginia.  He  learned  the  carpenter  trade, 
and  in  1808  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Glasgow.  While 
there,  in  June,  1813,  he  married  Miss  Fran- 
ces S.  Courts,  a  native  of  Caroline  county, 
Virginia,  born  May  17,  1793,  her  father, 
John  Courts,  being  a  native  of  England,  and 
an  early  emigrant  to  Virginia.  His  wife 
was  Frances  Winn,  a  native  of  Culpeper, 
Virginia. 

Sylvanus  M.  Bagby  was  converted  in  early 
youth  and  joined  the  Baptist  Church.  He 
became  a  preacher  of  that  demonination,  but 
did  not  give  up  his  trade  as  a  carpenter,  which 
he  followed  during  the  week,  preaching,  on 
Sundays.  He  remained  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church  until  1828,  when  he  accepted 
the  religious  doctrines  of  Alexander  Camp- 
bell, whom  he  assisted  in  organizing  a  Chris- 
tian Church  in  Barren  county,  and  was  from 
that  time  forward  a  minister  of  that  denom- 
ination. He  resided  in  Glasgow  until  1842, 
when,  with  his  wife  and  eight  daughters,  he 
journeyed  overland  to  Illinois,  stopping  at 
Rushville,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business.  Later  he  purchased  a  farm,  a 
portion  of  which  is  now  included  in  the  city, 
upon  which  is  located  the  railroad  depot.  He 
died  in  1848,  having  lived  a  useful,  pious  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


151 


honorable  life.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1858. 
She  reared  ten  children  as  follows:  Albert  K., 
who  still  resides  in  Glasgow;  Martha  A.  Hall; 
Frances  H.  Montgomery;  Clara  Ramsey; 
Sarah  C. ;  Elizabeth  Lusk;  Mary  M.  Doyle; 
Emily  C.,  Zorelda  VanHosen,  and  our  sub- 
ject, John  C. 

In  the  school  of  Barren  county  our  sub- 
ject, John  C.  Bagby,  was  educated,  supple- 
menting the  same  by  an  attendance  at  Bacon 
College,  which  at  that  time  was  located  in 
Georgetown,  but  later  was  removed  to  Har- 
rodsburg.  He  continued  at  this  college  until 
his  graduation  as  a  civil  engineer,  in  1840, 
when  he  returned  to  Glasgow,  and  taught 
school  tive  years,  devoting  his  spare  moments 
to  the  study  of  law  with  Judge  Christopher 
Tompkins  of  that  town.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1846  and  in  April  of  that  year 
came  to  Rnshville  and  began  the  practice. 
In  1847  he  formed  a  partnersiiip  with  William 
A.  Minsliall,  which  partnership  continued  until 
1848,  when  Mr.  Minshall  was  elected  Circuit 
Judge.  Mr.  Bagby,  with  the  exception  of 
the  time  spent  in  Congress,  continued  the 
practice  of  law  until  he  was  elected  Circuit 
Judge  in  1885.  He  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  William  Henry  Harrison,  and  was  a 
prominent  Whig  and  Free  Soiler  until  1856, 
when  he  was  one  of  seven  to  organize  the 
Republican  party  in  this  county.  He  con- 
tinued a  Republican  until  1872,  when  he 
branched  off  and  voted  for  Horace  Greeley, 
since  which  event  he  has  affiliated  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  filled  various 
offices  of  trust,  and  in  1874  was  elected  a 
member  of  Congress.  He  served  as  Circuit 
Judge  six  years,  entering  upon  his  duties  in 
1885.  He  has  been  a  member  of  Rushville 
Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  for  forty-six 
years,  and  was  Master  of  the  lodge  eleven 
terms.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Sta- 


pleton  Chapter,  .No.  9,  R.  A.  M.,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  order  of  the  Sons  of 
Temperance.  On  October  1,  1850,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  A.  Scripps,  a  native  of  Cape 
Girardeau  county,  Missouri,  and  daughter  of 
George  H.  and  Mary  (Hyler)  Scripps.  They 
have  been  blessed  with  nine  children:  Mary 
Frances;  John  S. ;  Virginia  Ellen,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  eleven  years;  Albert;  Morris; 
George  Henry,  who  died  aged  twenty-seven 
years;  William  Ray,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Catherine  B. ;  Arthur  F.  and  Edwin  H. 


,ENRY  CRASKE,  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Equalization,  a  resident  of 
Rnshville,  and  one  of  its  most  promin- 
ent citizens,  was  born  in  Bury  St.  Edmunds, 
Suffolk  county,  England,  September  26,  1845. 
His  father,  -James  Craske,  was  born  in  the 
same  place,  January  4,  1798,  and  his  grand- 
father was  also  a  native  of  England,  where  he 
passed  his  entire  life.  James  Craske  was 
the  only  one  of  his  children  to  come  to 
America.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  land  and  lived  there  until  1862,  when 
he  came  to  this  country  and  located  at  Little 
Falls,  New  York,  where  he  still  lives,  at  the 
unusual  age  of  ninety-four  years.  His  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Eliza  Clark,  a  native  of 
Barton  Mills,  England,  and  died  in  Bury 
St.  Edmunds,  of  the  same  country,  in  1849. 
Her  children  were  named  Marianne,  Sarah, 
James,  Caroline,  Elizabeth  and  Henry,  all  of 
whom  were  reared  to  maturity. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  and  the  young- 
est of  the  family  was  educated  in  the  public- 
schools  of  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  and  when  fif- 
teen years  of  age  joined  his  older  brother  and 
sisters  in  America,  He  located  in  York 
State,  where  he  continued  to  reside.  On  Sep- 


152 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    C1AS8, 


tetnber  5,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  New  York 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  with  dis- 
tinction until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  in  the  Second  Army  Corps,  of  the 
second  division,  and  at  different  times  was 
connected  with  the  First,  Second  and  Third 
Brigades.  At  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness, 

o 

May  6,  1863,  he  was  wounded  in  the  head  by 
a  minie  ball  while  charging  the  enemy's 
lines,  a  portion  of  his  skull  being  torn  away. 
On  the  following  day  he  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy  and  lay  on  the  field  without 
medical  attendance  for  fourteen  days.  The 
provisions  of  the  rebels  ran  short  and  they 
sent  word  to  the  Federal  commander  that  he 
might  supply  his  wounded  with  food  and 
medicine.  Consequently  a  forage  train  was 
sent  upon  the  field  when  Mr.  Craske  man- 
aged to  crawl  aboard  and  in  that  way  escape  to 
the  Union  lines.  He  remained  in  the  hos- 
pital until  the  last  of  June,  when  he  joined 
his  regiment  and  remained  with  it  in  all  its 
campaigns,  marches  and  battles  until  he  was 
honorably  discharged,  July  14,  1865. 

Upon  the  termination  of  his  military 
career  he  returned  to  York  State  and  on 
December  23,  1865,  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ellen  Maria  Jones,  a  native  of  Little 
Falls  and  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Jane 
Jones,  born  respectively  in  England  and 
New  York.  On  the  23d  of  April,  1866,  he 
came  West,  and  located  in  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, and  there  followed  his  trade,  that  of  a 
dyer,  until  March  28,  1868,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Rushville  and  resumed  his  trade, 
continuing  until  1870,  when  he  went  to 
Decatur  and  lived  a  year  and  a  half  and 
then  returned  to  Rushville  and  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business  and  in  buying  and  ship- 
ing  produce  to  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  New 
York  and  Boston,  continuing  the  same  fora 


number  of  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Craske  have 
seven  interesting  children:  Geneva  A.,  Caro- 
line Elizabeth,  Mamie,  Frances  C.,  Harry 
Barton,  Lillian  M.  and  John  A.  Logan. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Craske  is  a  member  of  .Rush- 
ville Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Rushville 
Chapter,  No.  184,  R.  A.  M.;  and  Rushville 
Commandery  No.  56,  K.  T.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  of  Security 
Lodge,  No.  31,  I.  O.  M.  A.;  and  also  of  Col- 
onel Harney  Post,  No.  131,  G.  A.  R. 

Mr.  Craske  has  taken  considerable  inter- 
est in  politics  and  in  that  difficult  and  doubt- 
ful field  has  distinguished  himself-  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Equalization  in  1888,  and  in  1885  was  the 
originator  of  the  scheme  in  the  Thirty-fourth 
District  which  elected  a  Republican  Represent- 
ative to  the  State  Legislature,  thus  breaking 
the  dead  lock  which  had  tied  up  the  General 
Assembly  for  months  and  ended  in  the  election 
of  John  A.  Logan  for  United  States  Senator. 
The  following  letter  explains  itself,  and  shows 
how  the  part  taken  by  Mr.  Craske  con- 
tributed to  Republican  success: 

LELAND  HOTEL,  Springfield,  111. 

May  20,  1885. 
HENRY  CRASKE, 

My  Dear  Sir:  The  election  is  over  and 
the  victory  is  ours.  To  the  Thirty- fourth 
Representative  District  we  are  indebted  for 
the  vote  that  gave  us  the  majority  in  the 
Legislature,  and  to  you,  my  dear  sir,  there  is 
much  due  for  the  organization  and  success. 
You  were  the  first  man  who  suggested  to  me 
the  possibility  of  carrying  the  district.  I 
wrote  you  then,  saying  the  plan  was  a  good 
one.  Of  course,  great  credit  is  due  to  all  our 
friends  who  aided  in  carrying  out  the  pro- 
gramme from  whom  I  would  not  wish  to  de- 
tract anything;  but  to  you  I  give  the  credit 
as  the  originator  of  the  plan  which  was  a 


SGIIUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


153 


success,  and  to  you  I  now  return  my  grateful 
acknowledgments.          Your  friend, 

JOHN  A.  LOGAN. 

It  should  he  said  by  way  of  explanation, 
that  in  the  Thirty-fourth  General  Assembly 
the  two  houses  were  a  tie  on  joint  ballot  and 
in  consequence  there  was  a  dead  lock  in  the 
Senatorial  contest  which  continued  under 
great  excitement  for  months.  On  the  12th 
of  April,  a  Democratic  member  of  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Senatorial  District  died,  and  a  special 
election  was  called  for  May  6th  to  fill  his 
seal.  In  that  district  the  Democrats  had  a 
majority  of  2,000,  and  therefore  felt  certain 
of  electing  their  nominee.  Mr.  Craske  wrote 
a  letter  suggesting  a  still  hunt  and  the  plans 
to  be  pursued  to  secure  success.  His  plan 
was  submitted  to  General  Logan  and  by  him 
to  the  Republican  caucus,  and  were  adopted 
and  acted  upon.  The  result  fully  met  their 
anticipations,  the  Republican  nominee  was 
elected,  the  Democrats  were  out-generaled 
and  astonished,  and  even  the  people  in  dis- 
tant States  were  filled  with  surprise.  The 
movement  was  so  adroit  that  General  Logan 
pronounced  it  the  most  daring  piece  of 
political  strategy,  so  successfully  executed, 
since  the  days  of  Alexander  the  Great. 


ILLIAM  BURACKER  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  township  17,  range  9, 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  September  14, 


1846. 


His  parents,  Philip  A.,  and  Jane  (Holzman) 
Buracker,  were  born,  reared  and  married  in 
Page  county,  Virginia,  and  in  1844  came  to 
Illinois,  making  the  journey  with  a  team. 
They  .located  on  the  farm  on  which  their  son 
William  was  born,  and  there  resided  six 
years.  They  then  moved  to  a  farm  in  range 


10,  of  the  same  township,  where  they  passed 
the  rest  of  their  lives.  The  father  died  May 
28,  1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
The  mother  passed  away  in  1873.  They 
reared  three  children,  William,  Alfred  and 
George.  Alfred  is  deceased. 

William  Buracker  was  reared  and  educated, 
and  has  passed  his  life  thus  far,  in  his  native 
county.  He  was  brought  up  on  the  farm, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. When  he  attained  his  majority  he 
commenced  farming  for  himself  on  his 
father's  land,  and  in  1870  his  father  gave 
him  the  farm  he  has  since  occupied,  which  is 
located  in  section  27,  township  17,  range  10. 
In  connection  with  his  agricultural  pursuits 
he  is  also  engaged  in  stock  raising. 

In  1868  Mr.  Buracker  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Helen  C.  Heslep,  a  native  of  Cass 
county,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Cath- 
erine Heslep.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buracker  have 
two  children,  Philip  T.  and  Katie. 

Politically,  Mr.  Buracker  has  always  affili- 
ated with  the  Democratic  party,  and  is  a  most 
efficient  member  of  the  same.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  County 
Commissioners  in  1885,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1888.  In  this  capacity  he  has  always 
worked  for  the  good  of  the  entire  county, 
ever  taking  a  bold  stand  in  favor  of  the  right. 


SRED   W.  KORSMEYER,   one   of   the 
most    successful    men    of  this  locality, 
lives  on  section  30,  township   17,  range 
12.     He  is  a  German,  being  born  in  Hanover, 
January  15,  1838.     His  parents  were  J.   H. 
and  Mary  (Lovecamp)  Korsmeyer,  who  were 
born  in  the  same  place,  and  descended  from 
the  best  German  blood.     When   our  subject 
was  thirteen  years  of  age  they  came  to  the 


154 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RBI  VIEW    OP    OASS, 


United  States  in  the  fall  of  1851.  They  took 
the  usual  passage  of  their  fellow  country- 
men, from  Bremer  to  New  Orleans,  and  from 
there  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers 
to  Beard stown.  They  located  very  near  the 
present  home  of  our  subject,  and  here  they 
lived  and  died,  the  father  about  sixty,  and 
the  mother  seventy.  They  had  always  been 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church 
and  are  remembered  as  good,  honest  German 
settlers  of  that  early  day.  Our  subject  and 
a  brother,  Herman,  are  the  only  living  mem- 
bers of  the  family. 

Mr.  Korsmeyer  began  farming  on  his  own 
account  about  the  time  of  his  majority.  His 
first  was  a  purchase  of  140  acres,  and  he  in- 
creased it  from  time  to  time  until  he  now 
owns  600  acres,  the  most  of  which  is  under 
the  plow.  He  has  made  many  improvements 
on  the  farm  he  has  owned  for  the  past  thirty 
years.  He  has  very  fine  land,  lying  in  the 
bottoms  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  adjoining 
the  Meredosia  lake. 

Mr.  Korsmeyer  was  married  in  Cass  county, 
to  Miss  Minnie  Miller,  who  came  from  her 
birthplace,  in  Hanover,  Germany,  when 
young.  Her  parents  settled  in  Beard  stown, 
where  her  father  died  some  years  ago,  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter,  as  did  also  his  wife. 
They  had  lived  to  good  old  age  and  had  been 
valued1  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Mrs.  Korsmeyer  is  the  youngest  of  three  chil- 
dren. .Her  two  brothers  are  Fred,  a  Morgan 
county  far,mer,  and  Henry,  who  lives  in 
Springfield.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Korsmeyer  have 
seven  living  children:  Henry  and  Herman 
assist  in  running  the  farm;  Emma,  William 
C.,  Christian,  and  Theodore  and  Charles,  the 
twins,  live  at  home.  The  children  are  all  natur- 
ally bright,  and  the  parents  intend  to  educate 
them  thoroughly.  The  family  is  Lutheran  in 
religion,  and  Mr.  Korsmeyer  is  very  prominent 


in  the  politics  of  his  township,  being  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  has  held  almost  all  of  the  local 
offices.  He  is  now  a  candidate  for  County 
Commissioner,  and  so  popular  is  he  that  this 
means  a  certain  election.  They  are  among 
the  most  prominent  people  in  the  township. 


,DAM  SCHUMAN,  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing and  successful  young  farmers  of 
section  13,  range  12,  owning  a  farm 
of  120  acres  which  he  has  occupied 
since  the  death  of  his  father,  John  A. 
Schuman,  in  October,  1886,  has  been  the 
proprietor  of  the  farm  where  he  was  born, 
reared  and  educated.  The  date  of  his  birth  is 
February  13,  1851.  Since  he  came  into  pos- 
session of  the  farm,  he  has  greatly  improved 
it  and  made  it  very  successful,  having  it  well 
stocked  and  employing  good  farm  hands. 
Although  only  a  young  man,  he  is  ambitious 
and  is  bound  to  succeed. 

Adam  is  the  only  son  of  John  Adam  and 
Katie  (Loab)  Schuman,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many, of  good  ancestry.  They  were  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  Germany,  and  while 
yet  young  came  in  the  early  forties  to  Amer- 
ica, sailing  from  Hesse  Darmstadt,  arriving 
after  several  weeks'  voyage  in  New  Orleans, 
coming  from  there  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 
Here  he  stopped  for  a  short  time  and  unfor- 
tunately was  taken  sick  and  was  taken  to  the 
hospital.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  leave  he 
came  to  Beardstown,  with  the  help  of  an  old 
friend,  Valentine  Thron.  After  his  arrival 
in  Beardstown,  he  worked  for  six  months  for 
Mr.  Thron  to  repay  him  for  his  kindness; 
later  John  A.  Schuman  was  engaged  as  a 
butcher  for  a  time,  but  later  purchased  land 
on  section  13,  township  17,  range  12,  at 
which  place  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 


SCIIUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


155 


as  a  farmer,  dying  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  He 
was  a  good  and  worthy  citizen,  straightfor- 
ward and  upright  in  all  his  dealings  with  his 
fellow  men.  He  was  a  prominent  member 
and  a  good  worker  in  the  German  Methodist 
Church,  to  which  he  was  a  generous  support- 
er, being  always  ready  to  help  everything  that 
tended  toward  the  advancement  of  good  prin- 
ciples. The  Sunday-school  received  much 
of  his  attention.  He  was  a  sound  Democrat 
in  politics.  His  wife  died  some  years  before 
in  1865,  when  she  was  forty  years  of  age.  She 
was  a  good,  Christian  woman,  a  faithful  wife 
and  devoted  mother,  a  kind  neighbor  and  a 
worthy  member  of  the  Emanuel  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  near  Arenzville. 

Adam  was  the  only  son  in  the  family,  but 
there  were  four  daughters,  Lizzie,  wife  of 
George  Hauffman,  farmer  of  this  township; 
Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Pierce,  of  Bluff  Springs 
precinct;  Lydia,  wife  of  William  Schute, 
also  of  Bluff  Springs;  and  Amelia,  wife  of 
Charles  Johnson,  a  farmer  of  Beardstown. 

Mr.  Schurnan  was  married,  at  Arenzville, 
to  Miss  Lizzie  Thron,  a  native  of  this  county, 
being  born,  reared  and  educated  here.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Valentine  and  Margaret 
(Bier)  Thron,  natives  of  Hesse  Darmstadtj 
Germany.  They  were  young,  single  people 
when  they  came  to  the  United  States,  settling 
in  Illinois,  where  they  were  married,  in  the 
city  of  Beardstown,  where  Mr.  Thron  en- 
gaged in  wagon-making,  and  was  thus  en- 
gaged for  some  years,  when  he  purchased 
land  in  the  early  fifties  in  township  17,  range 
12,  and  there  lived  for  some  years.  Later  he 
removed  to  Arenzville,  and  there  his  wife 
died,  in  January,  1884.  She  was  then  quite 
an  old  woman  and  a  worthy  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  to  which  she  had  belonged 
all  her  life.  She  was  a  good,  kind  wife  and 
mother,  and  was  highly  respected  by  all  her 


neighbors.  Mr.  Thron  now  makes  his  home 
with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Schuman,  and  passed 
his  eighty-second  birthday  in  June,  1892.  He 
has  been  a  good,  hard-working  man  all  his  life 
and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Throu  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  six  yet  living  and  all  are  mar- 
ried, being  successful  in  life.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schuman  are  active  workers  in  the  Emanuel 
Lutheran  Church,  and  Mr.  Schuman  takes 
especial  interest  in  the  Sunday-school.  He  is 
a  good  and  worthy  man. 

Mr.  Schurnan  and  his  wife  are  the  parents 
of  six  children:  John  W.,  Mary  L.,  Fred  G., 
Liddy  E.,  Elmer  and  Myrtle. 


,EWTON  LUCAS,  a  resident  of  Pea 
Ridge  township,  was  born  in  what  is 
now  Cooperstown  township,  December 
11,  1838.  His  father,  D.  R.  Lucas,  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Brown  county,  born  in 
Butler  county,  Ohio,  March  21,  1810.  His 
father,  John  Lucas,  was  born  September  7, 
1760,  in  Virginia,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  He  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Indians  and  by  them  taken  to  Ken- 
tucky and  Ohio.  He  was  pleased  with  the 
country,  and  after  the  close  of  the  war  located 
in  Kentucky,  but  failed  to  secure  a  good  title 
to  his  land  and  lost  it,  and  then  went  to  that 
part  of  Ohio  now  included  in  Butler  county, 
secured  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  Miami 
bottom,  improved  a  farm,  residing  there  until 
his  death  June  15,  1836.  His  wife's  name 
was  Jemima  Robbins,  who  was  born  Novem- 
ber 19,  1768,  who  died  on  the  home  farm, 
November  22,  1831,  aged  sixty-  three  years. 
She  was  the  mother  of  twelve  children.  Dan- 
iel Robbins  Lucas  was  raised  in  his  native 


156 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    VAS8, 


county,  but  when  a  young  man  went  to  In- 
diana and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine. 
In  January,  1836,  he  came  to  Mt.  Sterling. 
Illinois,  and  commenced  to  practice  his  pro- 
fession. He  also  engaged  in  teaching  and  in 
the  mercantile  and  lumber  business.  About 
1843  he  purchased  land  in  Lee  township,  and 
resided  there  the  greater  part  of  the  time  un- 
til his  death,  which  occurred  January  26, 
1884.  His  wife's  name  was  Sarah  Ann  Keith, 
to  whom  he  was  married  in  1836;  she  was 
born  in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  December 
14,  1817,  and  died  March  22,  1890.  She  was 
the  mother  of  twelve  children;  their  names 
are:  William,  Newton,  Martha,  Ann  (now 
dead),  Mary  E.,  George  W.,  Henry  C.  (now 
dead),  John  H.,  Ethan  A.,  Helen  A.  (now 
dead),  Daniel  W.,  Benjamin  F.,  James  E. 
Three  dead  and  nine  living,  seven  of  whom 
live  in  the  county,  one,  B.  F.,  lives  in  Colo- 
rado. I.  E.  lives  in  Missouri.  Newton  re- 
ceived his  earlier  education  in  the  pioneer 
schools  which  were  held  in  the  log  houses 
with  furniture  of  the  most  primitive  kind, 
where  the  teacher  boarded  around  among  the 
scholars;  as  suon  as  he  was  large  enough  to 
manage  a  yoke  of  oxen  lie  worked  upon  the 
farm.  He  caught  the  Pike's  Peak  fever  in 
the  spring  of  1860,  went  across  the  plains  in 
an  ox  wagon  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  returned 
in  July  of  same  year.  He  met  with  an  acci- 
dent December  25,  1860,  while  cutting  a  tree 
for  firewood;  in  trying  to  get  out  of  the  way 
of  some  falling  limbs,  the  tree  struck  and 
crushed  his  hip,  making  a  cripple  of  him  for 
life.  He  was  appointed  route  agent  on  mail 
route  from  Clayton,  Illinois,  to  Keoknk,  Iowa, 
in  1864,  but  after  some  two  months'  service 
resigned;  taught  school  during  the  winter  of 
1862-'63  at  what  is  now  Fargo,  in  this  county; 
taught  at  Ashland,  Adams  county,  during  the 
winter  of  1869-'70;  remained  with  his  par- 


ents until  he  was  married  in  1865;  then 
farmed  and  operated  a  saw  mill  until  the 
spring  of  1871,  when  he  moved  to  Scotland 
county,  Missouri,  and  operated  a  saw  mill  for 
three  years;  then  moved  to  Memphis,  Mis- 
souri, and  went  into  the  hay  business  with  his 
brother  for  two  years;  moved  back  to  Brown 
county,  Illinois,  engaged  in  fanning  and 
running  a  sawmill;  operated  a  sawmill  on 
Sangamon  river  bottom  during  the  winter  of 
1880-'81;  moved  to  Mt.  Sterling  in  the 
spring  of  1882,  and  operated  a  steam  thresher, 
lived  there  until  December,  1883;  then 
bought  the  farm  he  now  lives  upon;  owns 
220  acres;  farm  is  well  improved  and  has  good 
buildings;  the  house  he  built  himself. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican;  cast  his  first 
ballot  for  Abraham  Lincoln  for  president, 
and  Richard  Yates  for  governor;  has  always 
been  a  Republican;  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  State  Convention,  May  4,  1892. 

August  29,  1865,  he  married  Barbara 
Frank,  who  was  born  in  Davison  county, 
North  Carolina,  February  21,  1842,  daughter 
of  William  and  Sarah  (Winkler)  Frank.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lucas  have  three  children:  Minnie 
S.,  William  D.,  Ruth  R.  Minnie  is  the  wife 
of  Henry  L.  Lee  and  has  two  children;  they 
live  in  Maxwell  City,  New  Mexico. 


A.  WARDEN,  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Warden  &  Son,  proprietors  of 
the  Rushville  Republican,  was  born  in 
Clermont  county,  Ohio,  January  2,  1839. 
His  father,  Moses  Warden,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  his  j'outh  was  con- 
verted to  the  Christian  religion  and  became  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel;  he  learned  the  trade 
of  a  saddler,  and  followed  this  vocation  in  ad- 
dition to  his  ministerial  labors.  When  quite 


SOHDTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


157 


a  young  man  he  went  to  Ohio,  and  there  was 
married  to  Margaret  Anderson,  a  native  of 
Brown  county,  Ohio.  Mr.  Warden  lived  in 
Bethel,  Clermont  county,  and  there  worked 
at  his  trade  and  preached  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church;  later  he  purchased  a  farm 
near  Bethel,  and  engaged  in  agriculture; 
there  he  passed  the  last  days  of  his  life.  His 
only  brother,  Richard  Warden,  settled  in  the 
same  county,  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died 
in  1851.  There  was  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren: Anderson,  William,  Martha  L.,  Salathiel 
L.,  Margaret  L.,  Sarah  E.,  and  Francis  A. 

Francis  A.  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years  when 
his  father  died,  and  one  year  later  the  mother 
passed  away;  he  was  then  cared  for  by  his 
older  brothers  and  sisters,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  county.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  began  clerking  in  a  drug 
store  at  Felicity,  Ohio,  and  was  thus  employ- 
ed for  two  years;  at  the  end  of  this  period  he 
became  a  partner  in  the  business,  which  was 
continued  until  1876.  In  that  year  he  came 
to  Shelby  county,  Illinois,  and  engaged  in 
mercantile  trade,  which  he  conducted  eight 
years.  Kay  Warden,  son  of  Francis  A., 
having  learned  the  art  of  printing,  engaged 
in  the  business  at  Stewardson  and  Cowden, 
Shelby  county,  conducting  a  paper  at  each 
place  for  a  year;  at  the  end  of  twelve  months 
he  went  to  Augusta,  Hancock  county,  and 
published  the  Augusta  Eagle  for  eight  years; 
during  all  this  time  his  father  was  a  partner 
in  the  business,  and  in  January,  1891,  they 
(F.  A.  Warden  and  son,  S.  R.  Warden,)  came 
to  Schuyler  county,  and  established  the  Rush- 
ville  Republican.  This  is  a  well  edited  sheet, 
newsy,  and  a  loyal  supporter  of  Republican 
principles. 

Mr.  Warden  was  married  in  1863,  to  Olive 
B.  Leffingwell,  a  native  of  Williamsburg, 

12 


Ohio,  and  daughter  of  Sidney  and  Melissa 
Leffingwell.  Five  children  have  been  born  to 
them:  S.  Ray,  F.  Ella,  Louise,  Mary  E.,  and 
Jessie. 

During  the  late  civil  war,  Mr.  Warden 
supported  the  Government  of  the  Union;  he 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
has  since  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party; 
he  and  his  wife  are  worthy  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  belongs  to 
Rushville  Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  to 
the  Knights  of  Honor  Lodge,  No.  990,  and 
to  Augusta  Camp,  M.  W.  A. 


ILLIAM  D.  DORSETT  was  born  in 
Randolph  county,  North  Carolina, 
December  28,  1828.  His  father  was 
Azariah  Dorsett,  a  native  of  the  same  State, 
who  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  but  he  also  fol- 
lowed farming  for  a  livelihood.  In  1835  he 
came  in  a  six-horse  wagon  with  his  family, 
consisting  of  a  wife  and  twelve  of  his  four- 
teen children,  to  Illinois,  camping  out  over 
night  on  their  entire  trip  to  Scnnyler  county. 
They  settled  in  what  is  now  Huntsville  town- 
ship, and  a  little,  lafer  bought  a  tract  of  land 
upon  which  a  few  ^cres  had  been  broken  and 
a  log  cabin  erected.  The  cabin  was  a  very 
rough,  primitive  concern,  with  a  roof  of 
boards  rived  by  hand,  a,nd  a  chimney  of 
sods.  After  a  little  while  this  was  replaced 
by  a  more  pretentious  and  comfortable  struc- 
ture. Here  he  resided  until  his  death  in 
1840.  His  widow  died  the  following  morn- 
ing, and  both  were  buried  in  the  same  grave. 
The  mother  was  formerly  Mary  Beckerdite, 
of  North  Carolina,  who  reared  to  maturity 
fourteen  children. 

Our  subject,  William  D.  Dorsett,  was  six 
years  old  when  he  was  brought  to  Illinois  by 
his  parents,  and  he  well  remembers  the  wild 


158 


BIOGRAPHICAL     REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


animals  that  could  be  seen  almost  daily  in 
the  woods  and  on  the  prairie.  At  that  time 
it  was  easy  to  find  an  abundance  of  wild 
honey,  as  an  experienced  bee  hunter  could 
tell  the  location  of  a  bee  tree  by  watching  the 
flight  of  the  insect.  Gristmills  were  very 
scarce,  and  often  could  not  be  reached  at  all. 
Tn  this  extremity  the  early  settlers  were  com- 
pelled to  grate  their  corn  and  wheat  by  hand, 
and  Mr.  Dorsett  recollects  having  eaten  many 
a  meal  of  this  homely  food.  At  first  the 
people  of  this  vicinity  had  to  go  to  mill  fifty 
miles  below  Quincy,  and  were  absent  several 
days.  He  was  quite  young  when  his  parents 
died,  and  was  taken  to  live  with  an  older 
brother.  He  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in 
Birmingham  township,  at  $10  an  acre,  pay- 
ing for  it  by  installments.  When  he  began 
housekeeping,  after  his  marriage,  he  had 
neither  table  nor  chairs  to  commence  with, 
and  instead  thereof  had  three  bee-hives,  one 
of  which  was  used  as  a  table  and  the  other 
two  for  stools.  Some  kind  person  presented 
them  with  a  dry-goods  box,  which  was  made 
to  serve  as  a  cupboard,  and  a  bedstead  was 
presented  to  them  by  Mrs.  Dorsett's  father. 
This  was  considered  a  great  luxury.  But 
this  little  home,  though  humble  and  rude, 
was  made  comfortable  and  bright  by  Mrs. 
Dorsett,  who  took  great  pride  in  making  it 
cozy  and  comfortable.  Mr.  Dorsett  went  to 
work  with  a  will,  was  very  industrious  and 
his  wife  very  economical,  and  together  they 
have  come  to  prosperous  circumstances  and  a 
happy  home.  He  secured  early  employment 
as  a  rail-splitter,  like  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
it  was  not  his  fault  that  he  did  not  reach  the 
presidency  instead  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  The  first 
money  he  thus  earned  was  used  to  buy  his 
first  table.  After  a  period  of  seven  years  he 
was  the  owner  of  sixty  acres,  free  from  in- 
cumbrance,  which  he  then  traded  for  100 


acres  in  Huntsville  township,  and  at  the  close 
of  his  career  as' a  farmer  in  Illinois  he  was 
the  owner  of  400  acres  of  rich  Huntsville 
soil  and  a  section  of  land  in  Texas.  In  1883 
he  rented  his  farm  and  came  to  Rushville, 
and  has  since  lived  a  retired  life. 

On  the  15th  of  November,  1849,  he  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Ann  Pendleton,  who 
was  born  in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  Jtily 
11, 1832.  Her  father  was  Edwin  Pendleton, 
a  native  Virginian,  and  her  grandfather  was 
James  Pendleton,  also  of  that  State.  Her 
father  was  reared  in  his  native  State,  and 
went  to  Kentucky  when  a  young  man,  and 
was  there  united  in  marriage.  He  learned 
the  shoemakers  trade,  which  he  followed  for 
a  few  years,  and  in  1830  came  to  Illinois. 
He  came  the  entire  distance  on  horseback, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  eldest  child. 
Upon  his  arrival  here  his  entire  possessions 
consisted  of  two  horses  and  50  cents  in 
money.  One  of  the  horses  died  soon  after 
crossing  the  Ohio  river.  He  located  in 
Huntsville  township,  entered  land  from  the 
Government,  upon  which  he  built  a  log 
house  and  commenced  to  improve  his  farm. 
Mrs.  Dorsett's  mother  was  a  thorough  pioneer 
woman  and  knew  how  to  make  cloth  from 
flax  and  cotton.  Her  daughter,  Mrs.  Dorsett, 
learned  the  art,  and  after  her  marriage  made 
all  the  clothing  for  her  family.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dorsett  have  had  six  children:  Martha 
L.,  Hattie  E.,  Joshua  E.,  Ellis  Benson,  Har- 
din Wallace  and  Alvin  De  W.  The  parents 
are  members  of  the  First  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  of  Rushville. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dorsett  in  their  youth 
attended  the  pioneer  schools  of  this  county, 
where  they  learned  "readin',  ritin' and  rith- 
metic," — the  three  R's,  as  they  were  termed. 
The  schoolhouse,  of  course,  was  a  log  build- 
ing, and  a  very  rough  one  at  that.  The  seats 


SCHlfYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


159 


were  made  of  slats,  and  wooden  pins  served 
for  legs.  Holes  were  bored  in  the  wall,  pins 
inserted,  and  a  board  laid  thereon  served  as  a 
desk  upon  which  the  older  scholars,  with 
quill  pens,  learned  to  write.  The  windows 
consisted  of  a  section  taken  out  of  the  side 
of  the  house  and  the  aperture  covered  with 
greased  paper,  which  served  to  admit  the 
light. 


fOHN  T.  BRADBURY  was  born  in  Har- 
rison county,  West  Virginia,  March  4, 
1840.  His  father  is  James  Lee  Bradbury, 
born  in  Virginia  in  1816.  He  was  reared 
on  the  farm  and  when  he  was  twenty-  three 
he  went  to  Kentucky  and  engaged  in  teach- 
ing for  some  forty  years.  He  came  to 
Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1847,  bringing  his  wife 
and  two  children.  They  came  across  the 
country  in  a  lumber  wagon  and  a  horse 
team.  It  took  them  about  thirty  days  to 
make  the  trip.  Mr.  Bradbury  soon  secured 
a  school  in  Brown  county.  They  soon  moved 
into  Mt.  Sterling,  where  they  lived  until 
1858.  Mrs.  Bradbury  died  in  1857,  in  the 
prime  of  her  life,  thirty-six,  leaving  live 
children  to  mourn  her  loss,  namely:  John  T.  ; 
Nancy,  deceased  ;  James  R.,  carpenter;  Mar- 
garet Mallory;  William,  a  farmer  on  the 
bluffs  of  the  Illinois  river. 

John  was  brought  up  to  be  industrious 
and  was  well  educated.  At  sixteen  he  began 
to  study  under  Dr.  Witty  at  Mt.  Sterling.  In 
summer  he  took  charge  of  the  farm,  but  in 
the  winter  studied  under  the  instruction  of 
the  able  Dr.  Witty.  In  1859  he  went  to 
the  Missouri  Medical  College  at  St.  Louis, 
and  graduated  in  1861.  He  opened  his  first 
office  in  Ripley,  but  very  soon  closed  it  and 
went  to  Hiawatha,  Kansas,  in  the  spring  of 
1861.  Here  he  remained,  practicing  until 


1863,  when  he  returned  home  and  enlisted 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Illinois 
Infantry,  Company  D.  He  was  in  the  ser- 
vice three  years,  but  most  of  the  time  as  hos- 
pital surgeon.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Mobile,  Alabama.  In  the  spring  of  1865 
he  returned  to  Missouri,  at  Parke,  in  Sharon 
county,  and  opened  an  office,  where  he  prac- 
ticed for  about  a  year,  when  he  returned  to 
Versailles,  in  Brown  county.  Here  he  opened 
an  office  and  drug  store.  In  1872  he  sold 
out  and  came  to  Cooperstown,  where  he  has 
resided  since.  He  has  had  a  large  practice 
these  many  years  and  has  felt  the  need  of 
rest  at  times.  He  has  been  Postmaster  dur- 
ing the  Harrison  administration. 

He  was  married  in  1861,  in  Mt.  Sterling,  to 
Viola  Hatcher,  daughter  of  E.  and  Maria 
N.  (Brisbin)  Hatcher,  the  former  from  North 
Carolina,  the  latter  from  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania.  She  was  born  in  Madison, 
Indiana.  The  family  carne  to  Illinois  in 
1856. 

Mr.  and  Mrs  Bradbury  have  had  seven 
children,  only  three  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Samuel  E.  married  to  Ellen  Logsden,  two 
children;  James  Mitehel  married  Kate  Hur- 
lett;  George  Anderson,  a  youth  of  fifteen. 
They  have  all  been  educated.  Dr.  Bradbury 
is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  stanch  Republican. 
He  and  his  wife  are  very  estimable  people  and 
are  highly  respected  by  all. 


fOHN  McCABE,  well-known  in  business 
circles  in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  was 
born   in   Coshocton  county,   Ohio,  Sep- 
tember 11,  1828.     His  father,  John  McCabe, 
Sr.,  was  a   native  of  Pennsylvania,  but   was 
taken  to  Ohio  when  quite  young  by  his  par- 
ents; there  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade, 


ICO 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


which  lie  followed  until  1844.  In  that  year 
he  emigrated  to  Indiana  and  settled  in  Ma- 
rion county;  here  he  resumed  his  occupation, 
remaining  for  three  years.  In  1847  he  came 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  the  'town  of  Wood- 
land; he  afterward  entered  a  tract  of  land  on 
which  he  erected  a  log  house;  he  followed 
his  trade  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
war.  He  died  in  1863,  while  in  the  service. 
His  wife  died  in  Rushville,  Illinois.  They 
reared  a  family  of  eight  children.  Our  sub- 
ject resided  with  his  parents  until  he  had  at- 
tained his  majority,  when  he  started  out  in 
life  for  himself;  he  had  worked  in  a  brick- 
yard-three or  four  seasons,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years  he  embarked  in  this  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account.  His  first  yard  was 
at  Littleton,  where  he  conducted  a  business 
for  two  years;  thence  he  removed  to  Macomb, 
where  he  continued  until  1863.  In  Jnne 
of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Eighty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The 
most  important  battles  in  which  he  partici- 
pated were  Stone  River  and  Chickamauga; 
in  the  latter  he  was  wounded,  and  so  dis- 
abled from  active  duty  in  the  field;  when  he 
had  sufficiently  recovered  he  was  made  hos- 
pital steward,  and  served  the  remainder  of 
the  war  in  that  capacity.  He  was  mustered 
out  in  August.  1865,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Macomb.  There  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1866,  when  he  came  to  Rushville 
and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick. 
In  1879  he  added  machinery  for  the  manu- 
facture of  tile,  and  his  products  find  a  ready 
sale  at  the  yard. 

Mr.  McCabe  was  married  in  1851,  to 
Mary  Clark,  a  native  of  Indiana  and  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Margaret  Clark. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  them: 
James  is  engaged  in  business  with  his  father; 


Arthur  is  a  resident  of  Versailles,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine;  How- 
ard C.  lives  in  Rushville;  Cora  married  Allen 
Walker,  and  also  resides  in  Rushville;  two 
children  died  ininfancy.  Theparentsarecon- 
sistent  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church;  the  father  joined  in  May,  1842,  and 
the  mother  ten  years  later.  For  thirty  years 
Mr.  McCabe  has  been  Steward  of  his  church. 
He  is  a  zealous  advocate  of  temperance,  and 
an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Prohibition  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Tile  Manufacturers' 
Association,  and  has  been  treasurer  of  this 
body  for  a  number  of  years.  He  belongs  to 
Colonel  Homey  Post,  No.  156,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
is  actively  interested  in  its  welfare.  He  is 
a  man  of  energy  and  entertains  progressive 
views  upon  questions  of  public  interest,  sup- 
porting those  movements  which  tend  to  aid 
and  elevate  the  masses. 


ARK  B  O  Y  D,  a  pioneer  farmer  of 
Rushville  township,  now  retired  from 
active  labor,  was  born  in  county 
Armagh,  Ireland,  February  6,  1823,  a  son 
of  William  Boyd,  a  native  of  the  same  county. 
The  paternal  ancestors  were  natives  of  Scot- 
land. William  Boyd  was  reared  to  the  life 
of  a  farmer,  and  when  he  had  arrived  at  man's 
estate  he  emigrated  to  America;  this  was 
previous  to  the  war  of  1812,  and  he  remained 
three  years;  at  the  end  of  that  period  he  re- 
turned to  Ireland,  was  married,  and  resided 
there  until  1838.  In  that  year  he  sailed 
with  his  wife  and  three  children  for  the  port 
of  New  York,  the  voyage  consuming  three 
weeks.  He  engaged  in  teaming  in  New 
York  city,  and  resided  there  until  1868, 
when  he  bought  a  farm  of  120  acres,  on 
which  he  lived  until  his  death,  February  10, 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


161 


1868.  He  married  Maria  Boyd,  who  died 
in  Rushville,  in  1868;  she  was  the  mother  of 
three  children:  Esther  J.,  Mark  and  Samuel. 
Mark  Boyd  was  a  child  of  five  years  when  he 
crossed  the  deep  blue  sea  with  his  parents. 
He  received  his  education  in  New  York,  the 
school  which  he  attended  being  located  on 
Seventeenth  street,  near  Eighth  avenue. 

In  1841  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 
baker,  and  followed  this  calling  until  1860, 
when  he  went  to  Orange  county,  New  York; 
he  was  employed  on  a  farm  until  1867,  when 
he  came  to  Sehuyler  county,  Illinois.  His 
first  investment  here  was  in  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres,  and  to  this  he  has  made  additions  until 
he  now  owns  nearly  200  acres,  in  Oakland  and 
Rushville  townships.  There  he  made  his 
home  until  1892;  in  February  of  this  year 
he  removed  to  Rushville,  where  he  is  living 
in  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  the  reward  his 
years  of  industry  and  toil  have  won. 

Mr.  Boyd  was  married  in  New  York  city, 
September  11,  1845,  to  Sarah  Fourgeson, 
the  daughter  of  Daniel  Fourgeson.  Her 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Fourgeson,  was 
a  native  of  Scotland,  and  removed  to 
county  Derry  after  his  marriage,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  and  passed  the  remainder 
ot  his  life.  He  married  Ann  Kennedy,  also 
a  native  of  Scotland.  Daniel  Fourgeson, 
their  son,  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  farm 
where  he  was  born;  he  married  Mary  Fulton, 
a  descendant  of  Scotch  ancestors,  but  a  na- 
tive of  county  Derry,  Ireland,  Mrs.  Boyd 
and  her  sister  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Duncan 
Taylor,  were  the  only  members  of  their  fam- 
ily who  came  to  America.  Mrs.  Boyd  sailed 
from  Liverpool  in  1850,  and  after  twenty- 
one  days  on  the  water  reached  the  port  of 
New  York.  Our  subject  and  wife  are  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Maria  J.,  Eliza- 
beth and  Sarah.  Maria  married  James  Bill 


and  is  the  mother  of  three  children;  Eobert 
W.,  Henry  and  Charles;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife 
of  George  Manlove,  and  has  a  faiuily  of  three 
children,  —  Bessie,  Annie  and  Mark;  Sarah 
married  Elijah  "Wilson,  and  has  a  family  of 
six  children,  Nellie,  Annie,  Maud,  Henry, 
Walter  and  Jennie. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd  were  reared  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  have  always  ad- 
hered to  that  faith.  They  are  people  of 
much  force  and  stability  of  character,  and 
have  reared  a  family  who  are  an  honor  to 
them  and  a  credit  to  the  community  in  which 
they  live. 


fRANCIS  M.  CURRY,  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Mount  Sterling,  was  born  in 
Scott  county,  Kentucky,  April  9,  1825, 
a  son  of  John  K.  Curry,  who  was  born 
October  19,  1803.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Alexander  Curry,  the  honored  founder  of 
Mount  Sterling,  Illinois,  was  born  October 
14,  1770,  in  the  State  of  Maryland,  the 
son  of  Archibald  Curry,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
who  emigrated  to  America  in  colonial  times 
and  settled  in  Maryland,  where  he  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  Alexander  Curry  was 
a  pioneer  of  Scott  county,  Kentucky;  he  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  on  the  Lexington  pike, 
on  which  he  lived  until  1830,  when  he  came 
to  Illinois;  he  was  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  children,  and  made  a  settlement  in  Brown 
county,  which  was  then  a  part  of  Sehuyler 
county.  As  soon  as  the  land  came  into  mar- 
ket he  entered  2,000  acres,  including  the  pre- 
sent site  of  Mount  Sterling;  he  erected  a 
double  log  house  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by 
the  Christian  Church,  which  was  used  at  the 
same  time  as  a  dwelling,  a  justice's  room  and 
a  meeting-house.  He  did  not  keep  a  hotel 
but  entertained  travelers  free  of  charge.  He 


162 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    UASS, 


was  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  the  first 
Postmaster  of  Mount  Sterling.  In  1833  he 
laid  out  the  town,  and  June  21  of  that  year 
occurred  the  first  sale  of  lots.  His  son, 
Robert,  had  the  first  store  in  'the  place,  the 
goods  being  brought  by  teams  from  St.  Louis. 
He  continued  a  resident  of  the  place  until  his 
death  in  1842.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Elizabeth  Nutter,  a  native  of  Delaware, 
born  August  20,  1776.  They  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  nine  children:  Daniel,  Robert  N., 
John  R.,  Olivia,  Sarah,  Nancy,  Leah,  Mary 
and  Harriet. 

John  K.  Curry  was  reared  and  married  in 
Kentucky,  and  came  from  the  Blue  Grass 
State  with  his  parents.  He  located  on  land 
his  father  gave  him  near  Mount  Sterling,  and 
engaged  in  farming.  He  died  November  17, 
1882.  He  married  Belle  Brockman,  a  na- 
tive of  Scott  county,  Kentucky,  born  May 
15,  1804;  she  died  December  17,  1875. 
They  reared  a  family  of  five  children:  Fran- 
cis M.,  James  R.,  Elizabeth,  Alexander  A. 
and  Mary  B.  Francis  M.  was  a  child  of  five 
years  when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  pa- 
rents. He  received  his  education  in  the  pio- 
neer schools  which  were  taught  in  the  primi- 
tive log  structures,  often  without  a  floor,  and 
furnished  with  puncheon  seats  and  puncheon 
desks;  the  building  was  erected  without 
nails,  and  light  was  admitted  by  an  opening 
in  the  wall,  which  was  made  by  taking  out  a 
part  of  the  log;  in  cold  weather  this  hole 
was  covered  by  a  piece  of  greased  paper.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  years  Mr.  Curry  began 
clerking,  receiving  $12.50  a  month  the  first 
year,  and  boarding  himself.  After  a  few 
years  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, which  he  conducted  successfully  a 
number  of  years. 

He  was  married  September  21,  1853,  to 
Mary  Clements,  a  native  of  Bourbon  county, 


Kentucky,  born  March  26,  1829.  Her  father, 
William  H.  Clement,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  died  in  that  State  in  1834;  he  married 
Maria  Givens,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Ruth 
Givens,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curry  are  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Lizzie  B.,  Ida  M.,  Mattie 
G.,  Frank  C.  and  Charles  A.;  the  oldest  son, 
William,  died  at  the  age  of  three  and  a  half 
years.  The  father  and  mother  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Politically  our 
subject  has  been  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  he  is  a  Prohibitionist  both 
in  principle  and  practice.  He  is  a  man  of 
many  excellent  traits  and  has  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  entire  community. 


f  REDBRICK  E.  WELLFARE,  foreman  of 
the  copper  shops  of  the  Quincy  Railroad 
at  Beardstown  for  the  past  nine  years, 
was  born  in  Candage,  Erie  county,  New 
York,  June  23,  1858.  He  was  but  one  year 
old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Illinois.  He 
is  the  son  of  John  Wellfare.  who  was  born 
in  England,  of  English  parentage,  and  was 
yet  a  small  child  when  his  parents  brought 
him  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  New 
York.  Here  he  grew  up  in  the  town  of  Can- 
dage and  acquired  a  complete  knowledge  of 
the  coppersmith's  trade,  also  tin,  sheet-iron 
and  pipe  fitting;  and,  having  become  skilled 
in  these  departments  of  mechanical  work,  he 
came  in  1859  with  his  family  to  Illinois. 
Here  he  was  connected  for  about  two  years 
with  a  prominent  manufacturer  of  copper 
pipe,  sheet  copper  and  brass  goods,  and  his 
skill  secured  him  the  foremanship  of  the 
shops.  Finally  he  was  offered  a  partnership, 
but  refused  it  and  went  to  Aurora  to  take 
charge  of  the  copper  shops  of  the  main  line 
or  Chicago  division  of  the  Quincy  Railroad. 


SCEUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


163 


He  was  afterward  connected  with  this  large 
corporation  for  about  thirty  years,  but  owing 
to  failing  health  he  had  to  withdraw  and 
entered  into  the  hardware  business,  in  1883, 
in  Aurora;  but,  not  receiving  the  proper  re- 
lief for  his  malady  (catarrh  of  the  head),  he 
went  to  Kansas,  and  after  two  years,  not 
being  able  to  stand  the  heated  winds,  he  went 
iu  1886  to  Los  Angeles,  California,  and 
there  opened  and  has  since  carried  on  a  first- 
class  restaurant.  He  is  now  about  sixty 
years  of  age.  He  was  married  in  Youngs- 
town,  New  York,  to  Harriet  Myers.  She 
was  born  and  reared  in  the  Empire  State,  and 
was  of  German  parentage.  She  is  yet  living 
and  is  about  three  years  her  husband's  junior. 
They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  Mr.  Wellfare  is  a  sound  Republican  in 
politics. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  three  sons  and 
three  daughters  yet  living.  He  began  when 
about  twelve  years  of  age  with  his  father  in 
the  Quincy  shops.  Here  he  has  remained 
with  the  exception  of  about  three  years.  One 
year  he  was  with  his  father  in  his  hardware 
store  at  Aurora,  and  later  was  one  year  with 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad, 
with  headquarters  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  the 
last  year  with  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  & 
Council  Bluffs  Railroad,  with  headquarters 
at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  Since  then  he  has 
been  in  the  employ  of  the  Quincy  Railroad, 
for  the  last  eleven  years  at  Beardstown.  He 
is  a  practical  and  thorough  workman  in  his 
department.  He  also  does  the  tin  and  sheet- 
iron  work  for  the  St.  Louis  division,  and  the 
steam-pipe  fitting  for  it  also. 

He  was  married  in  Aurora,  to  Miss  Almira 
Warner,  of  New  York,  born  in  1862.  She 
was  brought  to  Cook  county  in  1867,  and 
reared  near  the  city  of  Chicago.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  John  P.  and  Julia  (Havens) 


Warner,  both  now  living  near  Aurora.  Mr. 
Warner  is  a  stock-breeder,  and  he  and  family 
live  on  a  farm  one  mile  southeast  of  Aurora. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wellfare  are  good,  hard- 
working young  people.  Mr.  Wellfare  is  a 
member  of  the  Ark  Lodge,  -No.  116,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  of  Beardstown.  He  is  a  sound  Re- 
publican. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wellfare  are  the 
parents  of  two  bright  little  children, — Lydia, 
aged  seven,  and  Dare,  aged  four. 


HAUNCEY  RICE,  a  well  known  and 
reliable  druggist,  and  dealer  in  all  kinds 
of  goods  generally  carried  by  those  in 
this  business,  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence 
county,  New  York,  February  21,  1830.  He 
was  yet  young  when  his  parents  moved  to 
Ohio  in  1842,  and  to  Illinois  in  1846.  They 
were  natives  of  New  York.  His  father  was 
.born  in  Herkimer  county,  and  came  of  New 
England  stock,  his  parents  being  natives  of 
Connecticut,  and  the  family  carne  of  Welsh 
ancestry.  Andrus  Rice,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, married  a  Miss  Mary  Parks,  of  Ver- 
mont. 

Chauncev  is  the  eldest  of  the  four  surviv- 
ing children.  Mr.  Rice  has  been  in  the  drug 
business,  and  in  the  building  he  now  occu- 
pies ever  since  1859.  He  was  in  the  same 
business  in  Rnshville,  Illinois,  from  1850  to 
1856,  and  hence  is  one  of  the  oldest  druggists 
in  the  State.  He  has  seen  the  State  strug- 
gle through  many  changes  in  the  last  fifty 
years.  Nearly  all  the  railroads  have  been 
built  since  then.  He  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  building  up  of  the  city  himself, 
and  has  lent  a  helping  hand  to  all  enter- 
prises, and  has  attended  closely  to  business, 
and  has  made  money.  He  was  a  director 
and  stockholder  in  the  old  CassCountyBank, 


164 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


and  a  stockholder  in  the  first  State  bank 
since  it  started.  He  is  also  a  member  and 
stockholder  of  the  Beardstown  Building  and 
Loan  Association. 

He  was  first  married  in  Hancock  county, 
Illinois,  to  Miss  Emily  J.  Denney,  of  Bond 
county,  Illinois,  but  reared  and  married  in 
Hancock  county.  She  died  in  Nebraska, 
when  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  three 
children:  James,  a  commercial  traveler  in 
Iowa;  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Henry  J.  Nead; 
Chauncey  A.,  now  with  a  theatrical  troupe 
in  the  West.  Mr.  Rice  was  married  for  the 
second  time,  to  Elizabeth  J.  Knight,  of 
Beardstown,  but  born  in  England.  She  died 
here  April  4,  1892,  aged  about  fifty  years. 
Mr.  Rice  and  wife  have  always  been  identi- 
fied as  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  order  of 
[.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Knights  of  Honor. 


^ARTIN  BROOKS,  editor  of  the 
Mount  Sterling  Examiner,  was  born 
in  Jacksonville,  in  1836.  His  father, 
Samuel  S.,  came  from  Connecticut,  of  Scotch 
ancestry. 

Martin  commenced  very  young  to  learn 
the  trade  of  printer,  and  was  employed  in 
different  places  until  1863,  when  he  came  to 
Mount  Sterling,  and  with  his  brother  Sam- 
uel bought  the  office  and  good  will  of  the 
Mount  Sterling  Union,  a  weekly  paper,  and 
changed  the  name  to  the  Mount  Sterling 
Record.  He  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  in 
1864,  and  served  eight  years,  and  then  bought 
an  interest  in  the  Mount  Sterling  Message, 
and  two  years  later  sold  out,  and  was  clerk- 
ing in  the  courthouse  for  a  time.  In  1879 
he  bought  the  furniture  and  lease  of  the 
Lambert  House,  and  kept  hotel  two  years, 


was 


and  then  resumed  clerking  in  the  courthouse. 
In  1883,  he  was  elected  Police  Magistrate, 
and  served  two  terms.  In  the  meantime, 
with  George  S.  Campbell  he  bought  the 
Mount  Sterling  Examiner,  and  has  been  its 
editor  ever  since. 

He  was  married  in  1867,  to  Sophia  S. 
Price,  of  Brown  county,  who  died  in  1869. 
In  1872  he  was  married  to  Nannie  Kendrick. 

He  has  two  daughters  by  his  second  mar- 
riage: Mabel  Claire  and  Bernice  A.  He 
belongs  to  Hardin  Lodge,  No.  44,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  and  his  wife 
belong  to  the  Christian  Church. 


LLLIAM  M.  COX,  M.  D.,  one  of  the 

leading  members  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession in  Brown  county,  Illinois, 
born  five  miles  from  Jacksonville,  Mor- 
gan county,  Illinois.  His  father,  Charles 
Cox,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  removed 
from  that  State  to  Kentucky,  where  he  mar- 
ried; he  afterward  removed  to  Indiana,  and 
thence  to  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers;  he  located  there 
previous  to  the  "winter  of  the  deep  snow" 
(1830-'31),  and  experienced  all  the  hardships 
and  privations  of  that  year.  His  brother, 
Hon.  Jerry  Cox,  settled  there  at  the  same 
time.  He  entered  a  tract  of  Government 
land,  on  which  he  erected  a  log  cabin.  For 
several  years  after  his  settlement  there  w.ild 
game  was  plentiful,  and  the  merchandise  was 
brought  from  St.  Louis  by  teams.  The  first 
railroad  in  the  State  was  the  one  from  Jack- 
sonville to  Naples,  and  the  cars  were  first 
drawn  by  horses.  Mr.  Cox  improved  his 
farm,  built  good  frame  buildings,  and  re- 
sided there  several  years.  He  removed  to 
Adams  county  and  bought  a  farm,  on  which 


SCHUYLER    AND    VROWN    COUNTIES. 


165 


he  made  his  home  one  year;  at  the  end  of 
that  time  he  sold  and  moved  to  Hancock 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land  opposite  Keokuk;  there  he  was  exten- 
sively engaged  in  general  farming,  raising 
and  feeding  large  numbers  of  live-stock,  and 
carrying  on  a  profitable  business.  He  mar- 
ried Rachel  N.  Craig,  who  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky and  died  at  her  home  in  Hancock 
county;  his  death  also  occurred  at  the  home 
farm.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  grew  to  mature  years.  William 
M.,  their  son,  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of 
medicine;  his  first  work  was  done  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  McGongin,  of  Keokuk,  and 
he  afterward  entered  the  medical  department 
of  the  Iowa  State  University,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1860;  ten  years  later  he 
received  a  diploma  from  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians, New  York,  and  in  1878  he  was  grad- 
ua'ed  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  Keoknk,  Iowa.  He  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Bloornfield,  Iowa, 
in  1860,  and  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war  he  entered  the  United  States  ser- 
vice as  First  Surgeon  of  the  Third  Iowa  Cav- 
alry; after  three  months  he  was  stricken  with 
typhoid  fever  and  was  compelled  to  resign 
his  position.  In  1862  he  settled  in  Liberty, 
Adams  county,  and  remained  there  until 
1877,  when  he  came  to  Mount  Sterling, 
where  he  has  since  been  in  active  practice. 
He  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker,  a  close 
student,  and  has  kept  fully  abreast  of  the 
times  upon  all  subjects  pertaining  to  the 
great  science. 

The  fire  of  May,  1892,  destroyed  his 
library,  which  was  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  valuable  to  be  found  in  Illinois  outside 
the  city  of  Chicago. 


Dr.  Cox  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eftie 
M.  Morris,  who  was  bom  in  Payson, 
Adams  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Israel 
and  Emily  H.  Morris.  Of  this  union  one 
child  has  been  born,  Eleanor  M.  The  mother 
and  daughter  are  members  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  Politically,  the  Doctor  affiliates 
with  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  Hardin  Lodge,  No.  44,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  of 
the  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  of  Delta 
Commandery,  No.  48,  K.  T.  He  belongs  to 
the  Adams  County  and  American  Medical 
Societies,  and  is  highly  esteemed  in  profes- 
sional, business  and  social  circles  for  his  many 
excellent  traits,  his  ability  as  a  physician,  and 
his  unswerving  devotion  to  his  country's  in- 
terests. 


MARION  STOVER  is  the  present 
superintendent  of  schools  in  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois.  He  was  born  in 
Bainbridge  township,  this  county,  October  27, 
1848,  a  son  of  Samuel  Stover,  a  native  of 
Page  county,  Virginia,  born  in  November, 
1813;  he  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Stover,  whose 
father  was  also  named  Samuel  Stover.  The 
parental  great  grandfather,  who  lived  in  Shen- 
andoah  county,  Virginia,  married  Barbara 
Lionbarger.  The  paternal  grandfather  emi- 
grated to  Ohio  in  1816,  and  was  a  pioneer  of 
Licking  county;  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
on  which  was  a  log  house  and  other  scant  im- 
provements; there  were  no  market  towns,  and 
cattle  and  other  live-stock  had  to  be  driven  to 
Baltimore  and  other  eastern  markets;  the 
wife  carded  and  spun  and  wove  the  cloth  with 
which  her  children  were  clothed;  the  maiden 
name  of  the  paternal  grandmother  was 
Susanna  Brumback,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who 
died  in  Licking  county,  Ohio.  She  reared  a 
family  of  thirteen  children;  the  father  of  our 


166 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Off    GABS, 


subject  was  a  child  of  three  years  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Ohio;  there  he  was  reared, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  subscription 
schools  that  were  taught  in  the  primitive  log 
cabin.  Re  remained  with  his  parents  until 
he  attained  his  majority,  and  then  started  out 
in  life  for  himself.  He  first  rented  land  and 
carried  on  farming  in  this  way  for  three 
years;  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he 
followed  until  1845,  when  he  came  to  Illinois; 
he  made  the  journey  overland,  accompanied 
by  his  wife  and  one  child.  He  settled  in 
what  is  now  Bainbridge  township,  on  land 
which  he  had  purchased  previous  to  coming 
here,  the  quarter  section  costing  $150.  Then 
there  were  no  railroads,  and  grain  had  to  be 
delivered  at  river  towns.  Mr.  Stover  went  to 
work  diligently  to  improve  his  farm,  erecting 
substantial  buildings,  and  placing  the  land 
under  good  cultivation;  he  lived  on  this  place 
until  1888,  when  he  rented  it  and  removed  to 
Rushville,  where  he  has  since  lived  a  retired 
life.  He  was  married  to  the  mother  of  our 
subject  in  1842;  her  maiden  name  was  Maria 
Campbell,  a  native  of  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  Peter  L.  Campbell;  he  was 
born  in  1799,  and  was  but  one  year  old  when 
his  parents  removed  to  Ohio,  and  there  he  was 
reared  and  married  to  Agnes  Jones;  in  1844  he 
emigrated  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Schuyler 
county,  where  he  became  a  prominent  citizen; 
he  and  his  wife  are  both  deceased.  Mrs. 
Stover  has  also  passed  from  this  life;  seven  of 
her  children  survive  her:  Milton  L.,  Oscar 
A.,  D.  Marion,  Horace  T.,  Rollin  M.,  Robert 
C.  and  Zelm  E. 

D.  Marion  Stover  spent  his  early  days 
upon  the  farm,  and  attended  the  rural 
schools  during  the  winter  season.  Although 
his  opportunities  were  very  limited  he  was 
diligent  and  used  his  time  to  the  best  advan- 


tage. At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  be- 
gan teaching,  and  has  since  become  well- 
known  among  the  educators  of  the  county. 
In  1886  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county 
superintendent  of  schools,  in  which  he  has 
served  continuously  since  that  time.  Familiar 
with  all  the  needs  of  the  child,  he  is  very  ef- 
ficient in  this  capacity,  and  has  brought  the 
schools  to  a  high  grade  of  excellence.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of 
Rushville  Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


JiOUIS  W.  CARLES,  a  well-to-do  and 
flrW  successful  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  living 
^®?  on  section  30,  township  18,  range  11, 
was  born  in  this  township  in  1847,  and  was 
here  reared  and  educated.  He  is  the  son  of 
George  H.  Carles,  born  in  Germany  in  1818. 
He  was  of  pure  Germany  ancestry.  His 
wife's  name  was  Elizabeth  Crims,  and  she  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-one.  She  and  her  people 
were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  The 
father  and  his  children,  in  September,  1844, 
started  for  the  United  States,  landed  in  New 
Orleans,  and  on  the  largest  steamer  then 
running  on  the  Mississippi  they  came  to 
Beardstown.  They  arrived  January  10,  1845, 
having  been  three  months  on  the  way.  Soon 
after  landing  Mr.  Carles  and  one  son  pur- 
chased land  in  the  county,  and  before  long  the 
family  became  large  land  owners.  Here  Mr. 
Carles,  Sr.,  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life,  and 
died  when  eighty-six  years.  He  had  always 
been  identified  with  the  Lutheran  Church  as 
had  his  parents  before  him.  George  H. 
Carles,  Jr.,  has,  since  he  came  to  this  county 
been  a  resident  near  BlnfF  Spring  station. 
He  is  yet  smart  and  active,  and  runs  the 
homestead,  having  many  friends  in  the  county, 
among  the  early  settlers.  He  was  married  in 


SCHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


167 


1842,  in  Hanover,  to  L.  O.  Nora  Deydrick. 
She  was  born  and  reared  in  Germany.  Mrs. 
George  Carles  is  yet  living,  and  is  quite 
feeble.  She  is  a  Lutheran,  as  is  her  husband. 
Mr.  Carles  is  a  Democrat. 

Louis  is  the  only  surviving  member  of 
quite  a  large  family.  Mr.  Carles  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  county  all  his  life.  He  has 
a  line  farm  of  160  acres,  well  supplied  with 
good  farm  buildings.  He  still  attends  to 
overlooking  everything  himself.  He  is  a 
well  informed  man  of  good  judgment,  and  is 
a  prominent  citizen. 

He  was  married,  in  this  county,  to  Caroline 
Musch,  daughter  of  John  and  Albidena 
(Leppe)  Musch.  Her  father  came  from  Ger- 
many, and  now  resides  in  Virginia,  Caes 
county;  and  her  mother  was  born  on  the  ves- 
sel from  which  she  was  named  on  the  passage 
from  Germany  to  A.rnerica.  She  died  in  this 
county  when  past  middle  age.  Mr.  Mnsch 
has  married  a  third  wife,  who  is  still  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carles  of  this  notice  are 
energetic  young  people  and  faithful  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  children,  two  of  whom  died 
young:  George  H.,  Jr.;  Gustav  A.,  Robert 
G.,  William  M.,  Herman  H.,  Louis  W.,  Jr., 
Julius  O.,  J.  Albert  and  Paul  B.  The  whole 
family  is  an  honor  to  the  county  in  which  they 
live.  , 

JUGENE  J.  SCOTT,  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  and  stockmen  of  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  was  born  at  George- 
town, Scott  county,  Kentucky,  June  3,  1845. 
He  passed  a  quiet,  uneventful  youth,  remain- 
ing under  the  parental  roof  until  his  marriage. 
He  was  first  united  to  Miss  Ida  V.  Watson, 
March  15,  1877.  She  was  born  in  Collins- 
ville,  Illinois,  February  7,  1847,  and  died  in 


Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  January  1,  1881; 
her  father  was  a  physician,  who  died  when 
she  was  yet  a  child.  By  this  marriage  one 
child  was  born,  Eugene  W.,  the  date  of  his 
birth  being  February  6,  1879,  and  the  place 
Rushville  township.  Mr.  Scott  was  married 
a  second  time,  April  10,  1888,  when  he  was 
united  to  Miss  Nora  L.  Finch,  who  was  born 
in  Greenfield,  Greene  county,  Illinois,  July 
6,  1855,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Eliza 
Finch.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  are  the  parents 
of  one  child,  Thomas  F.,  born  May  28,  1889. 

Mr.  Scott  lived  on  a  farm  four  years  after 
his  marriage,  and  then  rented  the  land  and 
removed  to  Rushville;  here  he  owns  a  pleas- 
ant residence,  and  is  very  comfortably  sit- 
uated. He  makes  a  specialty  of  the  breeding 
of  fine  horses  and  cattle,  his  favorite  stock 
being  Hambletonian  horses  and  red-polled 
cattle;  he  has  some  of  the  finest  animals  in 
the  State,  in  which  he  takes  a  just  pride. 

In  politics  he  is  allied  with  the  Democratic 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  school  board, 
and  in  this  capacity  has  done  his  utmost  to 
further  educational  advancement.  In  all  the 
walks  of  life  his  actions  have  been  character- 
ized by  the  highest  integrity,  and  he  is  well 
worthy  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by 
his  fellow-men. 


fACOB  S.  PRUETT,  who  for  many  years 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
agricultural  interests  of  Schuyler  county, 
was  born  at  St.  Mary's,  Hancock  county,  Illi- 
nois, December  3,  1834,  a  son  of  Constant 
Pruett.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Roane 
county,  Tennessee,  and  his  grandfather  was 
a  farmer  of  that  State,  and  spent  his  entire 
life  within  its  borders.  Constant  Pruett  was 
reared  and  married  in  Tennessee,  and  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  in  1829,  accompanied  by 


168 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    0V    CASS, 


his  wife  aud  one  child;  they  journeyed  on 
horse-hack  to  Kentucky,  arid  then  secured  a 
cart  in  which  they  completed  the  trip.  They 
first  settled  in  Cass  county,  but  at  the  end  of 
a  year  removed  to  Hancock  county,  where 
Mr.  Pruett  entered  a  tract  of  Government 
land;  on  this  he  built  a  log  house  in  which 
Jacob  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born. 
In  1835  he  sold  the  place  and  moved  to  Mc- 
Donough  county,  entering  eighty  acres  of 
land  on  what  is  now  section  33,  Bethel  town- 
fihip;  he  built  a  log  cabin  on  tlie  east  side  of 
the  tract,  and  a  few  years  later  erected  one 
on  the  west  side,  in  which  he  lived  until  his 
death  in  March,  1890,  aged  eighty-nine  years. 
He  married  Susan  Schoopman,  of  Koane 
county,  Tennessee;  her  father,  Jacob  Schoop- 
man, started  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day;  he 
fell  ill  on  the  way  and  died  before  reaching 
his  destination;  his  widow  came  to  this  county, 
and  died  in  Bethel  township.  Jacob  S.  is 
one  of  a  family  of  nine  children;  he  was  an 
infant  when  his  parents  moved  to  McDon- 
ongh  county;  he  attended  the  pioneer  schools 
which  were  taught  in  the  primitive  log  house, 
with  the  yet  more  primitive  furnishing  of 
puncheon  seats  and  desks  of  the  same  pattern; 
the  children  were  dressed  in  cloth  of  their 
mother's  own  weaving;  there  were  no  rail- 
roads, and  wheat  was  hauled  to  market  sixty 
miles  distant,  and  sold  at  twenty-five  cents  a 
bushel.  Our  subject  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  was  twenty  year^  of  age.  He 
then  began  life  for  himself.  Having  no  capi- 
tal he  rented  land  in  Bethel  township  for  two 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  purchased 
forty  acres  of  his  father's  original  entry,  and 
later  he  purchased  the  adjoining  land  across 
the  county  line  on  section  4, Brooklyn  township. 
In  1861,  at  the  first  call  for  troops,  he 
enlisted  in  the  Sixteenth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  reported  at  Springfield;  thence 


he  went  to  Quincy,  but  the  quota  was  filled 
before  his  arrival;  therefore  he  returned  to 
his  home,  and  in  February,  1862,  he  again 
enlisted,  entering  Company  I,  Sixty-second 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  a  term  of  three 
years  or  during  the  war;  the  regiment  was 
organized  at  Anna,  Illinois,  and  mustered  in 
at  Cairo;  thence  he  went  to  Padncah,  Ken- 
tucky, and  then  to  Columbus,  and  then  to 
Kenton,  Tennessee,  where  Companies  I  and 
K  were  detailed  to  guard  a  railroad  trestle; 
while  on  duty  here  he  was  taken  ill,  and  was 
honorably  discharged;  he  returned  home  and 
resumed  agricultural  pursuits. 

In  March,  1864,  he  started  with  four  com- 
panions overland  to  Montana;  at  the  end  of 
one  hundred  and  five  days  he  arrived  at  Idaho 
Gulch,  and  there  was  engaged  in  cutting  hay 
for  three  months,  at  $50  per  month;  then  he 
and  his  brother  and  Solomon  Pestel,  engaged 
in  the  live-stock  trade.  In  the  spring  of 
1866  he  disposed  of  his  interest,  and  began 
teaming  between  Virginia  City  and  Salt  Lake. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  returned  to 
his  home,  and  again  took  up  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  was  very  successful,  made  in- 
vestments in  land  as  his  means  increased, 
until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  360  acres;  this 
is  cultivated  by  his  sons.  He  resided  on  the 
farm  until  1882,  when  he  removed  to  Rush- 
ville. 

Mr.  Pruett  was  first  married  March'  4, 
1855,  to  Jane  Stoneking,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  August  29,  1833,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Rebecca  Stoneking,  and  died 
August  1,  1881.  Mr.  Pruett  was  married  a 
second  time,  February  1,  1883,  when  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Mary  J.  (Mooney) 
Bales,  a  native  of  Henderson  county,  Ken- 
tucky, and  a  daughter  of  Henry  L.  and  Octa- 
via  (Kelley)  Mooney,  and  widow  of  George 
Bales.  Mr.  Pruett  has  five  children  born  of 


SCIIUTLBB    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


169 


hisfirst  marriage:  Nicholas,  Susan,  Eliza  A., 
Harriet  and  Mary;  one  child  has  been  born  of 
the  second  union, named  Charles.  Mrs.  Pruett 
had  by  her  first  union  six  children :  Effie  E.,  Ad- 
die  E.,  Edward  Clarence,  Zelma  A.,  Cora  V. 
and  Kate.  Politically  oursubject  affiliates  with 
the  Democratic  party,  having  cast  his  first 
presidential  vote  for  Buchanan.  He  was 
elected  Sheriff  of  the  county  in  1882,  and 
served  in  this  capacity  four  years.  He  was  a 
zealous,  capable  officer  and  enjoyed  the  entire 
confidence  of  his  constituency.  Mrs.  .Pruett 
is  a  consisten  t  member  of  the  Christian 
Church. 


S.  EMELINE  SHAFER,  of  Lee 
township,  was  born  in  Kingston, 
Lnzerne  county,  Pennsylvania,  De- 
cember 9,  1808.  Her  father  was  Peter 
Shafer  and  her  mother  was  Elizabeth  Shoals, 
both  of  Pennsylvania.  Grandfather  Shoals 
and  his  wife  both  came  from  Germany  and 
both  were  sold  for  their  passage,  as  was  the 
custom  in  those  days,  that  their  time  for  one 
year  should  be  sold  to  pay  their  passage.  Be- 
ing sold  to  the  same  man  in  Philadelphia 
they  became  acquainted,  and  when  they  left 
this  place  they  were  married  and  walked  the 
whole  distance  from  Philadelphia  to  the 
Wyoming  valley  along  the  banks  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna  river.  Here  they  soon  became  ten- 
ant farmers,  and  by  industry  and  economy 
they  became  owners  of  a  good  farm  there. 
Mrs.  Shafer  had  grown  up  in  the  same  neigh- 
borhood with  her  husband,  and  though  mar- 
riage did  not  change  her  name,  she  was  not 
related  to  him.  Of  course  their  means  were 
very  small,  but  their  neighbors  were  iu  the 
same  condition.  After  nine  years  they  moved 
to  Ohio  by  team.  This  was  a  pleasant  trip  of 
two  weeks  in  1834.  They  lived  four  years  in 


Union  county,  four  more  in  Madison  county, 
and  then  traded  their  nice  farm  of  100  acres 
with  good  buildings  and  orchard  for  160 
acres  of  timber,  two  miles  west  of  Mt.  Ster- 
ling village,  getting  $200  in  cash.  They 
again  took  up  the  line  of  march,  bringing 
with  them  their  four  children.  They  moved 
into  an  old  log  stable  near  their  land,  which 
they  made  tenable  for  a  short  time.  Mr. 
Shafer  was  tired  of  his  trade  when  he  found 
that  much  of  the  fine  timber  had  been  cut, 
and  upon  making  inquiry  he  found  that  the 
man  who  had  taken  much  out  of  this  timber 
had  used  it  to  fence  eighty  acres  near  what  is 
now  Fargo.  They  settled  this  by  trading 
an  eighty  of  Mr.  Shafer's  for  the  improved 
eighty  that  had  been  fenced  with  his  timber. 
This  was  the  place  where  Mrs.  Shafer  now 
lives,  on  which  there  was  a  comfortable,  but 
rough  house  16  x  16,  with  a  fireplace  and  stick  - 
and-mud  chimney.  They  have  lived  here 
ever  since.  Here  Mr.  Shafer  died  in  1864, 
aged  sixty  nine  years.  They  had  buried  three 
small  children  in  Ohio  and  had  eight  living 
at  his  death,  although  all  had  gone  from  home 
but  three.  Charles  Shafer  and  his  brother 
Hiram  D.  were  soldiers  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Seventeenth  Illinois  Volunteers  Infantry 
from  Brown  county;  Charles  returned  to  die 
at  his  brother's  at  Mound  Station  at  the  age 
of  twenty  eight  years.  Hiram  was  in  active 
service  as  a  musician  for  over  three  years; 
Francis  was  in  the  ranks  from  February,  1864, 
to  September  of  the  same  year.  Of  the  eleven 
children  born  to  Mrs.  Shafer,  seven  are  still 
living.  Benjamin  and  Francis  are  at  home 
conducting  the  farm  for  their  venerable  old 
mother.  She  has  170  acres  in  this  farm. 
She  has  three  motherless  grandchildren  with 
her,  Maude,  Cora  and  William.  Perrv  Shafer, 
the  eldest  son,  is  a  farmer  in  Kingman  county, 
Kansas;  Denison  is  a  farmer  in  Smith 


170 


BIOORAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


county,  Kansas;  Wealthy  Ann  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Crahb,  a  farmer  in  Smith  county, 
Kansas;  Emeline,  wife  of  Jordan  Madison,  a 
farmer  in  Leaven  worth,  Kansas;  and  Caroline, 
wife  of  James  Wilson,  a  farmer  in  Kingman 
county,  Kansas. 

This  grand  old  lady  is  now  nearly  eighty- 
four  years  of  age  and  is  still  as  vigorous  as 
most  women  at  fifty  years.  She  thinks  noth- 
ing of  walking  three  or  five  miles  and  attends 
church  regularly  in  the  village.  She  has  a 
lively  recollection  of  much  of  her  experience 
in  pioneer  life.  She  tells  how  they  shelled 
the  corn  by  driving  the  horses  over  it  on  the 
barn  floor  and  drew  it  sixteen  miles  to  the 
river  market  and  then  sold  it  for  ten  cents  a 
bushel.  She  tells  her  children  that  a  person 
can  live  entirely  on  corn  meal,  because  she 
has  tried  it.  All  of  her  experiences,  with 
many  of  her  rough  ones,  are  told  with  a  zest 
which  shows  the  stuff  that  this  old  heroine 
was  made  of,  and  it  is  refreshing  to  hear  her 
speak  of  it  as  a  rich  romance  in  which  she 
took  part. 


fAMES    CKAWFORD,  of  township  17, 
range  10,  Virginia,  is  a  native  of  Ireland 
born  in  1833.  His  parents  were  William 
and  Margaret  (Patterson)  Crawford,  both  na- 
tives of  Ireland  who  came  to  America  after 
marriage,    about  1843.      They   located  near 
what  is  now  Virginia,  where  they  spent  their 
lives.      Both  parents   are  interested    in  the 
Virginia  cemetery.     They  had  four  children, 
two  of  whom  are  now  living. 

James  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm.  He  has  always  worked  hard  and  has 
accumulated  property  valued  at  thousands  of 
dollars,  all  the  result  of  his  own  industry  and 
economy.  He  owns  540  acres  of  land  sur- 
rounding the  town  of  Virginia,  for  which  he 


has  refused  $100  per  acre.  He  gives  his 
whole  attention  to  stock-raising  and  feeding. 
He  and  his  son  are  now  feeding  about  500 
head  of  three  to  four  year  old  steers.  He  is 
raising  about  300  acres  of  corn  this  year 
(1892).  The  voters  of  the  family  are  Demo- 
crats, and  the  family  are  among  the  represent- 
ative citizens  of  Virginia.  They  have  been 
raised  in  the  Presbyterian  faith.  This  is  not 
a  long-lived  family,  the  members  generally 
dying  young. 

He  was  married  in  Jacksonville,  in  1868, 
to  Miss  Jane  Elliott,  of  Virginia,  born  in 
1841.  They  have  five  children:  Fannie, 
Willie,  James,  Maggie  and  Floy;  two  died 
in  infancy, — Henry  C.  and  Thomas  Elliott. 
Willie  is  now  of  age  and  is  supporting  him- 
self by  farming  a  portion  of  the  homestead, 
feeding  125  head  of  cattle. 

Mr.  Crawford  is  an  outspoken  man,  who 
speaks  exactly  what  he  thinks,  and  these 
qualities  indicate  the  honesty  of  his  nature, 
as  he  scorns  to  gain  the  favor  of  men  by  flat- 
tery. He  has  given  his  children  a  good  edu- 
cation. He  is  a  man  of  almost  unlimited 
means,  yet  he  spends  his  days  in  toil,  feeling 
that  his  work  is  not  yet  accomplished,  though 
he  feels  the  weight  of  advancing  years.  He 
is  a  man  of  sterling  honesty  and  the  county 
is  indebted  to  such  men  as  he  for  much  of 
its  prosperity.  He  has  resided  for  forty-five 
years  on  his  farm. 


ILLIAM  M.  GREENWELL,  an  in- 
telligent and  progressive  citizen  of 
Cooperstown,  Brown  county,  Illinois, 
and  a  prosperous  farmer,  was  born  in  Meade 
county,  Kentucky,  June  27,  1842. 

His  parents  were  George  and  Amanda 
(Rentfro)  Greenwell,  -both  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky, the  former  born  in  1816,  the  latter  in 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


171 


1813.  The  father's  grandparents  came  from 
Germany.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  a 
well-to-do-farmer  in  Kentucky,  who  died  in 
middle  life,  leaving  a  widow  and  seven  chil- 
dren, four  sons  and  three  daughters.  George, 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  had 
charge  of  the  homestead  farm  for  many  years, 
and  was  married  there.  In  the  spring  of 
1846,  he  and  his  family  removed  to  Brown 
county,  Illinois;  his  brother  William  had 
preceded  him  in  1840,  and  had  erected  a 
gristmill  on  Crooked  creek.  This  was  for 
many  years  the  only  water-power  mill  nearer 
than  Quincy,  and  did  a  large  custom  business, 
and  could  have  been  sold  at  one  time  for 
$10,000.  George  and  his  family  made  their 
home  with  this  brother  for  about  six  weeks, 
when,  having  sold  their  homestead  in  Ken- 
tucky, the  father  and  brothers  bought  eighty 
acres  near  Mount  Sterling,  on  which  therewere 
good  improvements,  paying  for  the  farm  $800. 
They  added  to  their  original  purchase  from 
time  to  time,  until  they  had  280  acres,  which 
continued  to  be  their  permanent  home,  and 
on  which  the  father  still  resides.  Here  the 
father  lost  his  first  wife,  mother  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice,  who  died  in  1882.  aged 
seventy  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  five  now  living.  They  lost  an  infant 
son,  and  a  daughter,  Sarah  J.,  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years.  Mary  E.,  unmarried  lives  at 
home;  William  M.,  of  this  sketch;  Horace 
D.,  a  successful  farmer  of  Cooperstown  town- 
ship; Henry  H.  served  six  months  in  the 
army,  in  Kansas,  where  he  was  accidentally 
drowned,  in  1862;  Harriet  A.  married  John 
G.  Dennis,  and  died  in  1872,  aged  twenty- 
two  years,  leaving  one  daughter,  who  lives 
with  her  grandfather;  Amy  I.,  wife  of  N.  B. 
Cox,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Cooperstown 
township;  Benjamin  S.  was  a  schoolteacher 
of  high  reputation,  a  self-educated  man,  and 


very  enthusiastic  in  his  work,  whose  .early 
death  was,  no  doubt,  due  to  overwork;  he 
went  to  California  for  his  health,  and  taught 
while  there;  he  came  back  home  and  died,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight;  George  F.,  the 
youngest,  is  at  home,  an  invalid. 

William  M.,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch, 
was  but  a  child  when  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  Brown  county,  Illinois,  where  his 
youth  was  spent.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
years,  he  volunteered  his  services  to  the 
Union,  and  enlisted  in  October,  1861,  in  the 
Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  for  three  years.  He 
served  four  years  and  three  months,  and  was 
with  his  regiment  most  of  the  time.  He 
entered  the  service  as  a  private  and  came  out 
as  an  Orderly. 

Within  two  years  after  his  return  to  civil 
life  he  was  married,  and  after  marriage  set- 
tled on  forty  acres  of  land  in  Ripley  town- 
ship, which  property  he  had  bought  while 
in  the  army,  paying  for  it  $1,350.  Four 
years  later,  he  sold  this  land  for  $2,150,  and 
bought  sixty-seven  acres  in  Cooperstown 
township,  on  which  he  farmed  for  eight 
years.  He  then  again  sold  out,  disposing 
of  his  farm  of  107  acres  for  $3,000,  and 
buying  his  present  place  of  160  acres.  Since 
then  he  has  bought  an  additional  eighty  acres 
a  mile  and  a  half  away,  making,  altogether, 
240  acres  which  he  now  owns,  all  of  which 
he  is  farming. 

He  was  married  on  December  26,  1866, 
to  Mary  Ann  Bates,  an  estimable  lady  and  a 
native  of  Brown  county,  Illinois,  where  she 
was  born  in  1845.  Her  parents  are  William 
H.  and  Mary  A.  (Price)  Bates,  well-to-do  and 
esteemed  residents  of  Brown  county.  They 
have  had  eight  children,  seven  now  living:  a 
son  died  in  infancy;  James,  aged  twenty- 
five,  married  Julia  Six,  and  has  one  son;  Os- 
car, aged  twenty-one  is  at  home,  as  are  also 


172 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GA8S, 


all  the  rest,  —  William,  aged  nineteen;  Lilly 
Pearl,  sixteen;  Amanda,  twelve;  Lettie, 
eight;  and  Laura,  aged  six. 

Although  a  Republican  in  politics,  he  has 
been  once  elected  as  census  enumerator,  and 
once  as  Assessor  of  a  strongly  Democratic 
township.  In  the  discharge  of  his  official 
duties,  as  in  his  private  life,  he  has  displayed 
superior  ability  and  unimpeachable  integrity. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  belongs 
to  Isaac  McNeil  Post  at  Ripley.  He  and 
his  wife  and  two  sons  have  been  for  a  number 
of  years  earnest  and  useful  members  of  the 
Christian  Church,  of  which  he  is  an  Elder. 

Aside  from  his  highly  respectable  family 
relations,  his  father  having  been  for  many 
years  a  prominent  resident  of  the  State,  he 
has  gained  for  himself,  by  continued  indus- 
try, upright  dealing  and  uniform  courtesy, 
both  financial  prosperity  and  the  universal 
esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 


fILLIAMS  D.  SCOGGAN  was  born 
Lee  township,  Brown  county, 
Illinois,  December  28,  1843.  His 
father  was  Isham  Scoggan,  born  1807,  in 
Shelby  county,  Kentucky.  He  was  the  son 
of  William  Dotson  Scoggan,  who  settled  in 
Kentucky  at  a  very  early  day,  living  to  be  a 
very  old  man,  rearing  seven  children.  Isham 
was  the  eldest  son  and  on  coming  to  this 
county  he  bought  320  acres  of  land  and  in 
1839  brought  his  wife  and  two  children.  They 
made  this  journey  by  team.  Some  eight  or  ten 
years  later  his  brothers  and  one  sister  came, 
and  with  them  the  aged  father  and  mother. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  his  father's  sec- 
ond wife  and  was  named  Eliza  Jane  Arnold. 
Her  parents  were  Kentucky  farmers  who  lived 


and  died  there,  leaving  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren. The  father  of  Mr.  Scoggan  died  Septem- 
ber 8,  1861,  in  his  fifty-seventh  year,  leaving 
700  acres  of  land  and  other  property.  The 
mother,  in  her  seventy-eighth  year,  is  still  liv- 
ing, but  is  in  feeble  health. 

William  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion and  was  reared  to  a  farm  life.  He  is 
now  engaged  in  stock-farming,  raising  great 
numbers  of  cattle  and  horses.  He  has  from 
150  to  200  head  of  stock.  His  land  is  very 
fertile  and  he  is  able  to  rasise  upon  it  corn, 
wheat,  oats  and  hay  and,  as  it  is  rolling  and 
has  natural  drainage,  he  has  not  been  obliged 
to  do  much  tilling. 

He  was  first  married  in  Kansas,  in  1875, 
but  he  lost  his  wife  and  one  child  within  two 
years.  He  was  at  that  time  a  farmer  of  La- 
bette  county,  and  remained  there  nine  years. 
He  owned  320  acres,  which  he  sold  and  then 
returned  to  Illinois  to  the  old  homestead. 
His  present  wife  was  Susie  Long,  a  native  of 
Morgan  county,  Illinois,  and  daughter  of  An- 
drew and  Lizzie  (Buckton)  Long.  He  was 
married  September  30,  1891.  Mrs.  Scoggan 
is  a  Methodist,  his  mother  a  Missionary  Bap- 
tist, his  niece  a  Campbellite,  and  he  himself 
represents  the  outside  world,  supporting  them 
all.  He'  is  an  ardent  Republican. 


fAMES  N.   ROBISON  of  Lee  township, 
was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn- 
sylvania,   November    22,    1823.       His 
father,  Henry  Robison,  was  born  in  the  same 
county,  April  22,  1798,  and  his  father  was 
born  in  Scotland,  but  spent  his  last  years  in 
Huntingdon     county,    dying    when   his    son 
Henry   was  six  years  old.     Henry  after  his 
father's  death   was    obliged  to  earn  his  own 
living  and  remained  on  a  farm  in  the  same 


8GHUYLBH    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


173 


county  until  1824,  and  then  with  his  wife  and 
infant  son  emigrated  to  Ohio  and  lived  near 
Cadiz  for  two  years,  then  returned  to  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  there  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  dealing  in  stock.  He 
bought  stock  in  Ohio  and  drove  the 
across  the  mountains  to  Philadelphia.  He 
made  considerable  money,  which  he  expended 
on  a  stage  line,  but  failed  in  that  enterprise. 
In  1837  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  wife  and 
four  children  by  team  to  Pittsburg,  then  by 
way  of  the  steamer,  Rion,  to  Phillips  Ferry, 
landing  in  Pike  county.  In  August  of  that 
year  he  rented  some  land  and  exercised  his 
natural  good  judgment  in  stock  and  farming 
and  in  six  years'  time  was  able  to  purchase 
land.  He  first  bought  eighty  acres,  which  he 
soon  sold  and  then  bought  160  acres  near 
Pittsfield,  Pike  county.  He  occupied  that 
farm  a  number  of  years,  then  sold  it  and 
moved  to  Adams  county,  lived  there  a  few 
years,  then  bought  three  miles  west  of  Perry, 
pike  county,  and  there  remained  until  his 
death  in  1870.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Margaret  Taylor,  who  was  bo.rn  }n 
Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Mary  (McElroy)  Taylor.  She 
died  at  her  home,  August  1,  1867. 

James  was  in  his  fourteenth  year  when  his 
parents  came  to  Illinois.  At  that  time  this 
section  of  country  was  but  little  improved, 
and  deer,  wolves  a^nd  wild-cats  were  plentiful. 
There  was  no  railroads  for  years  and  the  river 
towns  were  the  only  markets.  He  resided 
with  his,  father  until  twenty-one  and  then 
with  a,  horse  which  his  father  gave  him  he 
started,  out  for  himself.  He  went  to  school 
during  the  winter  and  worked  for  his  board. 
In  the  following  spring  he  rented  land  and 
farmed  for  three  years  and  then  bought  160 
acres  in  Lee  township.  It  was  military  land 
arid  he  soon  lost  that  on  account  of  a  faulty 

18 


title,  but  he  then  bought  another  farm,  of  120 
acres.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Lee  town- 
ship since  1847,  with  the  exception  of  one 
year  in  Adams  county.  He  now  has  700 
acres  in  Lee  township,  480  in  Buckhorn  town- 
ship, 225  acres  in  Pike  county  and  370  in 
Johnson  county,  Kansas. 

He  was  married  December  1,  1847,  to 
Mary  E.  Caughenon.  She  was  born  in  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  Pennsylvania,  January  14, 
1829.  Her  father,  Henry,  was  born  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  and  his  father, 
John,  as  far  as  known  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania of  German  ancestry.  He  came  to 
Illinois  in  1887,  settled  in  Pike  county,  then 
moved  to  Pea  Ridge  in  JBrown  county,  bought 
a  farm  and  lived  there  until  his  death.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Dorathea  Law- 
rence of  Lancaster  county.  She  died  in  L'ike 
county.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Robison  was 
reared  and  married  in  Pennsylvania  and  re- 
sided there  until  1836,  and  with  his  wife  and 
four  children  came  to  Illinois.  He  lived  in 
Pike  county  for  two  years  and  followed  his 
trade  of  miller  and  then  built  a  mill  on  Mc- 
Grees  creek  and  operated  it  for  ten  years.  He 
then  traded  the  mill  for  a  farm,  three  miles 
west  of  Mt.  Sterling,  remained  four  years, 
then  traded  the  farm  for  a  stock  of  goods, 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Clayton, 
Adams  county,  and  remained  there  until  his 
death  in  1859.  The  first  name  of  his  wife 
was  Agnes,  daughter  of  William  and  Nancy 
(Tayler),  likely  natives  of  Ireland  and  Penn- 
sylvania. The  grandfather  was  of  Scotch 
ancestry.  Mrs.  Robison's  mother  died  in 
Clayton  in  1889. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robison  have  eight  living 
children :  Henry,  Mary,  William,  Robert, 
Enos  M.,  Fred,  Belle  and  Walter.  The  first 
child,  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Rev.  J.  O.  Jen- 
nings, died  in  California,  January  29,  1891. 


174 


BIOORAPUICAL    REVIEW    OP    CASS, 


Three  others  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Robison  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  he  has  served  as  Trustee  of  the 
church  and  his  wife  has  taught  in  the  Sunday- 
school.  He  has  been  a  Republican  since  the 
formation  of  the  party. 


fAMES  M.  BLACK,  dealer  in  hard  coal 
and  wood,  was  born  in  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  October  12,  1835.  He 
was  the  son  of  John  W.  Black  of  the  same 
county,  who  was  one  of  thirteen  children. 
All  grew  to  maturity,  and  the  sons  were  me- 
chanics by  trade.  John  W.  Black  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade.  After  he  came  West  he 
was  foreman  of  the  Boyles  Scales  Company 
of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  for  some  years,  and, 
later  came  to  Beardstown  and  established 
himself  with  Mr.  T.  A.  Fisher,  another  old 
blacksmith.  He  was  later  with  Messrs.  Milner 
and  Hill.  He  did  business  as  a  smith  and  a 
manufacturer  of  wagons  and  buggies.  He 
went  to  Pike's  Peak  in  the  early  sixties  and 
was  a  miner  there  for  some  time.  He  se- 
cured his  claim,  but  later  came  back  to  Van- 
dalia  and  died  there,  about  fifty  years  of  age. 
He  was  married  in  his  native  county,  to  Mar- 
get  A.  Shankle,  of  early  English  ancestry. 
She  was  born  in  Indianacounty,  Pennsylvania, 
where  her  parents  lived  and  died.  She  died 
when  in  St.  Louis,  after  the  birth  of  five  chil- 
dren, when  she  was  in  the  prime  of  life. 

James  M.  Black  came  to  this  town,  Beards- 
town,  in  1851.  From  here  he  went  to  Iowa, 
and  after  residing  there  for  six  years  came 
to  Beardstown  in  1861  and  engaged  in  team- 
ing until  1870,  when  he  established  his  coal 
business. 

He  was  married  in  Polk  county,  Iowa,  June 
11,1857,  to  Miss  Mary  Shepherd.  She  was  born 


in  Kentucky  and  came  with  her  parents,  Ben- 
jamin and  Minerva  Shepherd  of  Kentucky,  to 
Polk  county,  Iowa,  and  for  some  years  fol- 
lowing the  marriage  of  their  daughter.  Mr. 
Shepherd  died  in  Peoria  county.  Mrs.  Shep- 
herd still  lives  there,  about  ninety  years  of 
age.  Mrs.  Black  died  at  her  home  in  Beards- 
town,  in  1878.  She  had  three  children, 
namely:  Francis  Ellen,  born  January  21, 
1862,  died  May  6,  1864;  Edward  Franklin, 
born  March  1,  1865,  married  Grace  Putnam, 
and  now  live?  in  Virginia,  where  he  is  agent 
for  the  Quincy  &  Missouri  Railroad;  and 
Harry  L.,  born  October  6,  1870,  who  is  still  at 
home  and  assists  his  father.  Mr.  Black  is  a 
Republican  and  is  chairman  in  one  of  the 
local  district  Republican  central  committees. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  is  a  working  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W., 
and  has  managed  their  financial  affairs  for 
six  years.  He  has  been  the  representative  to 
the  Grand  Lodge. 


TEPHEN  T.  RANNEY,  a  well  known 
member  of  commercial  circles  in  Mount 
Sterling,  was  born  in  Elkhorn  township, 
Brown  county,  Illinois,  January  1,  1847,  a 
son  of  Solomon  Ranney.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Stephen  Ranney,  was  a  native  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  his  father  emigrated 
from  Wales  in  colonial  times,  and  settled  in 
New  York  State.  Stephen  Ranney  was  a 
lawyer  by  profession,  and  had  a  large  and 
profitable  practice.  He  was  married  to  Olive 
Jaques,  a  native  of  New  York  State,  who 
lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years. 
Solomon  Ranney  removed  from  New  York  to 
Ohio  in  an  early  day,  and  in  1842  came  to 
Illinois;  he  spent  a  few  years  in  Case  county, 
returned  to  Ohio,  and  again  came  to  this 
State;  he  located  the  second  time  in  Brown 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


175 


county,  and  as  his  means  were  limited  he  did 
not  invest  in  land;  he  is  now  a  resident  of 
Pike  county,  Illinois.  His  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Melinda  Reeves,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  died  in  1849. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother,  Stephen  T. 
Kanney  was  taken  in  charge  by  his  paternal 
grandmother,  and  was  reared  by  her  in  Elk- 
horn  township.  In  his  youth  he  divided  his 
time  between  the  work  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tending the  common  school. 

There  were  no  events  of  great  importance 
connected  with  his  career  until  1864.  In 
November  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany G,  Fiftieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  honorably  discharged  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, July  13, 1865,  after  which  he  returned 
to  his  home.  He  was  variously  employed  for 
several  years,  but  finally  purchased  land  in 
Elkhorn  township,  which  he  cultivated  until 
his  removal  in  1882,  to  Mount  Sterling, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 

Mr.  Ranney  was  married  in  1877,  March 
3,  to  Melinda  C.  Perry,  who.  was  born  No- 
vember 12,  1847,  in  Brown  county,  Illinois. 
Of  late  years  he  has  been  one  of  the  most 
prominent  real-estate  dealers  in  the  place, 
having  laid  out  an  addition  and  built  more 
residences  in  the  past  ten  years  than  any  one 
other  individua.1;  he  erected  th«  Ranney 
Block,  one  of  the  handsomest  business  struc- 
tures in  Mount  Sterling,  and  has  been  one  of 
the  mpst  enterprising  and  energetic  support- 
ers of  the  county's  interests. 

Politically  he  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  Elkhorn  township,  has  represented 
the  Second  Ward  on  the  Board  of  Aldermen, 
and  in  1882  was  elected  Sheriff  of  the  county; 
four  years  later  he  was  elected  Treasurer  of 
the  county,  and  in  1890  he  was  made  Justice 


of  the  Peace.  He  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Building  and  Loan  Association  since  its  or- 
ganization, and  in  all  the  walks  of  life  has 
shown  himself  a  stanch,  reliable  man,  worthy 
of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives. 


,ON.  ALEXANDER  K.  LOWRY  was 
born  in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, November  7,  1829,  a  son  of  Joseph 
Lowry,  a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. The  paternal  grandfather,  Adam 
Lowry,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  but  was  the 
descendant  of  Scotch  ancestors;  he  emigrated 
to  America,  accompanied  by  his  family  about 
the  year  1780,  and  settled  near  Chambers- 
burg,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania;  he  died 
at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years  in  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania.  His  son  Joseph 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  but  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  had  settled  previous  to  his  marriage; 
he  bought  a  tract  of  timber  land,  cut  out  the 
trees  to  make  a  spot  for  the  erection  of  his 
cabin,  and  also  built  a  shop  where  he  followed 
his  trade  in  connection  with  his  farming;  he 
there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days,  his 
death  occurring  in  1853.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Kerr,  a  native  of  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
Kerr,  who  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland, 
of  Scotch  ancestry;  he  settled  in  Pennsylva- 
nia after  landing  in  America,  and  he  and 
his  wife  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
days. 

Alexander  K.  Lowry  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  the  county  of  his  birth;  he  taught 
school  one  term  in  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  in  1848  and  1849  was  en- 
gaged in  clerking  in  a  country  store.  From 


176 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


1850  to  1853  he  was  bookkeeper  for  the 
owners  of  the  furnaces  in  Bedford  county, 
and  from  1853  to  1855  he  was  clerking. 
Before  the  end  of  the  latter  year  he  emi- 
grated to  Iowa,  going  via  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  rivers  to  Keokuk,  and  thence 
by  team  to  Poweshiek  county,  being  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  Grinnell.  At  that  time 
there  was  not  a  mile  of  railway  in  the  State 
of  Iowa;  the  central  and  western  portions 
of  the  State  were  very  sparsely  settled,  and 
the  Missouri  river  bounded  the  frontier. 
Mr.  Lowry  began  business  by  opening  a 
hotel, and  soon  after  was  appointed  Post- 
master upon  the  establishment  of  an  office 
at  that  point.  He  remained  at  Grinnell 
about  a  year  and  a  half,  and  then  went  to 
Pennsylvania,  the  home  of  his  youth.  It 
was  not  long,  however,  before,  he  emi- 
grated to  Dakota  county,  Nebraska,  where 
he  purchased  a  claim  of  Government  land 
and  on  which  he  remained  six  months. 
Returning  to  Grinnell  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  embarked  in  mercantile  trade,  and 
also  began  the  study  of  law.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1858,  and  soon  after 
came  to  Macomb,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged 
in  practice  until  1861;  in  this  year  he  re- 
moved to  Mount  Sterling,  and  devoted  him- 
self to  legal  work  until  1864,  when  he  made 
a  trip  to  California,  going  via  the  Isthmus. 
Arriving  in  the  Golden  State  he  opened  a 
hotel,  which  he  kept  for  three  years  at  Marys- 
ville,  and  then  came  back  to  Illinois,  the 
return  trip  being  made  via  the  Nicaragua 
route. 

Mr.  Lowry  has  been  twice  married;  in 
1855  he  was  united  to  Sarah  McCartney,  a 
native  of  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  who 
died  in  1870.  Mr.  Lowry's  second  marriage 
occurred  in  1872,  when  he  was  united  to 
Martha  J.  Means,  who  was  born  one  mile 


from  Mount  Sterling,  Brown  county,  Illinois; 
she  died  in  February,  1888.  Two  children 
were  born  of  the  first  marriage,  Clara  B.  and 
Hattie;  the  latter  is  the  wife  of  James  L. 
Gray,  and  has  one  child,  Mary  Vivian. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lowry  affiliated  with  the 
Democratic  party  until  1869,  but  since  that 
time  he  has  supported  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  was  elected  County 
Superintendent  of  Schools  in  1861,  was 
County  Treasurer  in  1863,  and  in  1886  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature. 
In  these  various  offices  he  discharged  his  du- 
ties with  marked  ability,  reflecting  great 
credit  upon  himself  as  well  as  his  constituency. 
At  the  present  time  he  is  a  member  of  the 
School  Board,  filling  the  office  of  president. 


,EV.  MICHAEL  CLIFFORD  has  been 
pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  Mount 
Sterling,  Illinois,  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  and  during  this  time  has  been  a  faith- 
ful servant  to  his  Master,  and  has  won  the 
esteem  and  Admiration  of  the  people  with 
whom  he  has  labored.  He  was  born  in  county 
Limerick,  Ireland,  and  his  ancestors  for  many 
generations  were  natives  of  the  same  county. 
He  received  his  early  education  in  the  Latin 
school  at  Charley  ville,  county  Cork,  and  later 
became  a  student  at  All  Hallow's  College, 
Dublin,  from  which  institution  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1862.  In  July  of  the  same  year  he 
crossed  the  sea  to  America,  and  came  directly 
from  the  seaboard  to  Illinois. 

His  first  charge  was  at  Bunker  Hill,  Ma- 
conpin  county;  thence  he  was  sent  to  Sanga- 
mon  county,  and  removed  from  this  point  to 
Morgan  county,  where  he  remained  until 
1872,  when  he  came  to  Mount  Sterling  and 
took  charge  of  St.  Mary's  congregation. 


8OHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


177 


This  is  the  first  Koinan  Catholic  Church  of 
Mount  Sterling,  having  been  founded  more 
than  fifty  years  ago;  the  present  structure  is 
a  handsome  brick  edifice,  with  a  seating 
capacity  of  500,  and  the  membership  num- 
bers 185  families.  The  parochial  school 
under  the  care  of  the  church  is  in  charge  of 
the  Dominican  Sisters,  and  has  an  attendance 
of  eighty-five.  Since  Father  Clifford  has 
been  pastor  of  St.  Mary's,  improvements 
have  been  made  to  the  extent  of  over  $10,000; 
a  residence  for  the  priest  and  one  for  the  Do- 
minican Sisters  are  included  in  the  work 
accomplished  by  him.  He  has  been  devoted 
to  the  interests  of  his  people,  and  in  him 
they  find  that  wise  counsel  and  loving  ad- 
monition which  has  been  a  safe  guide  on  the 
pathway  of  life. 


H.  SIELSCHOTT,  Beardstown,  Illi- 
nois. —  The  United  States,  the  grand- 
est  government  that  shelters  a  people, 
possesses  alone  of  all  the  governments  of  the 
world,  the  privilege  which  makes  it  possible 
for  each  individual  to  force  his  way  through 
the  ranks  of  the  many  and  become  one  of  the 
few.  Emerson  says  "  it  is  purpose  that  differ- 
ences men,"  and  the  man  who,  by  birth  or  its 
equivalent,  enjoys  the  possibilities  of  a  high 
and  noble  purpose,  under  such  a  government, 
and  who  through  energy,  tact,  and  strict 
integrity  overcomes  the  obstacles  that  engulf 
smaller  men,  who  levels  the  impossibilities 
of  other  men  to  his  own  convenience  and 
makes  them  his  opportunities,  is  that  man  of 
purpose,  and  is  by  the  law  of  natural  selection 
a  leader.  It  is  to  such  men  that  society  and 
progression  owes  its  highest  attainments;  and 
it  is  of  one  of  those  whose  straightforward 
career  has  made  his  name  worthy  the  pages 
of  history,  that  this  sketch  is  written. 


.  A.  H.  Sielschott  was  born  in  the  busy  prov- 
ince of  Hanover,  Germany,  in  1835.  He  is 
a  son  of  Frederick  and  Amelia  Sielschott,  who 
were  also  natives  of  Hanover.  His  parents 
were  of  that  sturdy  conservative  element  that 
has  enriched  the  great  Empire  of  Germany 
and  advanced  it  to  the  front  rank  in  the 
world's  history  of  great  soldiers  and  states- 
men, and  placed  it  in  close  touch  with  the 
advance  of  civilization  and  the  fellowship  of 
men.  They  were  farmers  owning  their  land, 
and  as  is  characteristic  of  that  eminently 
worthy  husbandry,  were  given  entirely  to  the 
cultivation  of  their  land,  leaving  travel  to 
those  who  were  less  inspired  with  the  habits 
of  their  forefathers.  They  were  never  out- 
side the  borders  of  their  loved  fatherland,  but 
lived  'out  their  allotted  time,  happy,  and  con- 
tented, with  the  pleasures  and  prosperity  their 
home  life  and  patriotism  afforded  them. 
They  each  attained  the  good  age  of  three 
score  years  and  ten. 

The  boyhodd  bf  A.  H.  Sielschott  was  prac- 
tically the  same'  as  that  of  other  boys  whose 
parents  were  devoted  to  labor  and  frugality. 
At  the  age  customary  in  his  native  land,  Mr. 
Sielschott  entered  the  public  schools  and 
acquired  a  classical  education  in  his  native 
tongue.  After  leaving  school  and  being  of  a 
decidedly  progressive  temperament  and  en- 
dowed with  a  full  share  of  native  pluck,  he 
decided  to  leave  his  home  and  try  for  his 
fortune  in  the  broader  fields  of  America.  In 
the  early  part  of  1854  he  left  Bremen  on  the 
steamer  Hansa,  ticketed  for  New  York.  Ar- 
riving there  he  soon  pushed  boldly  westward 
and  reached  Beardstowu  in  the  fall  of  that 
year.  Here  he  decided  to  remain,  and  here 
with  but  a  five-dollar  gold  piece  in  his  pocket 
he  began  the  life  that  has  been  so  full  of  good 
for  himself  and  also  for  the  community.  Mr. 
Sielschott  did  not  waste  any  time  looking  for 


178 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS '8, 


an  easy  job,  but  with  determination  and 
energy  took  hold  of  the  first  honest  work  that 
presented  itself.  He  was  familiar  with  farm 
work  and  naturally  bent  his  energies  in  that 
direction.  He  engaged  to  work  on  a  farm, 
and  went  at  it  with  a  will.  While  working 
and  while  resting  he  kept  his  brain  busy 
evolving  plans  for  the  future,  and  speculating 
honestly,  and  with  a  method  well  worked  out, 
he  advanced  step  by  step  in  popularity  and 
position  until  he  had  acquired  not  only  a  com- 
fortable income  but  the  higher  victory,  name- 
ly, the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  knew 
him.  In  1876  he  was  elected  by  a  large 
majority  to  the  office  of  Sheriff,  and  so  satis- 
factorily did  he  discharge  the  duties  of  his 
office  that  he  was  repeatedly  re-elected  until 
he  had  held  the  office  for  an  unbroken  period 
of  ten  years.  After  ten  years  in  office  Mr. 
Sielschott  had  reason  to  hope  for  a  rest  from 
public  service, but  he  was  almost  immediately 
elected  to  the  office  of  County  Treasurer,  and 
held  that  important  office  until  1890,  a  period 
of  four  years.  In  1889  the  First  State  Bank 
of  Beardstown  was  organized  and  Mr.  Siels- 
chott was  elected  its  president,  an  office  which 
he  has  continued  to  hold  ever  since.  Under 
his  wise  direction  the  bank  has  prospered, 
and  is  to-day  one  of  the  richest  banking  or- 
ganizations in  the  State.  Its  principles  are 
sound,  and  it  enjoys  a  financial  solidity  far 
beyond  any  possible  event  or  turn  in  values. 
Mr.  Sielschott's  record  in  the  government 
affairs  in  the  city  and  county  is  a  most  unus- 
ual and  remarkable  one.  In  addition  to  the 
fourteen  years  in  which  he  discharged  the 
important  duties  of  Sheriff  and  Treasurer  of 
the  county,  he  has  served  five  terms  as  Mayor 
of  the  city  of  Beardstown.  A  single  term  in 
any  office,  no  matter  how  important,  seldom 
determinesaman's  fitness  for  high  commenda- 
tion. It  is  the  repeated  voice  of  the  people 


in  recalling  a  man  to  public  office — in  making 
him  his  own  successor  year  after  year — that 
establishes  beyond  question  that  man's  ability 
and  worthiness. 

Mr.  Sielschott  has  also  served  many  times 
as  delegate  to  County  and  Congressional  con- 
ventions. He  is  a  Democrat,  believing  the 
principles  of  that  great  party  to  be  in  closer 
touch  with  the  needs  of  the  people,  and  in 
greater  harmony  with  the  progress  of  the  age 
than  all  the  planks,  principles  and  platforms 
of  all  other  political  parties  combined.  In  a 
word  he  believes  Democratic  doctrine  ever- 
lastingly right,  and  all  opposition  thereto 
everlastingly  wrong.  He  has  always  sup- 
ported these  principles  fully  and  faithfully, 
and  has  done  more  than  one  man's  share  to 
establish  purity  in  office  and  the  great  truth 
that  public  office  is  a  public  trust. 

In  business  life  Mr.  Sielschott  has  been  a 
promoter  of  many  important. enterprises,  one 
of  the  most  important  of  which  was  the  con- 
struction of  the  tine  bridge  that  spans  the 
Illinois  river  at  Beardstown.  He  is,  also, 
identified  with  many  other  worthy  and  pros- 
perous enterprises. 

In  March,  1862,  Mr.  Sielschott  was  married 
to  Miss  Ellen  Piper,  of  Beardstown,  a  native 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  who  at  the  age  of 
seven  accompanied  her  parents  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  Beardstown.  They  were 
worthy  and  consistent  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  They  died  after  having  at- 
tained the  good  old  age  of  four-score  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sielschott  have  three  chil- 
dren: A.  F.  Sielschott,  of  the  firm  of  Spring 
&  Sielschott,  of  Beardstown ;  Alice  A.  and  Mar- 
tha M.  are  still  members  of  the  family  home. 
Both  of  the  young  ladies  have  received  a  splen- 
did education,  and  both  are  prominent  in 
social  matters.  The  family  worship  at  the 
Congregational  Church. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


179 


Socially  Mr.  Sielschott  is  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Personally 
he  is  kind,  courteous  and  affable.  In  a  word, 
he  possesses  just  such  a  personality  as  the 
intelligent  reader  would  expect  to  find  in 
conjunction  with  such  an  admirable  record. 


^ENRYTRUE  FOSTER,  the  well-known 
first  settler  of  Beardstown  yet  living, 
was  born  on  February  3,  Ibi6,  in  Lin- 
coln county,  Maine.  He  grew  up  and  ac- 
quired a  practical  education  at  Warren  and 
Newcastle,  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age 
went  to  Bangor,  Maine,  and  spent  three  years 
in  the  clothing  store  of  Thomas  Furber,  the 
first  store  of  that  kind  in  the  city.  When 
twenty  years  of  age  he  came  with  his  father 
to  Illinois,  where  they  had  landed  interests. 
After  landing  at  Meredosia,  on  the  Illinois 
river,  he  came  to  Beardstown,  where  Mr.  Fos- 
ter has  since  resided.  He  has  engaged  in  a 
variety  of  occupations,  having  been  a  farmer, 
merchant,  manufacturer,  grain  buyer,  packer, 
and  dealer  in  grain.  He  was  an  active  busi- 
ness man  and  was  very  successful  in  his 
many  business  ventures.  He  is  generous  td 
a  fault,  and  never  paused  to  consider  his  per- 
sonal gain  or  loss  if  an  enterprise  was  started 
that  was  likely  to  prove  a  benefit  to  the  city. 
It  was  through  his  personal  efforts  that  the 
railroads  were  run  to  Beardstown.  In  1861 
he  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  the  place 
and  held  the  office  for  seven  years,  and  in  1868 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  municipality  of 
Beardstown.  He  infused  new  life  into  the 
place  by  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  city. 
He  introduced  new  enterprises,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  there  is  another  citizen  of  the  city  who 
has  devoted  so  much  time  and  energy  to  the 
development  of  that  place  as  Mr.  Foster.  He 


has  been  a  prominent  Republican  in  politics 
since  the  organization  of  the  party.  He  has 
been  an  active  worker  in  that  party  in  local 
matters.  President  Lincoln  and  he  were  per- 
sonal friends,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Central  Committee  during  the  second 
campaign  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church  of  which  he  is  a 
Deacon  and  of  which  he  was  for  years  a  Trus  - 
tee.  Mr.  Foster  was  one  of  those  who  voted 
for  William  H.  Harrison  in  1836  and  1840. 
Mr.  Foster  was  married  in  Beardstown,  1839, 
to  Mary  De  Haven,  of  Philadelphia,  Penn- 
sylvania. She  was  born,  reared  and  educated 
in  that  city  and  came  west  when  a  young 
woman.  She  died  at  her  home  January  11, 
1888,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  She  ever 
proved  herself  a  true  and  noble  wife  and 
mother,  and  her  death  was  deeply  felt  by  those 
she  left  behind  her.  She  left  two  sons:  Ed- 
win C.,  who  married  Isabel  Dale  and  who 
now  resides  in  Waterloo,  Iowa;  and  Robert 
Harry,  who  married  Emma  Logan  and  they 
live  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.  They  are 
both  prosperous  young  men. 


8REDERICK  W.  ROTTGEB.oue  of  the 
most  successful  and  enterprising  busi- 
ness men  of  Mount  Sterling,  was  born 
near  Mendon,  Prussia,  August  8,  1844.  His 
father,  William  Rottger,  was  born  in  the 
same  country,  and  there  was  reared  and  mar- 
ried. In  1845  he  determined  to  try  his  for- 
tunes in  the  New  World,  and  left  his  family 
behind  until  he  should  seek  out  a  home  for 
them  in  the  strange,  new  land.  He  located 
in  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died 
about  a  year  later.  His  wife  was  left  in  very 
humble  circumstances,  with  four  little  chil- 
dren. In  1850  she  brought  her  family  to 


180 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


America,  sailing  from  Bremen  and  landing 
in  New  Orleans;  thence  they  came  via  the 
.Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers  to  Naples,  and 
completed  the  journey  to  Jacksonville  by 
rail.  Frederick  "W.  was  bound  out  to  E.  S. 
Hendrickson,  a  farmer  then  residing  in  Mor- 
gan county,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he 
had  attained  his  majority.  His  early  life  was 
spent  on  the  farm,  but  he  managed  to  learn 
the  art  of  telegraphy,  and  came  to  Mount 
Sterling  to  accept  a  position  with  the  Wabash 
Railway  Company  as  station  agent.  For 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  had 
charge  of  the  company's  business  at  this 
point,  and  by  his  years  of  faithful  service  has 
gained  the  entire  confidence  of  the  officials  of 
the  corporation.  After  he  had  been  in  Mount 
Sterling  a  short  time  he  began  contracting 
for  railroad  ties,  and  has  carried  on  this  busi- 
ness continuously  since  that  time.  In  1874 
he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness of  C.  M.  Dunlap,  and  in  1882  bought 
the  entire  concern,  since  which  time  he  has 
conducted  the  trade  alone.  In  1878  he  added 
the  grain  business  to  his  own  interests,  and 
has  done  a  large  amount  of  buying  and 
shipping.  He  also  has  immense  agricultural 
interests,  and  owns  800  acres  of  fine  farming 
land  in  Pea  Ridge  township. 

Mr.  Rottger  was  married  October  18, 1865, 
to  Eugenia  Peters,  a  native  of  Steubenville, 
Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Stebbens  and  Alicia 
(Tracy)  Peters;  of  this  union  five  children 
have  been  born:  Eugenia,  Nina,  Myrtle, 
Frederick  W.  and  Winnifred.  Mrs.  Rottger 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Our  worthy  subject  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  order,  being  a  member  of  Hardin 
Lodge,  No.  44,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Delta  Com- 
mandry,  No.  48,  K.  T.,  and  the  Quincy  Con- 
sistory. Politically  he  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  has  represented  the 


people  of  his  township  in  many  of  the  local 
offices;  he  was  the  first  Mayor  of  Mount 
Sterling,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
County  Board  of  Supervisors.  He  is  also  the 
choice  of  his  party  to  represent  Brown  county 
in  the  State  Legislature.  He  is  a  man  of 
unquestioned  integrity,  true  to  his  friends, 
and  strong  in  the  purposes  he  considers  just 
and  right. 


ILL1AM  B.  DAVIS,  proprietor  of 
the  Democrat  Message,  was  born  in 
La  Fayette  county,  Missouri,  July  10, 
1865.  His  •  father,  Henry  K.  Davis,  was 
born  in  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  and  his 
father,  Samuel  H.  Davis,  was  a  printer,  and 
at  one  time  published  a  paper  in  Wheeling, 
and  later  in  Peoria,  111.  He  spent  his  last 
days  there.  His  son  was  also  a  printer,  and 
followed  his  trade  many  years.  He  issued 
the  first  daily  paper  ever  published  in  Peoria, 
and  the  first  ever  published  in  Champaign 
county,  and  during  the  war  published  the 
Lexington  Union  at  Lexington,  Missouri. 
It  was  a  strong  Union  paper,  and  there  his 
life  was  fraught  with  much  danger.  Later 
he  established  the  Daily  Advertiser  at  Kan- 
sas City,  and  it  is  now  known  as  the  Kansas 
City  Times.  Among  the  other  places  where 
he  published  papers  were  Paris,  Texas,  and 
Warrensburg,  Missouri. 

In  December,  1874,  he  came  to  Mount 
Sterling  and  bought  the  Mount  Sterling 
Democrat  and  continued  its  publication  un- 
til his  death,  April  6,  1886.  His  wife's 
name  was  Mary  Davis,  of  Cumberland,  Mary- 
land, a  daughter  of  John  Davis.  She  now 
resides  at  Mount  Sterling,  where  she  has 
reared  six  children. 

William  was  ten  years  old  when  he  came 
to  Mount  Sterling,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


181 


he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  printing  in 
the  office  of  the  .Democrat.  In  1886  he 
bought  the  office  and  good  will  of  the  Mes- 
sage and  consolidated  it  with  the  Democrat 
under  the  name  of  the  Democrat  Message. 
His  mother  still  retains  a  half  interest  in  the 
paper. 

He  married,  in  1888,  Laura  G.  Givens,  of 
Mount  Sterling,  Illinois,  daughter  of  John 
and  Maria  Putman  Givens.  They  have  one 
child,  Catherine  Maria.  Mrs.  Davis  belongs 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Mr 
Davis  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  belongs 
to  the  Cincinnatis,  No.  287,  K.  P. 


IYRUS  HORROM  dates  his  birth  in 
Dearborn  county,  Indiana,  September 
4,  1820.  His  father,  Benjamin  Hor- 
rom,  was  born  in  New  York  state,  and  when 
a  young  man  moved  to  Ohio.  A  few  years 
later  he  continued  his  way  westward,  and 
took  up  his  abode  in  Dearborn  county,  In- 
diana, where  he  lived  till  December,  1828- 
At  that  time  he  started  with  his  wife  and 
nine  children  for  Illinois,  making  the  re- 
moval with  ox  teams,  and  landing  in  Cass 
county  the  following  March.  Here  he  en- 
tered a  tract  of  Government  land  in  town- 
ship 18,  range  10,  and  erected  a  log  house- 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Aus- 
tin, she  being  a  native  of  the  same  locality  in 
which  her  husband  was  born.  They  reared 
nine  children,  and  on  the  home  farm  the 
parents  died. 

Cyrus  Horrom  was  eight  years  of  age  at 
the  time  the  family  moved  to  Illinois.  At 
the  time  Central  Illinois  was  sparsely  set- 
tled, and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State 
the  only  inhabitants  were  Indians.  Game  of 
all  kinds  was  plenty  throughout  the  State, 


and  the  people  dressed  in  homespun.  Little 
of  the  land  in  Cass  county  had  been  entered, 
most  of  it  belonging  to  the  Government. 
The  means  of  transportation  being  limited, 
farm  produce  necessarily  brought  a  low 
price.  Corn  was  ten  cents  per  bushel,  good 
steers  sold  at  half  a  cent  per  pound,  and  pork 
brought  seventy-five  cents  per  hundred 
pounds. 

Mr.  Horrom  lived  with  his  parents  till  he 
reached  his  majority.  He  then  went  to 
Marshall  county  and  worked  on  a  farm  three 
months.  Returning  to  Cass  county,  he 
rented  land  of  his  father,  and  in  1845  settled 
on  the  farm  he  now  owns  and  occupies.  This 
farm  is  located  on  section  17,  contains  145 
acres,  and  is  well  improved  with  good 
buildings,  etc. 

Mr.  Horrom  was  married  in  1845,  to  Mary 
J.  Briar,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Davis)  Briar. 
Joseph  Briar,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  is  a  brother  of 
hers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horrom  have  seven 
children  living,  viz:  John  H.,  Matilda  J., 
Mary  E.,  William  H.,  Martha  Ellen,  Preston 
W.,  and  Cora  Alice.  Charles,  Addie,  Mil- 
lard  and  George  A.  are  deceased. 


|HILANDER  AYERY,  one  of  the  large 
land  owners  of  Schuyler  county,  resides 
on  section  26,  Camden  township. 
He  first  came  to  the  county  in  1832, 
being  a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Ohio, 
born  June  13,  1823.  His  parents,  David 
and  Margaret  (Adams)  Avery,  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio.  The  grandfather  of 
the  subject  was  born  in  Ireland,  but  came-  to 
the  United  States  when  a  boy  and  for  some 
time  was  a  sailor.  He  then  farmed  and  fol- 


182 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS 8, 


lowed  the  carpenter  trade.  Some  time  after 
his  children  were  settled  he  emigrated  to 
Illinois,  settled  in  Schuyler  county,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  His  wife  also 
died  in  Schuyler  county.  They  had  ten  chil- 
dren: Stephen,  Chancey,  Pelatin,  Nancy, 
Maria,  Daniel,  William,  Polly,  Betsy  and 
Sarah.  The  father  of  the  subject  was  born  in 
New  York  State,  July  1,  1797,  and  when  a 
boy  removed  with  the  family  to  Ohio,  where 
he  worked  at  the  trade  of  carpenter.  He 
was  married  in  1821,  in  Ohio,  to  Mar- 
garet Adams,  who  was  born  in  Franklin 
county,  Ohio.  In  1832  he  came  to  Colwell, 
Illinois,  and  resided  for  eight  years  in  Rush- 
ville,  then  settled  in  Woodford  county,  where 
he  entered  some  land.  He  next  spent  three 
years  in  Missouri  and  on  his  return  went  to 
Cainden  township,  where  he  owned  eighty 
acres.  He  died  in  1851,  aged  fifty-five 
years.  His  wife  died  two  months  later,  aged 
fifty-four.  They  had  nine  children,  Matilda, 
deceased;  Rebecca,  deceased;  Nancy,  de- 
ceased; Sarah  Carter,  deceased;  Elizabeth  J., 
deceased;  Charles  resides  at  Industry,  Illi- 
nois, and  Zavin,  deceased. 

Philander  is  the  second  of  the  family.  He 
came  with  the  family  to  Illinois  and  has  re- 
mained a  farmer  ever  since.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  removed  to  Knoxville,  where  he  re- 
sided until  1851  and  then  returned  to  Schuy- 
ler county  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  Camden  township  and  has  since  been  a 
resident  of  the  place.  He  now  owns  700 
acres  of  land  and  deals  largely  in  live  stock. 
He  has  always  been  a  good,  hard-working 
man,  and  is  known  well  and  favorably  all  over 
the  county.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  has  always  been  an  ontspoken  man.  He 
is  uneducated  in  schools,  but  has  been  edu- 
cated in  the  great  school  of  experience. 

He  was  married  in   1842  to  Mrs.  Meeks, 


nee  Bryant.  She  was  born  in  Stokes  county, 
North  Carolina,  and  married  there,  coming  to 
Illinois  with  her  husband,  Mr.  Meeks.  She 
had  three  children  by  him:  Miria,  Columbus 
and  Helen.  She  bore  her  second  husband 
two  children:  Mary  Ann,  who  was  drowned 
in  a  stream  near  home  when  fifteen,  and 
James,  who  resides  in  Camden  township. 
Mrs.  Avery  died,  November  16,  1891. 

Mr.  Avery  is  a  member  of  Camden  Lodge, 
No.  648,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  worth  a  good 
deal  of  property,  which  he  has  made  himself. 

James  Avery  was  born  in  Knox  county, 
Illinois,  July  30,  1844.  He  has  always  lived 
with  his  father,  although  he  owns  120  acres 
of  land  himself.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  has 
been  Highway  Commissioner  and  member  of 
the  School  Board.  He  is  a  member  of  Cam- 
den Lodge,  No.  648,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He 
has  worked  as  a  carpenter. 

He  was  married  in  1868,  to  Martha  Dixon, 
daughter  of  Lawone  and  Hannah  Dixon.  She 
was  born  in  Brown  county,  in  1848.  They 
have  one  son,  La  Fayette,  born  July  3,  1870. 


>ENRY  M.  SCHMOLDT,  Beardstown, 
Illinois.  —  It  is  the  constitutional  privi- 
lege of  every  American  to  aspire  to  the 
highest  honors  within  the  gift  of  the  people; 
and  when  such  aspiration  is  supplemented  by 
progressive  and  well  balanced  mentality, 
backed  with  integrity,  tact  and  energy,  it  fol- 
lows as  a  law  of  natural  selection  that  such  a 
man  is  a  leader  among  his  fellow  men.  It 
matters  not  whether  hi?  father  be  a  prince  of 
fortune,  or  an  humble  mechanic;  the  law  of 
selection,  made  natural  by  the  inspired  prin- 
ciples of  our  constitution,  remains  the  same; 
for  under  the  beneficent  and  noble  doctrine 
of  a  true  republican  government,  mon- 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


183 


archial  succession  is  relegated  to  the  repel- 
lent past,  and  all  men  are  born  equal — equal 
in  the  right  of  law  and  privilege,  the  only 
aristocrat  being  the  man  possessing  a  wealth 
of  brains.  Such  a  man  may  have  an  academic 
sheepskin  learnedly  inscribed  as  an  early 
voucher  to  his  mentality  and  title  to  distinc- 
tion. When  snch  is  happily  the  case  the  man 
simply  rises  the  more  rapidly,  simply  obtains 
an  earlier  hold  upon  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  his  fellow  men.  The  history  such  a 
man  makes  becomes  his  own  property,  BO  to 
speak,  and  not  alone  an  embellishment  of  the 
future.  His  progress  has  outstripped  time, 
and  he  lives  to  read,  in  accredited  form  and  in 
the  suffrage  of  approval  of  his  fellow  men, 
the  story  of  his  life.  How  eminently  fitting 
to  a  good  life  is  such  an  honor,  and  how  few 
men  enjoy  it!  It  is  one  of  those  few,  a  man 
who,  though  still  in  the  morning  of  his  life, 
has  made  a  record  worthy  the  pages  of  his- 
tory that  this  sketch  is  written. 

Henry  M.  Schmoldt  was  born  in  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  September  19,  1858.  He  is 
the  eldest  son  of  Robert  G.  and  Johanna 
(Blohn)  Schmoldt,  both  natives  of  Hanover, 
Germany.  Robert  G.  Schmoldt  was  the 
eighth  son  of  Herman  Schmoldt,  a  wealthy 
land  owner  in  Hanover.  The  father  of  Henry 
M.  Schmolt  spent  a  portion  of  his  early  life 
upon  the  ocean.  In  1852  he  was  married,  by 
the  American  consul  at  Hamburg,  to  Miss 
Johanna  Blohn,  of  Hanover,  after  which  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  locating  in 
New  York  city.  In  July  of  the  following 
year  he  removed  to  Beardstown,  where  with 
his  good  wife  he  enjoys  the  fruits  of  a  well- 
earned  competence  and  good  name. 

In  1890,  at  the  retirement  of  his  father 
from  business,  Henry  M.  Schmoldt,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brothers,  Adolph  E.  and  Rob- 
ert W.,  assumed  full  control  of  the  exten- 


sive business  built  up  by  their  father,  a  busi- 
ness which  with  the  advent  of  younger  blood 
at  the  helm  has  made  additional  strides  in  the 
favor  of  the  public.  The  boyhood  of  Henry 
M.  Schmoldt  was  full  of  active  usefulness 
and  hard  work.  At  the  usual  age  he  entered 
the  public  school  at  Beardstown,  and  to  this, 
the  education  there  obtained,  was  added  a 
commercial  course  of  study  in  a  business  col- 
lege in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  after  which  he 
took  a  course  at  Asbury  (now  Depauw)  Uni- 
versity, Greencastle,  Indiana. 

In  1876,  he  returned  to  Beardstown  and 
associated  himself  with  his  father  in  the 
manufacture  of  cooperage  supplies,  and  has 
continued  in  the  business  ever  since,  the  firm 
now  being  Schmoldt  Bros.  &  Company.  This 
firm  also  deals  extensively  in  lumber  and 
house-furnishing  supplies. 

Mr.  Schmoldt,  of  whom  this  sketch  is 
written,  is  one  of  the  younger  war  horses  in 
the  Republican  party,  and  has  widened  his 
strength  and  wisdom  in  office  by  having  been 
repeatedly  elected  to  the  office  of  Mayor  of 
Beardstown,  besides  having  served  as  Alder- 
man for  several  years.  He  is  a  hard  worker, 
scrupulous  and  exact  in  his  dealings  with 
men,  and  a  staunch  advocate  of  the  principles 
of  the  great  party,  in  whom  and  through 
whom  he  sees  the  great  truths  which  his 
party  believes  have  made  America  what  it  is. 
He  is,  however,  more  of  a  statesman  than  a 
politician;  for  politicians  are  not  generally 
given  to  great  scruples  in  matters  of  con- 
science in  politics,  and  Mr.  Schmoldt  is;  but 
it  is  the  honest,  straightforward  man  that  wins 
a  lasting  meed  of  victory  in  politics  as  well 
as  in  social  and  business  life;  and  such  is  the 
record  of  Mr.  Schmoldt.  In  the  local  coun- 
sels of  the  Republican  party  he  is  an  able 
and  welcome  adviser. 

On  May  12,  1880,  Mr.  Schmoldt  was  mar- 


184 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF   CASS, 


ried  to  Miss  Lena  Earhardt,  of  Beardstown, 
daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Fred  Earhardt,  an 
old  and  leading  physician  of  Cass  county. 
They  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  whom  they 
have  named  Jennie. 

Socially,  Mr.  Schmoldt  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  also 
of  the  Odd  Fellows.  Personally  he  is  kind, 
courteous  and  affable. 


H.  OWEN  SEELEY  is  on  of  the  old- 
est settlers  of  Schuyler  county  and  re- 
sides  in  Rushville.  He  was  born  at 
Thetford,  Orange  county,  Vermont,  Decem- 
ber 15,  1811.  His  father,  Luke  Seeley,  was 
born  in  the  same  town  October  15,  1792. 
The  grandfather,  Sheldon  Seeley,  was  a  na- 
tive of  New  England  and  it  is  supposed  was 
born  in  Vermont,  at  least  he  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Thetford  where  he  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  At  a  very  early  day  he 
went  to  Ohio,  prospecting,  but  was  taken 
sick  while  there  and  died  near  Sandusky. 
His  wife  was  Deborah  Bowker,  a  native  of 
New  England,  who  died  at  Thetford  at  the 
age  of  about  ninety  years. 

Luke  Seeley  was  reared  and  married  in  his 
native  State.  Upon  reaching  manhood  he  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits,  which  he  con- 
tinued in  Vermont  until  1818,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Franklin  county,  New  York,  and 
there  lived  on  a  farm  for  about  one  year.  He 
then  moved  to  Malone,  New  York,  and  en- 
gaged in  merchandising,  conducting  at  the 
same  time  a  cabinet  shop  and  employing  a 
foreman  to  carry  it  on.  In  1828  he  came  to 
Illinois  to  look  at  his  piece  of  land  in  the  mil- 
itary tract,  but  then  went  back  to  New  York 
in  September,  1830,  and  returned  to  Illinois 
with  his  family.  He  started  on  the  12th  of 


September,  and  journeyed  with  a  two-horse 
team  to  Buffalo,  thence  by  lake  to  Cleveland, 
thence  by  team  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  until  the  27th  of  October,  and  then 
with  a  company  of  fourteen  families  made  the 
overerland  journey  by  team  to  Schuyler 
county,  and  after  forty  days  on  the  road  ar- 
rived at  Eushville.  He  located  on  land  just 
north  of  Rushville,  but  one  year  later  moved 
to  the  village  and  started  the  first  nursery  in 
Schuyler  county,  which  he  conducted  success- 
fully until  his  death  October  15,  1856.  His 
wife,  and  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  for- 
merly Miss  Electa  Owen,  a  native  of  Milton, 
Vermont,  and  the  daughter  of  Elijah  Owen. 
She  died  in  Rushville,  May  10,  1834.  Both 
parents  were  substantial  citizens,  good  neigh- 
bors, and  enjoyed  the  high  esteem  of  all  who 
knew  them. 

Our  subject,  E.  H.  Owen  Seeley,  was  edu- 
cated at  Malone  Academy.  One  of  the 
friends  of  the  family,  Dr.  Waterhonse,  had 
lost  his  only  son  and  he  expressed  his  desire 
to  have  our  subject  go  to  Burlington,  Ver- 
mont, and  study  medicine,  and  to  this  the 
father  assented.  It  was  considered  necessary 
that  he  should  have  a  Latin  education  and  ac- 
cordingly he  secured  a  Latin  grammar,  Cic- 
ero's Orations,  Ainsworth's  Latin  and  Eng- 
lish Dictionary,  the  Iliad  of  Homer  and  the 
Bucolics  of  Virgil  in  two  volumes;  but  at 
this  juncture,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure,  and 
after  his  father  had  procured  him  a  suit  of 
sheep's-gray  clothing,  his  mother  objected  to 
his  going,  and  instead  thereof  he  entered  a 
shop  to  learn  the  cabinet  trade,  but  he  still 
had  his  books  that  he  had  purchased,  and  in 
1830,  when  he  came  West,  he  traded  his  books 
for  a  rifle,  as  it  was  evident  that  he  would 
have  much  more  use  for  that  instrument  of 
death  in  the  wilds  of  Illinois  than  for  his 
classic,  Latin  works.  Soon  after  his  arrival 


SCHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


185 


here,  he  bought  the  lot  on  the  corner  east  of 
the  court  house,  and  in  1831  began  under- 
taking. The  first  person  he  buried  was  the 
fourth  body  consigned  to  the  cemetery  at  this 
place.  When  the  cholera  swept  the  town  in 
1834,  taking  off  thirty  persons  or  more,  him- 
self and  one  other  person  conducted  all  the  bur- 
ials. For  many  years  he  was  the  only  fur- 
niture dealer  and  undertaker  in  the  city.  He 
continued  an  active  business  until  1878,  but 
since  then  has  been  mainly  retired. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1839,  he  mar- 
ried Catherine  A.  Haskell,  a  native  of  Troy, 
New  York,  whose  father  was  Joseph  Haskell 
of  New  Hampshire.  Joseph  Haskell  was 
left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  and  upon  ar- 
riving at  adult  years,  went  to  York  State, 
where  he  followed  blacksmithing.  In  1831, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  family,  he  came 
by  team  to  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  and 
then  by  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers  to  Beardstown.  He  did  not  settle  on  the 
1  and  he  had  previously  bought  in  Schuyler 
county,  but  established  himself  in  Rushville, 
then  a  little  hamlet.  He  bought  the  land 
now  occupied  by  the  courthouse  and  erected 
thereon  a  frame  dwelling,  in  which  the  mother 
of  Mrs.  Seeley  taught  the  first  school  in  the 
village.  Mr.  Haskell  followed  the  trade  of  a 
mason  and  resided  here  until  his  death, 
October  2,  1864.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Clarissa  Pier.  She  was  born  in 
Poultney,  Yermont,  March  5,  1792,  and  died 
August  10,  1879  in  Rushville. 

Mr.  Seeley  has  always  been  a  Democrat, 
and  in  1847  and  1848  was  Assessor  and 
Treasurer  of  this  county.  He  visited  every 
house  in  the  county  and  made  his  returns  in 
ninety  days.  From  1857  to  1861  he  served 
as  Postmaster.  To  himself  and  wife  were  born 
six  children:  Charles,  Albert,  Frank,  Dora 
William  L.  and  Ella.  Dora  died  at  the  age 


of  five  years.  Mrs.  Seeley  joined  theMethodist 
Church  at  the  age  of  ten  years  and  has  been 
a  consistent  member  ever  since.  She  has  in 
her  possession  the  matms'cript  of  a  history  of 
Rushville  written  by  her  mother  several 
years  ago. 


§AMES  A.  TEEL,  a  pioneer  of  Schuyler 
county,  and  one  the  most  successful 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  July  19,  1830.  His  father, 
Henry  P.  Teel,  was  born  in  New  Jersey; 
and  it  is  thought  that  the  grandfather,  John 
Teel,  also  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  The 
great-grandfather,  Captain  John  Teel,  com- 
manded a  company  in  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution; he  spent  his  last  years  in  Beaver 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  buried  with 
military  honors;  his  widow  came  to  Illinois 
and  spent  her  last  days  here.  John  Teel 
served  five  years  in  the  regular  army,  and 
participated  in  the  struggle  of  1812;  he 
emigrated  from  Pennsylvania  and  spent  the 
last  years  of  his  life  in  Guernsey  county;  he 
married  Huldah  Haines,  a  native  of  the  Key- 
stone State;  she  also  died  in  Guernsey  county. 
Henry  P.  Teel  was  a  millwright  by  trade,  and 
followed  this  vocation  in  Pennsylvania  until 
1833,  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  accompanied 
by  his  wife  and  two  children ;  the  trip  was 
made  via  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers  to  Erie,  and  thence  by  team  to  Rush- 
ville; here  he  lived  two  years,  and  then  re- 
moved to  the  Territory  of  Iowa,  locating  at 
Fort  Madison,  where  he  lived  one  year;  he 
then  came  back  to  Schuyler  county,  and  re- 
sumed work  at  his  trade.  He  saved  his 
money,  and  in  1845  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
school  land  on  section  16,  Rushville  town- 
ship; in  connection  with  his  trade  he  super- 


186 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF  .  CASS, 


intended  the  cultivation  of  this  land,  and 
resided  on  the  farm  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  March  21,  1878.  He  married  Mar- 
tha Ann  Mathews,  who  was -born  in  New 
Castle,  Delaware,  November  11,  1811;  her 
father,  James  Mathews  was  born  on  the  sea 
when  his  parents  were  emigrating  to  America; 
Thomas  Mathews,  the  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scotch 
ancestry;  after  emigrating  to  America  he  set- 
tled in  Delaware,  but  later  removed  to  Penn- 
sylvania, locating  in  Washington  county;  he 
afterward  came  to  Ohio,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days;  he  married  Margaret 
Steward,  a  native  of  Ireland.  James  Math- 
ewe,  the  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  paper- 
maker  by  trade,  learning  the  business  at  New 
Castle,  Delaware;  after  his  marriage  he  re- 
moved to  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  thence  to  Kansas,  where  he  spent  the 
last  days  of  his  life  in  Cherokee  county;  he 
was  a  thirty-third  degree  Mason,  and  his 
funeral  was  conducted  by  that  body.  Henry 
P.  Teel  and  wife  reared  a  family  of  seven 
children:  James  A.  the  subject  of  this  notice, 
H  uldah  A.,  John  T.,  William,  Alice,  Henry 
and  Case.  The  parents  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church;  Mr.  Teel  affiliates  with 
the  Democratic  party. 

James  A.  Teel  was  four  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  came  to  Schuyler  county  to  reside; 
settlers  were  few,  and  wild  game  abounded. 
At  Fort  Madison  also  the  Indians  were  nu- 
merous, Black  Hawk  and  Keokuk  being 
prominent  chiefs,  well  remembered  by  Mr. 
Teel.  He  attended  the  pioneer  schools  of 
Schuyler  county,  which  were  taught  in  log 
school  houses,  furnished  in  primitive  style; 
the  seats  were  made  of  slabs  with  wooden 
pins  for  legs,  and  the  desks  for  the  older 
scholars  were  constructed  after  the  same  pat- 
tern; the  pens  were  made  by  the  teacher 


from  goose-quills.  Cooking  was  done  by  a 
tire-place,  and  the  children  were  clothed  in 
home-spun  of  the  mother's  own  weaving. 
James  A.  resided  with  his  parents  until  he 
was  nineteen,  and  then,  in  1849,  he  emigrated 
to  California,  joining  the  great  throng  that 
pressed  to  the  gold  fields  of  that  State;  he 
was  one  of  a  company  of  sixty  who  made  the 
journey  overland  with  ox  teams,  walking  the 
entire  distance.  He  arrived  at  Biddle's  Bar 
out  of  funds;  he  soon  found  employment  in 
the  mines,  and  worked  two  days  and  a  half  at 
$9  per  day;  he  then  began  mining  on  his  own 
account,  and  remained  there  until  1851,  when 
he  returned  to  his  home  via  the  Nicaragua 
route  and  New  York.  In  1853  he  made 
another  trip  across  the  plains,  spent  a  few 
months  in  the  golden  State,  and  returned  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Rushville  township,  and  soon  turned 
his  attention  to  the  breeding  of  fine  cattle. 
In  1856  he  located  on  a  farm  which  he  still 
owns  on  section  2,  Rushville  township;  this 
tract  consists  of  570  acres,  and  is  improved 
with  good  substantial  buildings;  Mr.  Teel 
lived  there  until  March,  1891,  when  he  re- 
moved to  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  one 
mile  north  of  the  courthouse;  he  owns  nearly 
1,200  acres  of  land,  all  in  Rushville  and 
Buena  Vista  townships. 

He  was  married  July  29,  1856,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Smith,  a  native  of  Rushville  town- 
ship, born  December  24,  1834,  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  and  Nancy  (Skiles)  Smith  (see 
sketch  of  William  Wood).  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Teel  have  four  children  living:  Herschel  V., 
Neosho  May,  Marshall  E.  and  Walter  H.: 
the  oldest  child,  Everett  L.,  was  born  July 
14,  1866;  he  was  graduated  from  the  law 
department  of  the  State  University,  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  in  the  class  of  1890,  and  his 
death  occurred  in  October,  of  the  same  year. 


SVIIUYLER    AbD    BROWfi    COUN1IBS. 


137 


In  early  days  Mr.  Teel  belonged  to  the 
Whig  party,  but  for  many  years  past  has 
affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  has 
served  as  collector  of  Rushville  township, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  county  Board 
of  Supervisors.  He  is  a  stock-holder  in  the 
Schuyler  County  Agricultural  Society,  and 
has  made  an  exhibit  at  the  second  fair  held 
in  the  county,  receiving  two  silver  spoons  as 
premiums;  his  herd  of  short-horns  has  been 
seen  at  many  county  fairs  in  Illinois  since 
that  time,  and  has  been  awarded  sweep-stakes 
and  other  prizes  on  different  occasions.  Mr. 
Teel  is  a  stock-holder  in  the  Schuyler  Hotel 
Company,  and  also  in  the  Bank  of  Schuyler 
County.  He  is  a  man  of  superior  business 
qualifications,  and  his  judgment  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  agriculture  is  highly  es 
teemed  throughout  the  county  and  State. 


?OHN  K.  CLARK,  a  well-to-do  and  promi- 
nent farmer,  living  on  sections  31  and  32, 
Township  18,  Range  11,  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  owns  a  fine  farm,  well  im- 
proved and  well  supplied  with  farm  buildings, 
of  about  400  acres,  lying  in  the  Sangamon 
valley,  near  Bluff  Springs,  was  born  in  this 
county,  in  jWhat  is  now  Monroe  precinct,  in 
1828.  He  is  the  oldest  man  in  Cass  county 
that  was  born  here.  The  family  later  came 
to  what  is  now  Bluff  Springs  precinct  in 
1846,  and  here  the  parents  afterward  lived. 
Prior  to  coming  to  Bluff  Springs  they  had 
lived  for  a  time  in  Morgan  county,  Illinois, 
and  also  in  Schnyler  county,  later  in  Henry 
county,  Iowa,  and  there  the  father,  Thomas, 
struck  the  first  stake  of  what  is  now  Mount 
Pleasant,  Iowa.  Some  time  after  this  his 
attention  was  called  to  a  beautiful  spring 
located  about  three  miles  east  of  Mount 


Pleasant, and  during  his  four  years'  sojourn  in 
Henry  county,  Iowa,  when  it  was  all  new 
ground,  unbroken,  he  remained  there.  Later 
he  sold  and  returned  to  Illinois,  and  in  1840 
located  in  Cass  county,  where  he  became  a 
prominent  citizen  and  spent  his  remaining 
days  there,  dying  in  the  vicinity  of  Bluff 
Springs,  in  1852.  He  was  sixty-seven  years 
of  age  at  his  death.  He  was  a  good,  well- 
known  citizen  of  this  county.  He  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  and  was  the  son  of  Thomas 
Clark,  Sr.,  who  was  born  in  London,  England, 
and  came  to  America  when  a  young  man,  set- 
tling in  Kentucky,  in  Barren  county,  and 
there  lived  for  some  years  as  a  prominent 
pioneer.  He  was  married,  and  while  yet  in 
middle  life  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  and 
murdered,  and  his  house  burned  down.  The 
mother  died  a  natural  death  in  Kentucky 
when  quite  an  old  woman.  Thomas  Clark, 
Jr.,  had  followed  his  brother,  William  M.,  to 
Illinois,  the  latter  coming  here  in  the  early 
'20s  and  settling  in  Morgan  county.  He  is 
now  dead.  Thomas  Clark  was  married  in  Ken- 
tucky to  a  lady  of  that  State,  Julia  Ann  King, 
of  Scotch-Irish  stock.  She  labored  with  her 
husband  in  building  a  home  in  those  early 
days  in  Illinois.  She  died  some  fourteen 
years  after  her  husband,  and  was  about  seventy- 
six  years  old.  She  was  a  Methodist. 

John  is  the  eldest  son  of  four  yet  living 
children.  His  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Loosley,  is 
the  eldest,  being  a  widow  and  now  lives  with 
him.  Another  brother,  Owen  W.,  was  a 
teacher  for  many  years  in  the  public  schools 
and  taught  penmanship  in  twenty-seven 
States,  and  also  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 
He  is  single,  as  is  our  subject.  Another  sis- 
ter is  Martha,  wife  of  Judge  D.  N.  Walker, 
of  Virginia.  Two  brothers  and  three  sisters, 
now  dead.  Kev.  William  Clark,  the  older, 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 


188 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Off    CAS8, 


Conference,  and  preached  the  gospel  for  forty 
years.  Thomas  was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  and 
owned  a  fine  farm  near  Blnff  Springs,  where 
his  widow,  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  still  re- 
side. Cynthia,  the  oldest  daughter,  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  lived  a  consistent  Christian  life,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  Rebecca  and  Jane 
were  also  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
They  died  younger. 

John  Clark  is  one  of  the  prominent  men 
of  the  county  and  takes  an  active  part  in  local 
matters.  He  is  a  Democrat,  a  live,  good  fel- 
low who  enjoys  life  as  it  comes.  He  started 
Bluff  Springs,  built  the  first  house  and  store, 
old  the  first  merchandise,  and  was  Post- 
master of  the  place.  This  was  about  1872. 
His  brother  Owen  was  also  Postmaster  for 
some  time,  and  both  brothers  were  teachers. 


fHOMAS  W.  SCOTT,  M.  D.,  Rushville, 
Illinois,  is  a  son  of  Thomas  W.  and 
Catherine  (Fitzgerald)  Scott,  whose  his- 
tory is  fully  given  in  another  biographical 
sketch  in  this  work.  He  was  born  in  Scott 
county,  Kentucky,  April  18,  1848,  and  was 
but  a  child  when  his  parents  came  to  Illinois. 
Here  he  grew  to  manhood;  he  attended  the 
common  schools,  and  also  enjoyed  the  oppor- 
tunities afforded  in  the  academy  at  Mon- 
mouth,  Illinois.  He  assisted  his  father  in 
the  farm  work,  and  thus  gained  an  intelligent 
comprehension  of  agriculture  as  a  science. 

In  1881  he  began  the  study  of  medicine 
at  Mount  Vernon,  Missouri,  under  the  pre- 
ceptorship  of  Dr.  G.  L.  Knapp;  he  subse- 
quently attended  lectures  at  the  Missouri 
Medical  College,  St.  Louis,  and  was  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  March,  1884. 
He  immediately  located  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Mis- 


souri, and  the  following  year  removed  to 
Rushville.  He  is  a  close  student  of  his  pro- 
fession and  the  science  of  medicine,  and  is 
fully  abreast  of  the  times  upon  all  subjects 
pertaining  thereto.  The  July  (1892)  session 
of  the  Board  of  County  Supervisors  appointed 
him  County  Physician. 

In  addition  to  his  professional  duties  the 
Doctor  finds  time  for  horticultural  pursuits, 
and  is  very  successful;  he  also  raises  poultry, 
breeding  the  best  grades.  He  owns  a  farm 
east  of  Rushville,  which  is  cultivated  under 
his  supervision. 

Politically  he  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  although  he  gives  little  atten- 
tion to  politics  beyond  exercising  his  right  of 
suffrage.  He  is  an  honored  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  enterprise,  and  in  all  the  walks 
of  life  has  earned  the  success  and  merited 
the  prosperity  that  has  attended  him. 


£ Hfi 


§UKE  W.  CLARK,  M.  D.,  has  been  a 
close  student  of  his  profession  for  many 
years,  and  long  ago  won  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  skillful  practitioner.  He  was 
born  in  Pike  county,  Ohio,  September  6, 
1841.  His  father,  Ebenezer  Clark,  was  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  was 
there  reared  and  married,  his  wife's  maiden 
name  being  Julia  A.  Wilcox,  also  of  the  Em- 
pire State.  His  early  life  was  spent  amid 
rural  scenes,  in  closest  touch  with  Nature, 
who  is  always  a  wise  and  gentle  teacher.  He 
attended  the  common  schools,  and  in  his 
youth  began  the  study  of  botany  and  medi- 
cine; there  was  not  a  tree  or  plant  in  the 
State  of  Illinois  with  which  he  was  not  as 
familiar  as  with  the  members  of  his  own 
household.  He  emigrated  to  Ohio,  and  there 


SC  SUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


189 


was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits;  he  was 
still  devoted  to  the  study  of  medicine,  and 
after  the  family  came  to  Illinois  and  located 
at  Rushville,  in  1845,  he  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  which  he  continued  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  While  for  many  years  he 
enjoyed  a  wide  and  paying  practice,  he  did 
not  accumulate  wealth;  he  was  kind  to  the 
poor  and  did  much  for  charity;  in  his  death 
the  poor  lost  one  of  their  stanchest  friends. 
In  politics  he  was  an  ardent  supporter  of 
Republican  principles;  in  his  religious  faith 
he  was  also  possessed  of  the  courage  of  his 
convictions,  denying  any  future  state;  he  did 
not  approve  of  secret  societies.  His  wife 
died  in  February,  1892;  they  had  born  to 
them  nine  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to 
years  of  maturity:  Marcus,  a  physician,  died 
at  Vermont,  Illinois,  in  1892;  Franklin  is  a 
farmer  in  McDonough  county;  Y'ct°r  is  a 
farmer  in  Adair  county,  Missouri;  Luke  "W. 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Albert  R.  is 
practicing  medicine  at  Vermont,  Illinois; 
Mary  married  Dr.  B.  F.  Taylor,  and  died  at 
Vermont,  Illinois;  Lucy  is  the  wife  of  Jacob 
Trout,  of  Rushville;  Cornelia  is  the  wife 
of  C.  P,  Neill;  Emaline  manned  William 

Barber. 

Dr.  Luke  W.  Clark  received  his  literary 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Rush- 
ville, and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  began 
the  study  of  medicine  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  his  father,  with  whose  botanical  rem- 
edies he  became  familiar.  After  finishing 
his  medical  education  he  came  to  Rushville 
and  engaged  in  practice  with  his  father.  He 
is  now  one  of  the  oldest  physicians  in  Schuy- 
ler  county,  and  has  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice. 

Dr.  Clark  was  married,  in  1872,  to  Miss 
Frances  Schenk,  a  daughter  of  John  Schenk, 
and  a  native  of  Fulton  county,  Illinois. 

14 


Four  sons  have  blessed  this  union:    Wheeler' 
Myron,  Earl  and  Homer. 

The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  State  Medi- 
cal Eclectic  Society;  in  all  his  professional 
relations  he  has  preserved  that  integrity  and 
honor  which  graced  the  name  of  his  father. 
He  has  been  a  close  student  of  the  science  of 
medicine,  and  employs  a  set  of  remedies 
which  have  come  to  be  known  as  "Clark's 
Family  Medicines,"  and  are  now  manu- 
factured for  the  trade.  In  politics  he  affili- 
ates with  the  Republican  party. 


ETER  W.  RICKARD,  an  intelligent 
and  progressive  farmer  of  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  residing  in  township  19,  range 
9,  was  born  in  Windham  county,  Connecti- 
cut, August  26,  1823. 

His  parents  were  Peter  and  Mary  (Healy) 
Rickard,  both  natives  of  Massachusetts,  the 
mother's  birth  having  taken  place  in  Dudley, 
of  that  State.  The  father  died  one  month 
previous  to  the  birth  of  the  snbject  of  this 
sketch.  Grandfather  Rickard  was  a  brave 
and  eificient  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  died  in  the  service.  The  Rickard  family 
is  of  French  ancestry  and  took  a  prominent 
part  in  early  Colonial  times.  Our  subject's 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Rhoda 
(Marcy)  Healy,  also  natives  of  Massachusetts, 
both  of  whom  were  related  to  old  and  re- 
spected families  of  that  State.  They  died  in 
the  Bay  State  between  the  ages  of  seventy 
and  eighty  years.  Both  her  father  and  grand- 
father were  distinguished  soldiers  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  although  the  fame  of  her  grand- 
father, Major  Nathan  Healy,  rather  outshone 
that  of  her  father,  the  elder  gentleman  receiv- 
ing a  liberal  pension  from  the  Government 
for  his  able  services  in  that  memorable 


190 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


struggle.  The  Healys  were  originally  from 
England,  and,  as  far  as  known,  were  success- 
ful farmers.  On  the  maternal  side,  Mr.  Rick- 
aroVs  mother  was  an  own  cousin  of  William 
L.  Marcy,  at  one  time  Governor  of  New  York. 
Their  revered  parents  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  our  present  subject  is  the  sole  survivor; 
some  of  these  were  tradesmen  and  successful 
merchants.  The  mother  died  in  Windham 
county,  Connecticut,  aged  about  sixty-nine 
years,  universally  lamented  for  her  kindly 
ways  and  Christian  character. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  lived  with  his 
mother  until  he  was  eight  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  to  live  with  a  brother-in-law,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  he  was  fourteen. 
He,  then,  found  employment  by  the  day  or 
month,  and  at  the  same  time  diligently  prose- 
cuted his  studies  in  the  free  school,  which  he 
continued  to  attend  until  he  attained  the  age 
of  twenty-one. 

He  then  started  for  the  West,  Illinois  be- 
ing the  objective  point,  then  on  the  extreme 
frontier.  In  these  days  of  rapid  transit,  it  is 
interesting  to  note,  by  way  of  contrast,  the 
time  consumed  by  the  journey.  He  went  by 
cars  and  boat  to  New  York  city,  and  thence, 
via  the  Erie  canal  and  Cumberland  stage 
route,  to  Philadelphia  and  Wheeling,  which 
took  four  weeks'  time.  He  then.ee  proceed- 
ed by  the  rivers  to  Beardstown,  Illinois 
being  twenty  days  en  route,  arriving  at  the 
latter  place  in  the  fall  of  1844.  He  taught 
a  subscription  school  for  several  terms,  after 
which  he  taught  a  free  school,  continuing 
thus  for  many  years,  teaching  in  the  winter 
and  farming  during  the  summer.  He  first 
purchased  120  acres  in  his  present  township, 
on  which  he  settled  soon  after  marriage.  He 
afterward  kept  a  general  store  for  a  year  in 
Chandlerville,  when,  in  1857,  he  sold  his 
first  farm  and  bought  240  acres,  on  which  he 


now.  resides.  He  lived  on  the  old  farm  while 
the  present  one  was  being  prepared  for  occu- 
pancy. Besides  this  valuable  and  extensive 
property,  he  owns  a  fine  tract  of  forty  acres, 
in  this  vicinity,  all  of  which  is  devoted  to 
mixed  farming,  in  which  he  is  very  success- 
ful, being  numbered  among  the  most  pros- 
perous farmers  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Rickard  was  first  married  June  22, 
1846,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Pease,  an  intelligent 
lady,  and  a  native  of  Ohio.  Her  parents 
were  Aborn  Pease  and  wife,  natives  of  Con- 
necticut, prominent  and  early  settlers  of  Illi- 
nois, who  died  at  an  advanced  age.  By  this 
marriage,  Mr.  Rickard  has  one  son,  Henry  A., 
who  was  born  February  12,  1848;  he  married 
Julia  Hardin,  and  has  two  children.  Mr. 
Rickard's  union  was  destined  to  be  of  short 
duration,  his  wife  dying  on  the  old  farm,  in 
the  twenty-seventh  year  of  her  age. 

November  5,  1854,  Mr.  Rickard  was  again 
married,  his  second  wife  being  Miss  Mary 
Harbison,  an  estimable  lady,  a  native  of  this 
county  and  a  sister  of  Moses  Harbison,  a 
prominent  resident  of  this  locality.  (See 
sketch  in  this  book.)  By  this  marriage  there 
was  one  child,  now  deceased.  This  union 
was  also  suddenly  dissolved  by  the  hand  of 
death,  before  whose  power  all  must  bow. 
This  gentle  and  beloved  lady  expired  October 
6,  1856,  leaving  many  friends  to  mourn  her 
untimely  taking  away. 

April  21,  1856,  Mr.  Rickard  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  C.  Taylor,  well  and  favorably 
known  in  this  community,  where  she  was 
born  March  21,  1840.  Her  parents,  Henry 
B.  and  Mary  P.  (Hawthorn)  Taylor,  are  hon- 
ored pioneers  of  Illinois.  Mrs.  Rickard  was 
a  pupil  of  her  husband  when  he  taught 
school  here  in  the  early  day.  She  is  well 
informed  and  intellectual,  being  well  adapted 
to  be  a  companion  to  a  person  of  her 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


191 


husband's     superior     ability     and     training. 

By  this  marriage  there  have  been  nine 
children,  live  now  living;  all  born  on  this 
farm.  Those  surviving  are:  Charles  E.,  born 
July  28,  1860;  John  T.,  born  June  29,  1862; 
Francis  M.,  born  October  8,  1867;  Mary, 
born  March  4, 1871;  James  A.,  born  Decem- 
ber 25, 1879. 

Mr.  Rickard  was  formerly  an  old-line 
Whig,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  William  H. 
Harrison,  at  a  time  when  there  was  no  tick- 
ets, each  person  writing  the  name  of  the  can- 
didate of  his  choice.  He  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  politics  of  his  township,  and 
has  held  the  position  of  superintendent  and 
other  local  offices,  discharging  his  duties  in 
his  several  capacities  with  ability  and  integ- 
rity. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rickard  and  all  the  family 
are  earnest  and  useful  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  of  which  Mr.  Rickard  is 
a  Deacon  and  Trustee.  The  entire  family  are 
prominent  in  temperance  work  and  all  mat- 
ters tending  to  the  material  and  moral  ad- 
vancement ot  the  community. 

Although  caring  less  for  pedigree  than  our 
English  cousins  across  the  water,  yet  we 
tacitly  admit  that  tendencies  and  early  train- 
ing have  much  to  do  with  shaping  a  man's 
career  through  life.  While  Mr.  Rickard  has 
worked  out  his  own  prosperity  and  salvation, 
yet  he  has,  no  doubt,  often  drawn  inspiration 
from  the  contemplation  of  the  virtues  of  his 
illustrious  ancestors,  whose  example  he  has 
insensibly  been  led  to  emulate. 


fOSEPH  FENTON  VAN  DEVENTER 
was    born    in    Highland    county,     Ohio, 
June  25,  1826,  a  son  of  Jacob  Van   De- 
venter,    who  was    born  in  Loudoun  county, 


Virginia,  a  descendant  of  the  colonial  settlers 
who  came  from  Holland  in  the  early  history 
of  this  country.  The  father  of  our  subject 
was  reared  and  married  in  Virginia,  but  re- 
moved to  Ohio,  where  he  was  a  pioneer  of 
Highland  county;  there  he  bought  a  tract  of 
timber-land,  erected  a  log  cabin,  and  made 
it  his  home  until  the  fall  of  1832,  when  he 
sold  and  came  to  Illinois;  he  was  accompanied 
by  his  wife  and  children,  and  his  brother  and 
family.  The  trip  was  made  overland,  and 
after  a  journey  covering  three  weeks  he  ar- 
rived in  Schuyler  county,  which  portion  is 
now  included  in  Brown  county;  he  made  a 
claim  to  a  tract  of  Government  land,  bought 
a  log  cabin,  and  lived  there  until  his  death  in 
1833.  He  was  twice  married,  the  second 
wife  being  the  mother  of  Joseph  F.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Rogers,  and  she  was 
born  near  Paris,  Kentucky,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Rogers;  she  kept  the  family  together 
until  her  death  in  1843.  Joseph  F.  was  a 
child  of  six  years  when  his  parents  emigrated 
to  the  frontier:  most  of  the  land  was  owned 
at  that  time  by  the  Government,  the  country 
was  thinly  settled,  and  the  river  towns  were 
the  only  market-places.  He  attended  the 
pioneer  schools  until  he  was  old  enough  to  as- 
sist on  the  farm;  the  mother  had  rented  land 
which  the  sons  cultivated.  In  1850  Joseph 
and  his  brothers,  Thomas  and  Henson,  and  a 
Mr.  Adams  and  his  son,  crossed  the  plains  to 
California;  they  started  with  ox  teams  March 
27,  and  arrived  at  Weavertown,  August  27. 
They  engaged  in  mining  thirty-five  miles 
east  of  Sacramento  until  the  following  spring, 
and  then  went  to  Humboldt,  and  from  that 
point  across  the  mountains  to  Weaverton; 
there  they  resumed  mining  and  continued  the 
industry  until  June,  1852,  when  they 
started  to  Sacramento.  They  turned  their 
attention  to  feeding  cattle  now,  and  fol- 


192 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


lowed  the  business  until  1853,  when  they  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  coming  by  the  Isthmus  to 
New  York,  and  thence  overland  to  their 
prairie  home.  Mr.  Van  Deventer  and  his 
brothers,  Thomas,  Barnett  and  Henson,  com- 
bined their  interests  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  bought  land  at  different  times, 
until  they  owned  at  one1  time  3,500  acres; 
Barrett  and  Henson  are  now  deceased. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  1868  to  Lnti- 
tia  Givens,  who  was  born  at  Mt.  Sterling, 
Brown  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  John 
A.  and  Mary  F.  (Curry)  Givens,  pioneers  of 
Brown  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Deventer 
have  two  children  living,  Homer  G.  and 
Lloyd  T.  They  are  both  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  was  formerly  a 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Whig  party, 
but  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organi- 
zation of  that  body.  He  is  a  man  of  honor 
and  unquestioned  integrity,  and  has  the  re- 
spect of  his  fellow-men. 


DUNCAN  TAYLOR,  a  well-known  citi- 
zen of  Rushville  township,  is  a  citizen 
of  the  Republic  by  adoption,  his  native 
laud  being  Scotland;  he  was  born  in  Perth- 
shire, in  March,  1819,  a  son  of  Collin  and 
Mary  (Watt)  Taylor,  natives  of  the  same 
shire.  The  parents  spent  their  lives  in  their 
own  country;  they  reared  a  family  of  eight 
children,  named  as  follows:  Jane,  Thomas  and 
John,  twins,  James,  Margaret,  Duncan,  the 
subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  Ann  and 
Catherine.  Duncan  Taylor  and  his  brother 
James  were  the  only  members  of  the  family 
who  emigrated  to  America;  James  entered  the 
service  in  the  Florida  war,  and  was  never 
heard  of  after  leaving  Boston.  Our  subject 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Scotland,  and  re- 


sided in  that  country  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  then  went  to  London,  Eng- 
land, and  there  followed  the  baker's  trade  un- 
til 1843.  In  that  year  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  embarking  on  board  a  sailing 
vessel  at  Liverpool,  which  landed  in  New 
York  after  a  voyage  of  thirty  days.  He 
worked  at  his  trade  in  New  York  city  until 
1848,  and  then  started  toward  the  setting 
sun.  The  city  of  Chicago  at  that  time  had  a 
population  of  a  few  thousand  people,  but 
there  was  not  a  railroad  entering  the  place, 
and  stages  ran  to  St.  Louis  and  other  im- 
portant points.  Mr.  Taylor  engaged  in  work 
at  his  trade  in  Chicago,  and  remained  there 
a  year,  coming  at  the  end  of  that  time  to 
Rushville. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  he 
abandoned  his  private  interests,  and  in 
August,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G, 
Twenty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  with  his  regiment  fn  all  the  marches 
and  campaigns;  the  most  important  battles  in 
which  he  took  part  were  Fort  Henry,  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  Jackson,  Miss,  and  the 
sieges  of  Corinth  and  Vicksburg.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  August  26,  1864,  the 
term  of  his  enlistment  having  expired. 

He  returned  to  his  home  and  resumed  his 
former  vocation,  which  he  pursued  a  number 
of  years;  he  was  successful  in  his  business 
operations,  and  at  different  times  invested  in 
and,  until  he  now  owns  three  farms  in  Wood- 
stock township. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  married  in  1843  to  Eliza- 
beth Fourgeson,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Fulton)  Four- 
geson.  Four  children  were  born  of  this 
union,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Robert  and 
William,  twins;  Sarah  and  Mary  are  botli  de- 
ceased. Robert  married  Ann  Beck,  and  has 
four  children ;  William  married  Adele  Van- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


193 


davenor;  Sarah  was  the  wife  of  Richard  Law- 
ler,  and  Mary  married  Charles  Reed;  she 
left  two  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  are 
worthy  and  consistent  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  In  politics  Mr.  Taylor  is 
an  ardent  supporter  of  Republican  principles. 
He  is  a  member  of  Colonel  Harvey  Post,  No. 
131,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  a  man  of  superior  busi- 
ness ability,  is  honorable  in  all  his  dealings, 
and  worthy  of  the  confidence  his  fellow-men 
repose  in  him. 


jNDREW  J.  HEDGCOCK,  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  and  esteemed  citizen  of 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Davidson  county,  North  Carolina,  November 
25,  1831,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Temper- 
ance (Bodenhainer)  Hedgcock.  Three  gen- 
erations of  the  family  were  born  in  the  old 
North  State:  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  his 
father,  John,  and  his  grandfather,  Elisha. 
The  originator  of  the  family  in  that  State 
was  Elisha's  father,  John,  who  removed  to 
North  Carolina  from  within  sixteen  miles  of 
Baltimore,  Maryland.  This  was  about  six 
years  before  the  Revolutionary  war.  Will- 
iam, an  older  brother  of  John's,  was  a  sol- 
dier in  that  war;  and  it  is  more  than  proba- 
ble that  John  also  fought  with  the  Colonies 
for  independence.  Elisha,  son  of  John, 
spent  his  whole  life  in  North  Carolina.  He 
had  four  sons,  all  dead  but  one.  His  son, 
John,  a  farmer,  removed  to  Illinois  in  1834, 
with  his  wife  and  three  children.  The  long 
trip  was  made  overland  with  a  one-horse  wag- 
on, and  consumed  about  eight  weeks.  He 
at  first  settled  near  Rushville,  but  afterward 
removed  to  Birmingham  township,  where 
he  bought  seventy-nine  acres  of  wild  land. 
On  this  he  built  a  log  cabin,  16  x  18  feet, 


in  which  his  family  lived  for  sixteen  or 
eighteen  years.  He  then  erected  a  nice 
frame  house,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  He 
was  well  and  favorably  known  in  his  com- 
munity, and  was  sincerely  mourned  by  many 
friends.  In  politics,  he  was  originally  a 
Whig,  but  joined  the  Republican  party  on 
its  organization.  He  was  a  devout  church 
member,  and  interested  in  all  good  works. 
His  worthy  wife  died  on  the  same  farm, 
aged  fifty-five  years. 

Andrew  is  one  of  the  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  yet  living,  nearly  all  in  this 
county.  He  remained  on  the  old  farm  un- 
til he  was  twenty-two  years  old  working 
With  his  father  at  the  cooper  trade,  and  at- 
tending the  subscription  school.  He  mar- 
ried early  in  life,  and  rented  a  farm  for  two 
years,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  bought 
eighty  acres  that  were  but  little  improved, 
on  which  he  built  a  log  house.  Here  they 
lived  for  four  years  and  then  he  replaced  the 
old  house  by  a  neat  frame  one.  He  has  520 
acres  now,  and  it  is  divided  into  several  as 
good  farms  as  are  in  the  county,  all  having 
fine  farm  houses  and  buildings  upon  them. 
Mr.  Hedgcock  has  always  been  a  strong  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  voted  for  John  C. 
Fremont.  He  and  his  wife  are  prominent 
members  of  the  Congregational  Church,  he 
having  joined  in  1857. 

He  was  married  April  17,  1855,  to  Miss 
Martha  P.  Hall,  of  Iredell  county,  North 
Carolina.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Robert  S. 
and  Annie  (King)  Hall.  Her  parents  were 
married  in  1819  and  came  to  Illinois  in  the 
spring  of  1835,  for  the  purpose  of  freeing 
their  slaves,  of  whom  they  had  some  eleven 
or  twelve  by  inheritance,  which  they  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  after  several  years  of  trouble 
and  expense.  They  had  ten  children.  Mr. 


194 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS8, 


Hall  was  a  good  man,  and  always  acted  up  to 
his  convictions  of  right  and  wrong.  He 
lived  in  Indiana  for  some  time  and  then  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  and  died  here  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two.  The  whole  family  were  very 
prominent  wherever  they  lived; 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hedgcock  had  eight  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  still  living:  Robert 
S.,  born  February  28,  1856,  married  Laura 
Balton,  and  they  have  three  children;  Mary 
J.,  born  September  10,  1857,  married  Albert 
S.  Glass,  and  they  have  one  child;  John  F., 
born  November  3,  1861,  married  Anna  E. 
Wade,  and  they  have  four  children.  He  is 
Township  Treasurer,  to  which  office  he.  was 
elected  in  1886.'  He  is  a  farmer,  and  resides 
on  his  own  farm.  The  fourth  child,  Bessie 
E.,  born  June  14,  1864,  married  George 
Dorsett,  and  they  have  one  child;  Matilda 
A.,  born  September  25,  1866,  and  Anna  E., 
born  May  16,  1875,  are  both  at  home.  Lil- 
lie  E.,  born  November  8,  1870,  married 
William  E.  Dorsett,  September  10, 1891. 

All  but  two  of  the  children  have  been  at 
Plymouth  High  school,  of  which  three  are 
graduates.  Most  of  the  family  are  active  in 
church  work,  and  the  occupation  of  them  all 
is  farming  and  stock  raising.  This  is  a 
family  of  whom  the  county  may  well  be 
prond. 


.  JOHN  J .  McDANNOLD,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Brown  county,  is  the  sub- 
ject of  the  following  biography,  and  is 
cheerfully  accorded  a  space  in  this  history. 
He  was  born  on  the  homestead  in  Pea  Ridge 
township,  Brown  county,  Illinois,  August  29, 
1851.  His  father,  Thomas  I.  McDannold,  was 
born  near  Mt.  Sterling,  Kentucky,  a  son  of 
John  McDannold,  a  native  of  Virginia.  The 


great-great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  Alex- 
ander McDannold,  was  born  near  Aberdeen, 
Scotland,  and  emigrated  to  America  in  colo- 
nial days;  he  settled  near  Culpeper  Court 
House,  Yirginia,  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  that  State.  John  McDannold  re- 
moved from  Virginia  to  Kentucky  and  was 
an  early  settler  of  that  State;  he  improved  a 
farm  on  which  he  lived  .the  remainder  of  his 
days.  Thomas  I.  McDannold  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  State,  and  came  to  Illinois. 
After  his  marriage  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
wild  land  in  Pea  Ridge  township;  there  he 
built  a  small  frame  house,  and  began  the  task 
of  reducing  his  land  to  cultivation.  As  his 
means  increased  he  made  other  investments 
in  land,  and  now  owns  500  acres.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mary  E.  Means,  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky  and  a  daughter  of  Major 
John  and  Patsey  (Parker)  Means.  They 
reared  a  family  of  four  children:  John  J., 
Thomas  R.,  George  R.  and  Clara.  John  J. 
received  his  early  education  in  the  district 
schools,  and  this  training  was  supplemented 
by  a  course  at  the  Quincy  high  school,  one 
term  at  Farwell's  English  and  Classical 
school,  and  two  years  at  Dr.  Corbin's  private 
school. 

Supplying  himself  with  the  necessary 
books,  he  returned  to  the  home  farm,  and  be- 
gan the  study  of  law.  In  1873  he  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  Iowa  State  Uuiver- 
sity  at  Iowa  City,  and  was  graduated 
from  that  institution  in  1874;  December 
25th  of  that  year  he  opened  an  office  in  Mt. 
Sterling,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
legal  work. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1876,  to 
Miss  Cora  Harris,  who  was  born  in  Macomb, 
Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Ralph  and  Mary 
Harris.  Two  children  were  born  to  Judge 
and  Mrs.  McDannold,  Malcolm  and  Helen. 


8OHDTLBR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


195 


Judge  McDannold  lias  filled  various  offices 
of  trust  and  honor;  he  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Board,  has  served  in  the 
City  Council,  has  been  Mayor  of  the  city, 
Master  in  Chancery  for  seven  years,  and 
County  Judge  for  six  years;  the  last  named 
position  he  resigned  in  1892.  He  was  made 
the  nominee  of  the  Democratic  party  for 
Congress  at  the  convention  held  at  Jersey- 
ville,  in  May,  1892,  being  the  first  man  in 
Brown  county  to  receive  this  distinction. 
He  is  a  member  of  Hard  in  Lodge,  No.  44, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the  chapter,  and  of  Delta 
Commandry,  No.  48,  K.  T.  In  his  profes- 
sion he  has  been  very  successful,  and  has  at- 
tained a  prominent  position  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  bar  of  Illinois. 


INOCH  EDMONSTON,  a  member  of 
the  county  Board  of  Supervisors,  rep- 
resenting Bainbridge  township,  is  one 
of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Sclmyler  county, 
and  is  entitled  to  recognition  in  its  annals. 
He  was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Missouri, 
March  2,  1856,  a  son  of  Enoch  Edmonston, 
Sr.;  the  father  was  born  in  Buncombe 
county,  North  Carolina,  July  20, 1801,  a  son 
of  Baeiel  Edmonston,  who  removed  from 
Maryland,  his  native  State,  to  North  Carolina, 
and  thence  to  the  Territory  of  Indiana,  in 
1808;  he  was  a  pioneer  of  Dubois  county, 
and  there  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life.  He 
was  married  to  Hannah  Rose,  who  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  and  died  in  Indiana. 
Enoch  Edtnonston,  their  son,  was  reared  in 
Indiana  and  was  married  there.  In  1829  he 
emigrated  to  Illinois  with  his  brother,  spent 
the  summer  in  Schuylef  county,  and  in  the 
autumn  returned  to  Indiana.  In  1834  he 
again  came  to  the  State,  accompanied  by  his 


family;  he  made  the  trip  overland  with  two 
teams,  camping  on  the  way,  and  located  on  a 
tract  of  land  that  was  afterward  found  to  be 
patent  land;  he  then  removed  to  section 
31,  where  he  resided  a  short  time,  soon  mak- 
ing a  claim  to  a  tract  of  Government  land  on 
section  29;  he  erected  a  house  on  this  place, 
made  some  improvements,  and  lived  there 
until  he  purchased  land  on  section  32.  As 
he  prospered  he  added  to  his  landed  estate, 
and  at  one  time  owned  about  1,000  acres. 
In  1855  he  rented  his  farms,  and  went  to 
Carroll  county,  Missouri,  where  he  purchased 
land  and  resided  for  two  or  three  years;  at 
the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  Schuyler 
county,  where  he  was  living  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  August  2,  1872.  He  was  twice 
married;  the  first  wife  was  Susan  Allen,  a 
native  of  Buncombe  county,  North  Carolina, 
and  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Celia  (Hyde) 
Allen;  she  died  in  1854;  the  second  marriage 
was  to  Sarah  (Barbee)  Newsom.  Mr.  Ed- 
monston was  prominently  identified  with  the 
best  interests  of  the  county;  for  six  years  he 
was  Sheriff  of  the  county,  and  was  Treasurer 
for  two  years,  discharging  his  duties  with 
marked  ability  and  fidelity. 

Enoch  Edmonston,  Jr.,  was  two  years  old 
when  his  parents  returned  from  Missouri  to 
Illinois.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  had  the  advantage  of  a 
term  at  a  business  college  in  Quincy.  For  a 
period  of  three  years  he  was  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  Quincy,  and  with  the  exception  of 
that  time  he  has  given  his  attention  exclu- 
sively to  agricultural  pursuits;  he  now  occu- 
pies the  old  homestead.  He  was  married  in 
March,  1885,  to  Nancy  Ater,  a  native  of 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
J.  and  Mary  Ater,  natives  of  Morgan  county, 
Illinois,  and  pioneers  of  Cass  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Edmonston  are  the  parents  of  four 


106 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GA88, 


children:  Belle,  Roy,  Floss  and  Fay.  Inde- 
pendent in  thought  and  action,  Mr.  Edmon- 
ston  has  never  been  associated  with  any 
political  party,  but  cast  his  first  vote  with 
the  Labor  party,  and  now  gives  his  support 
to  the  organization  known  as  the  People's 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  Woodstock 
Grange,  No.  443,  P.  of  H. 


fOHJM  KERR,  Rushville. — -America  has 
drawn  her  population  from  every  conti- 
nent and  all  the  islands  of  the  sea.  Ireland 
has  contributed  her  quota,  sending  many  of 
her  sturdy  sons,  who  have  aided  in  the  de- 
velopment and  growth  of  the  New  World, 
and  pushed  their  way  to  the  frontier,  that  the 
path  might  be  made  for  the  onward  march 
of  civilization.  John  Kerr,  proprietor  of  the 
Schuylerville  coal  mine  and  one  of  the  prom- 
inent agriculturists  of  Schuyler  county,  Illi- 
nois, is  a  native  of  County  Fermanagh,  Ire- 
land, born  near  Five-mile  Town,  July  15, 
1840.  His  father  was  also  a  native  of  the 
Emerald  Isle,  but  the  grandfather  was  born 
in  Scotland,  although  he  spent  his  last  days 
in  County  Fermanagh.  The  father  was  a 
weaver  by  trade,  and  operated  a  hand  loom 
with  great  skill;  later  in  life  he  became  the 
proprietor  of  a  shop,  and  employed  several 
men;  the  last  years  of  his  life,  however,  were 
devoted  to  farming,  the  land  being  leased;  he 
married  Rebecca  Wier,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  to  them  were  born  eight  children. 

John  Kerr  and  his  brother  Alexander  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1864,  the  latter  settling 
at  Newark,  New  Jersey;  they  were  the  only 
members  of  the  family  who  came  to  this 
country.  Our  subject  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  land,  and  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  did  not  bring  his 


family  with  him  to  the  United  States,  as  it 
was  to  them  an  untried  land,  and  he  wished 
to  be  able  to  return  if  the  prospects  were  not 
fair.  He  was  first  located  at  Whitestone  on 
the  Hudson,  his  wife  and  children  joining 
him  there  the  following  year.  Later  on  he 
went  to  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  was  em- 
ployed in  the  woolen  mills  until  1872.  In 
that  year  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land,  ten  miles  north 
of  Rushville;  here  he  lived  a  year,  and  then 
sold  out,  buying  ten  acres  near  Rushville. 
Two  years  later  he  had  the  good  fortune  to 
open  a  coal  bank,  and  since  that  time  he  has 
been  busily  engaged  in  operating  the  same; 
he  ships  to  northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin, 
and  carries  on  a  profitable  trade.  He  has  in- 
vested in  lands  at  different  times,  and  now 
owns  one  hundred  and  ninety  and  a  half 
acres,  lying  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the 
courthouse.  x 

Mr.  Kerr  was  united  in  marriage  in  1862, 
to  Miss  Eleanor  Bell,  a  native  of  County  Fer- 
managh, Ireland,  and  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Ann  Bell.  Eight  children  have  been 
born  to  them:  Joseph,  Catherine,  Robert, 
Annie,  Fred,  William,  Burtand  May. 

Politically,  Mr.  Kerr  adheres  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party,  and  is  a 
thoroughly  loyal  citizen  of  his  adopted 
country. 


HOMAS  W.  SCOTT,  deceased,  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county,  Maryland, 
December  2,  1808.  His  father,  Amos 
Scott,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county,  born 
in  1777,  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestors,  who  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  this  country.  He 
was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  re- 
sided in  Maryland  until  1814,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Kentucky.  The  journey  was  made 


SCHUYLER    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


197 


with  teams  to  the  Ohio  river,  and  thence 
down  that  stream  on  flatboats.  Mr.  Scott 
located  near  Georgetown,  Scott  county,  and 
was  engaged  in  planting  until  1832,  when  he 
came  to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  and  settled 
on  land  in  Buena  Vista  township,  which  his 
son  Thomas  W.  had  purchased;  there  he  and 
his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days; 
her  maiden  name  was  Nancy  "West,  and  she 
was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Maryland; 
she  was  the  mother  of  two  sons  and  five 
daughters.  Thomas  W.  was  a  child  of  six 
years  when  the  family  removed  to  Kentucky, 
and  there  in  the  Blue-Grass  State  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  In  1829  he  came  to 
Illinois,  making  the  trip  on  horseback,  and 
located  at  Eushville,  which  was  but  a  hamlet; 
the  surrounding  country  was  thinly  settled, 
and  much  of  the  land  was  yet  owned  by  the 
Government.  He  embarked  in  the  mercan- 
tile trade  at  Rushville,  opening  the  first  store 
of  the  kind  in  that  place;  he  carried  on  a 
business  there  until  1835,  and  then  returned 
to  Scott  county,  Kentucky.  He  bought  the 
Blue  Springs  farm,  five  miles  west  of  George- 
town, and  cultivated  this  land  with  slave 
labor;  he  lived  there  until  1851,  when  he 
sold  out  and  returned  to  Rushville,  Illinois. 
He  was  engaged  in  conducting  a  general  loan 
and  brokerage  business  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  January  22,  1885. 

Mr.  Scott  was  twice  married;  his  first  wife 
was  Adeline  Johnson;  she  was  born  in  Scott 
county,  Kentucky,  and  died  there  in  1834; 
the  issue  of  this  marriage  was  one  son,  R.  J., 
now  living  at  Brookfield,  Missouri,  a  phy- 
sician. The  second  marriage  was  December 
20,  1840,  when  he  was  united  to  Catherine 
Fitzgerald.  She  was  born  one  mile  from  Lex- 
ington, Kentucky,  October  30, 1822,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jesse  Fitzgerald,  a  native  of  Coif  ax 
county,  Virginia.  The  paternal  grandfather, 


William  Fitzgerald,  was  also  a  Virginian  by 
birth,  but  removed  to  Kentucky,  being  one  of 
the  earliest  white  settlers  there.  On  account 
of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians,  he  with  sev- 
eral others  lived  for  some  time  in  the  fort  at 
Boone  Station.  Later  he  purchased  land  in 
Fayette  county,  and  resided  there  until  his 
death.  Jesse  Fitzgerald  was  a  young  child 
when  his  parents  moved  to  Kentucky.  He 
was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  and 
owned  land  one  mile  from  Lexington  which 
was  cultivated  by  slaves.  He  married 
Lucretia  Shellars,  a  native  of  Maryland  and  a 
daughter  of  William  Shellars. 

Mrs.  Scott  has  nine  children  living:  Jo- 
sephine, Eugene  J.,  Mary  F.,  Thomas  W., 
Catherine,  Leonidas,  Winfield,  Mentor  and 
Florida.  The  parents  were  both  consistent 
members  of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  Scott 
cast  his  first  vote  for  General  Jackson,  and 
was  all  his  life  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  Democracy.  He  was  a  man  of 
much  force  and  integrity  of  character,  and 
his  name  is  honored  among  the  pioneers  of 
Schuyler  county. 


fOSEPH  HUNT,  farmer,  of  section  2, 
township  17,  range  10,  post  office  Vir- 
ginia, was  born  in  Kentucky,  September 
19,  1824.  His  parents  moved  to  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  when  he  was  one  year  old. 
Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  coming  to  Illinois 
when  he  was  twenty-five  and  stopping  two 
years  in  Sangamon  county.  From  there  he 
went  to  Cass  county,  thirty-eight  years  ago. 
His  parents  were  John  R.  and  Hannah  (Davis) 
Hunt.  Both  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and 
the  grandfather  was  also  a  Kentuckian,  who 
ived  to  be  ninety  years  old.  Both  parents 
died  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  They  had 


198 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


eleven  childreu,  of  which  large  family  Joseph 
was  the  eldest.  Eight  of  the  children  are 
still  living.  John  "Wesley  died  in  JSashville 
during  the  war,  being  a  soldier;  Dora  was 
killed  accidently  with  a  scythe,  and  George 
died  in  mature  years,  leaving  a  family.  Levi, 
James,  Sarah  A.,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  Martha 
and  Macia  all  live  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana. 

Joseph  enlisted  in  August,  1862,  in  Com- 
pany D,  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  assigned  to 
duty  with  the  army  of  the  Cumberland.  He 
participated  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg 
under  General  Grant.  From  there  he  went 
to  the  battle  of  Jackson,  returned  to  Memphis, 
and  was  in  that  fight;  next  engaged  in  the 
fight  at  Champion  Hills,  and  from  there  went 
to  the  Black  .River,  where  he  built  a  bridge 
under  tire  from  the  enemy.  He  was  under 
General  Thomas  at  this  time.  He  guarded  a 
pontoon  bridge  for  about  six  months,  and 
while  there  heard  of  the  surrender  of  Lee  and 
Johnson.  He  was  discharged  in  August, 
1865,  having  served  three  years.  Joseph  was 
home  but  once  during  his  service,  and  that 
was  on  a  sick  furlough.  He  had  the  erysipe- 
las while  in  service  and  it  injured  his  eyes  so 
much  that  he  was  nearly  blind,  and  a  furlough 
was  necessary.  He  has  never  recovered  from 
the  effect  of  it.  He  receives  a  small  pension, 
on  account  of  heart  disease. 

He  was  married  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives,  to  Durinda  B.  Freeman,  February  12, 
1854.  They  have  had  two  children:  James 
Henry,  the  eldest,  is  married  and  resides  in 
Leadville,  Colorado.  He  has  been  keeping 
hotel  until  recently.  He  is  now  employed  at 
the  Government  Fish  Hatchery.  He  has  one 
child,  Bernice.  Ida  married  John  T.  Drink- 
water,  and  lives  near  by.  They  have  two 
sons,  Ralph  and  Joe.  Mr.  Drinkwater  is  a 
breeder  of  road  and  draft  horses. 


Mr.  Hunt  is  a  staunch  Republican,  al- 
though the  rest  of  the  family  were  Democrats. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church  and  are  worthy 
people  and  are  highly  respected  by  their  hosts 
of  friends.  Mr.  Hunt  does  not  belong  to  any 
social  orders. 


RS.  .NANCY    GREEN    was  born  in 
Ohio,  November  30,  1824,  and  lived 
there  until  two  or  three  years  of  age, 
and  then  came  to  Kentucky  with  her  parents. 
They  were  James  and  Lovey  (Tolle)    Tolle, 
both  born  in  Virginia,  who  had  gone  to  Ohio 
in  an  early  day.     In   1836  they  concluded  to 
move  West  and  sold  every  thing  except  some 
household    goods,    and    with     a    two-horse 
wagon    came  overland   and    first    settled  in 
Schuyler    county    for    two    months.     They 
then    came    to     Brown  county    and  entered 
eighty    acres    of  land  and  bought  160   more 
of    that    partly    improved,  and    hewed     out 
a  log  hut  in  which  they  lived  until  about 
1850.     They  then  sold  out  again  and    went 
to    Grundy    county,    Missouri,    where    Mr. 
Tolle  bought  an  improved  farm  of  160  acres 
and  there  lived  until  his  death,  but  he  had 
sold  the  farm  before  this.     He  was  living  at 
the  home  of  his  daughter  Sarah  when  he  died, 
aged  about  seventy-four  years.     The  mother 
of  our  subject  died  at  the  same  place,    aged 
about  sixty-five  years.     There  were  ten  chil- 
dren,   four   of  whom  are   yet   living.     The 
father  was  a  wheelwright  and  chair-maker. 
The  grandparents  on  the  mother's  side  were 
Reuben  and    -   Tolle,    and  the  paternal 
grandparents  were  William  and  Diana  Tolle. 
The   marriage   of  our  subject    took  place 
January    28,    1843,    to    Mr.    Hiram    Green, 
who  was  born  in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia, 
December  25,    1817.     He    was    the   son    of 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


199 


John  and  Sarali  (Newby)  Green,  who  lived 
in  Virginia  all  their  lives  and  died  about 

o 

middle  age.  The  husband  of  our  subject 
came  to  Illinois  about  1838,  with  some  of 
his  relatives,  and  worked  by  the  month  for 
some  time,  but  was  a  cooper  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage.  He  bought  a  farm  of  160  acres  in 
the  county  of  Brown  from  a  man  who  had  im- 
proved it;  but  Mr.  Green  built  a  log  house 
and  there  they  lived  for  about  six  years,  and 
then  he  bought  another  eighty  acres  and 
built  a  better  house.  There  the  family  lived 
until  1873,  when  he  sold  it  and  bought  his 
present  farm  of  240  acres  on  which  are  all 
improvements.  He  died  August  2,  1877. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  his  politics  but  did 
not  bother  much  about  them. 

Our  subject  and  her  husband  started  with 
nothing  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  ac- 
quired as  fine  a  farm  as  there  is  in  the 
county.  They  were  faithful  members  of  the 
Union  Baptist  Church  for  years,  and  he  was 
an  active  member,  assisting  in  the  building 
of  it  and  was  lamented  by  all  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

Mrs.  Greene,  the  estimable  lady  whose 
sketch  we  are  presenting,  is'  well  known  in 
the  township  where  she  and  her  husband 
have  shown  to  the  world  a  life  of  married 
felicity.  She  has  been  the  beloved  mother 
of  fourteen  children  and  is  not  only  esteemed 
above  all  others  by  her  immediate  family  but 
by  the  neighborhood.  We  close  this  short 
notice  with  the  names  of  her  family.  Mary 
Jane  is  at  home;  Sarah  is  married  and  has 
two  children;  Lovey  M.  is  married  and  died 
leaving  four  children;  Ann  G.  is  married  and 
has  seven  childre;  Juliet  is  married  and  has 
five  children;  William  F.  is  married  and  has 
six  children ;  Celinda  E.  is  married  and  has  five 
children;  Angeline  is  married  and  has  four 
children;  George  W.  is  married  and  has 


three  children ;  Purlina  is  married  and  has 
two  children;  Olive;  Almira  is  married  but 
has  no  family.. 

Mrs.  Greene  looks  after  the  farm  herself 
and  rents  to  her  son  George,  who  carries  on  a 
very  successful  mixed  farming. 


ILLIAM  J.  DA  VIS,  of  Lee  township, 
was  born  in  Adams  county,  Illinois, 
in  1845.  His  father,  Washington, 
was  born  in  Virginia  about  1822,  and  his 
father,  Edward,  was  a  Virginia  farmer  who 
emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1837,  where  he 
died  at  an  advanced  age,  in  Adams  county. 
They  came  by  land  the  most  of  the  way. 
The  mother  of  William  J.  was  Nancy  Chip- 
man  of  North  Carolina,  a  daughter  of  David 
Chipman,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  1835.  She 
survived  her  husband. 

William  Davis  had  a  good  common-school 
education,  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  this 
has  been  his  vocation  except  a  little  agency  as 
a  salesman  in  fruit  trees.  He  remained  at  home 
until  twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he  married 
Maggie,  daughter  of  George  and  Hannah 
(Ferguson)  Colgate.  She  was  born  in  Pike 
county,  of  which  her  parents  were  early  set- 
tlers. Her  mother  died  about  1877.  Her 
father  is  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  settled  on  a  small  farm 
near  Clayton  in  1874.  Three  years  later  they 
sold  there  and  moved  to  their  present  home 
in  Brown  county,  buying  sixty  acres  for  $2,- 
250.  He  rents  part,  and  farms  about  120 
acres  a  year.  They  have  been  greatly  blessed, 
and  have  not  lost  any  of  their  ten  children. 
They  are,  Charles  E.,  Adelbert,  Walter,  Har- 
riet, Jackson,  Julia,  George,  Belle,  Mary  and 
Nellie.  This  family  is  all  comely,  bright 
and  dutiful;  and  are  being  carefully  educated 


200 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    CASS, 


Mr.  Davis  is  a  Missionary  Baptist,  he  is  also 
a  Democrat,  but  is  not  strongly  partizan. 
While  he  has  been  very  busy  raising  stock 
and  engaged  in  general  farming  he  has  had 
time  to  become  a  successful  bee-keeper  in 
the  last  six  years.  He  is  School  Director  and 
a  very  active  member  in  his  church.  His 
family  is  highly  thought  of  in  the  commun- 
ity as  is  he  himself. 


[ENJAMIN  F.  REBMAN,  a  farmer  and 
dairyman,  was  born  in  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  at  Pleasant  View,  January  12, 
1848.  He  was  the  seventh  child  in  a  family 
of  nine  born  to  John  and  Margaret  (Huffman) 
Rebman,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  at 
Strasburg,  Germany,  and  the  latter  near  the 
same  place.  They  emigrated  to  America 
in  1830  and  were  married  in  New  York  city 
in  1832.  They  lived  in  New  York  State 
about  four  years,  when  they  removod  to  St. 
Louis,  and  after  remaining  there  two  years 
removed  to  Beardstown,  Illinois,  where  they 
lived  four  years  more.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  they  moved  to  Schuyler  county  and 
here  they  both  died,  Mrs.  Rebman  in  1877 
and  her  husband  four  years  later.  Mr.  Reb- 
man was  a  mechanic  by  trade. 

Benjamin  Rebman,  after  the  slight  school- 
ing he  was  able  to  obtain  in  the  country 
schools,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  engaged  in 
farming,  working  by  the  month  for  farmers 
until  he  had  accumulated  enough  to  begin 
business  for  himself.  He  has  been  engaged 
in  the  dairy  business  for  some  years  and  has 
supplied  the  city  of  Beardstown  with  vast 
quantities  of  milk.  This  taken  in  connection 
with  his  extensive  farming  yield  him  a  nice 
income.  He  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  brick,  but  sold  out  recently. 


He  was  married  in  this  county  January  1, 
1879,  to  Mrs.  Louisa  Curry,  daughter  of  An- 
thony Messeren,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Schuyler  county.  He  was  a  very  successful 
farmer,  being  a  representative  of  an  agricul- 
tural family  for  generations  back.  He  went 
from  Germany,  his  birthplace,  to  the  West 
Indies,  when  he  was  six  years  of  age.  The 
uncle  who  was  taking  him  to  America  died 
on  the  voyage  and  the  child  was  adopted  by  a 
West  Indian  planter.  Here  he  grew  toman- 
hood,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1832  and  en- 
tered a  large  tract  of  land  in  Schuyler  county, 
where  he  lived  until  the  time  of  his  death  in 
1859.  His  wife  survived  him  for  twenty- 
two  years.  They  had  five  children,  two  of 
whom  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rebman  have  had  three 
children:  Anthony,  deceased;  Gale  and  Her- 
man Blane.  His  religious  views  are  those  of 
a  free- thinker;  is  Republican  in  politics. 


NDREW  J.  MEAD  is  located  at  Hunts- 
ville  and  is  the  oldest  physician  in 
Schuyler  county,  as  he  has  been  lo- 
cated at  this  place  since  March,  1840.  He 
was  born  in  Henry  county,  Kentucky,  April 
4,  1815,  being  a  son  of  William  and  Mary 
(Scott)  Mead. 

He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  State, 
passing  his  boyhood  on  the  farm.  At  the 
age  of  thirteen  he  commenced  to  clerk  in  a 
store  and  continued  there  four  years.  He 
then  lived  with  Dr.  Gosle,  with  whom  he 
studied  medicine  until  he  was  twenty-one 
arid  then  practiced  with  him  one  year.  He 
then  went  to  Indiana,  whence  he  came  to 
Illinois  and  located  at  Huntsville.  He  had 
been  on  a  visit  to  Missouri,  and  on  his  return 
stopped  in  Huntsville,  where  he  met  some 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


201 


old  Kentucky  friends  who  induced  him  to 
locate  in  this  place.  He  has  had  a  large 
practice  and  is  well  and  favorably  known. 

He  married  in  December,  1843,  Mary  J. 
Briscoe,  born  near  Perryville,  Kentucky, 
June  2,  1825,  daughter  of  George  H.  and 
Eliza  K.  (Ewing)  Briscoe.  She  died  December 
4,1891.  They  had  four  children:  Alice,  died, 
aged  six  years;  Richard  Homer,  see  sketch; 
"William  13.,  a  physician  in  Kansas,  graduate 
of  Rush  Medical  College;  and  Clara,  wife  of 
Charles  Everson,  of  Huntsville.  Both  sons 
studied  medicine  with  their  father  and  both 
graduated  before  they  were  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  The  Doctor  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics and  has  always  been  an  active  worker 
in  the  party.  He  never  accepted  any  office,- 
as  his  profession  occupied  all  his  time.  He 
is  a  man  who  is  liberal  in  his  religious  views. 
oNTo  one  is  more  highly  respected  and  ad- 
mired than  this  same  pioneer  doctor  of 
Huntsville. 


JILL1AM  C.  BOLLMAN,  Postmaster 
at  Browning,  is  a  native  of  Pike 
county,  Illinois,  born  March  13, 1839. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Rebecca  (Hedgen) 
Bollman.  Both  were  natives  of  Ohio  and 
came  to  Illinois  in  1837,  locating  in  Pike 
county,  where  the  father  died  in  1850,  and 
the  mother  died  in  Quincy,  of  the  cholera, 
when  it  was  raging  there.  There  were  seven 
children  by  this  marriage,  and  two  by  the 
former  one.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of 
William  were:  Michael, deceased;  our  subject 
was  the  next  child;  Samuel,  still  living  in 
Pike  county,  married;  John,  deceased;  Or- 
ville,  deceased;  Sarah  Massey  of  Fulton 
county,  Illinois;  Mary  O.,  married;  Aaron 
Finton  resides  near  Pittsfield,  Illinois,  The 
other  two  are  dead. 


William  grew  to  manhood  in  Pike  county, 
and  married  there  Miss  Amanda  Preston,  of 
Ohio.  Her  parents  were  John  and  Hannah 
Preston.  The  father  died  when  Mrs.  Boll- 
man was  a  child,  but  the  mother  died  in 
Browning  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Bollman. 

Mr.  Bollman  farmed  for  many  years  in  Pike 
county,  and  then  removed  to  Browning, 
Schuyler  county,  where  he  lived  until  1861 
when  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Third  Illi- 
nois Cavalry,  as  a  private,  and  became 
Quarter  Master  Sergeant  of  his  regiment. 
He  served  four  years  and  two  months,  and 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge;  was 
with  Sherman  when  he  made  the  attack  on 
Haines'  Bluff,  at  Vicksburg;  was  at  the  cap- 
ture of  Arkansas  Post,  and  from  thence  to  Hol- 
low Springs,  Mississippi ;  did  scouting  duty  in 
Mississippi,  and  afterward  had  a  serious  en- 
gagement at  Gravelly  Springs,  Tennessee, 
and  he  was  also  engaged  in  many  other  skir- 
mishes and  battles  of  less  importance.  After 
the  surrender  of  the  rebel  armies,  the  regi- 
ment was  sent  across  the  plains  to  award  the 
Indians,  and  remained  there  until  Octo- 
ber, 1865.  They  were  mustered  out  at  Min- 
neapolis, October  10,  1865.  Mr.  Bollman 
returned  to  Browning,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  remained  in  that  business  until  1887, 
when  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business.  He 
was  appointed  Postmaster  in  1890,  and  still 
holds  that  position. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bollman  have  had  nine  chil- 
dren, but  only  one  of  that  number  is 
living,  Frank,  now  twenty- three  years  of  age, 
is  married  and  resides  in  Beardstown,  Illi- 
nois. The  Bollman  family  are  of  German 
and  Irish  origin.  Mr.  Bollman  is  a  Repub- 
lican, though  he  entered  the  army  as  a  Demo- 
crat, but  changed  his  views  while  in  the 
service,  and  has  faithfully  voted  with  the  Re- 
publican party  ever  since.  He  is  a  member 


202 


SIOGRAPUICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


of  the  G.  A.  E.,  also  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.' 
Browning  Lodge,  No.  309.  He  is  a  P.  G., 
and  has  represented  his  lodge  for  two  years 
at  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bollman  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Bollman  was  not  the  only  member  of 
his  family  who  served  iu  the  late  war;  a 
brother,  Samuel,  served  three  years  in  the 
Ninety-ninth  Illinois  Infantry.  Both  escaped 
injury,  except  to  general  health. 


[IMON  A.  REEVE,  who  has  long  been 
closely  connected  with  the  agricultural 
interests  of  Schuyler  county,  is  a  native 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  born  at  Springfield, 
December  28,  1828.  His  father,  John  Reeve, 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  the  pa- 
ternal grandfather  was  born  in  the  same 
State;  the  latter  is  supposed  to  have  visited 
Illinois  at  an  early  day,  as  he  purchased  land 
in  Fulton  county.  John  Reeve  was  still  a 
youth  when  he  acccompanied  his  parents  to 
Kentucky,  and  there  he  was  married  to  Bet- 
sey Ross,  a  Kentuckian  by  birth;  from  the 
Brue  Grass  State  he  removed  to  Indiana,  and 
thence  to  Illinois,  being  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Springfield  ;  he  resided  there  some  years 
before  it  became  the  capital  city  of  the  com- 
monwealth. In  1829  he  came  to  Schuyler 
county,  and  settled  in  Bainbridge  township 
on  land  his  father  had  given  him;  the  tract 
was  heavily  timbered,  and  there  were  no  im- 
provements. Mr.  Reeve  erected  a  lug  house, 
and  began  the  task  of  placing  the  laud  under 
cultivation.  He  resided  there  until  after  the 
death  of  his  wife,  which  occurred  in  1843, 
when  he  returned  to  Indiana;  in  a  few  years 
he  came  back  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Peoria 
county,  where  he  spent  the  last  days  of  his 


life.     His  death    occurred  in  his  seventy-fifth 
year.     Simon   A.  Reeve  was    but   an  infant 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Schuyler  county; 
here  he  was  reared  amid  the  privations   and 
hardships  incident  to  life  on  the  frontier;  the 
country     was    thinly    settled,     Indians    still 
roamed  the  prairie,  and  wild  game  was  abund- 
ant.    The  mother  spun  and    the  sister  wove 
all  the  cloth  with    which  the  children   were 
dressed.     Our  subject  attended    the   pioneer 
schools  taught  in    the  primitive    log  house, 
and  in  early  youth  began  to  earn  his  own  liv- 
ing; for  some  time  he  received  as  compensa- 
tion only  his  board  and  clothing;  later  he  had 
$8  or  $9  per  month,  which  he  considered  ex- 
cellent   wages.     He    afterward    learned   the 
cooper's  trade,  which  he  followed  a  number  of 
years,  and  at  this  vocation  earned  the  money 
with  which  he  bought  the  first  land  he  owned. 
An  incident  worthy  of  note  as  illustrating  the 
value  of  neighbors  as  compared  with  that  of 
land,  is  furnished  in  the  act  of  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch:   When  he  settled 
on  160  acres  of  land  in  Schuyler  county,  his 
neighbors  were  few  and  far  between,  and  in 
order  to  secure  a  near  neighbor,  Mr.  Reeve  sold 
fifty  of   his   160    acres  to    a  gentleman  for 
$25,  upon  the  condition  that  he  would  reside 
upon  it.     Mr.  Reeve  has  been  very   success- 
ful as  a  farmer,  and  has  accumulated  consid- 
erable amount  of  property;  to  his  oldest  son 
he  has  given  107  acres,  to  another  91  acres, 
and  now  occupies  a  farm  of  120  acres,  which 
is  well  improved. 

Mr.  Reeve  was  married,  in  1854,  to  Miss 
Jane  Orr,  a  native  of  county  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Burn- 
side)  Orr.  Two  sons  have  been  born  of  this 
union,  William  H.  and  Pulaski;  the  former 
married  Harriet  E.  Ackley,  who  was  born  in 
Adams  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Latham 
and  Pauline  (Spangler)  Ackley;  their  three 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


203 


children  died  in  infancy:  Pulaski  married 
Mary  I.  Ward,  and  they  have  one  child  liv- 
ing, named  Bertha.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reeve  are 
consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  In  his  political  opinions  Mr. 
Reeve  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 


WALKER  BECKWITH  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Bain  bridge  town- 
ship,  Schnyler  county,  Illinois,  and  is 
entitled  to  recognition  as  a  member  of  that 
worthy  band  of  men  and  women  who  pene- 
trated the  wilderness  of  the  frontier,  and 
made  the  way  for  the  onward  march  of  prog- 
ress. He  was  born  at  Stephentown,  Rens- 
selaer  county,  New  York,  August  17,  1798, 
and  is  a  son  of  Elisha  Beckwith,  a  native  of 
New  England,  and  grandson  of  Elisha  Beck- 
with, Senior;  the  latter  was  a  sailor  and  fol- 
lowed the  sea  for  many  years,  visiting  the 
principal  ports  of  the  world;  he  spent  his 
last  years  in  Chenango  county,  New  York. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits;  from  Stephentown  he  re- 
moved to  Chenango  county,  New  York, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  early  settlers;  he 
bought  a  tract  of  timber  land  there,  and 
erected  a  log  house;  he  cleared  a  farm,  made 
many  valuable  improvementss,  and  spent  his 
last  years  in  that  home.  He  married  Mary 
Walker,  a  daughter  of  James  Walker;  she 
survived  him  many  years,  coming  to  Illinois 
after  his  death;  she  died  in  Hancock  county. 
E.  Walker  Beckwith  grew  to  manhood 
among  the  primitive  surroundings  of  Chen- 
ango county,  New  York;  there  were  no  rail- 
roads, and  Albany  was  the  principal  market 
town;  the  mother  spun  and  wove  the  cloth 
with  which  her  children  were  clothed.  Here 
he  remained  until  he  was  about  twenty-six 


years  of  age,  and  then  pushed  his  way  to  Ohio; 
after  a  year  spent  in  that  State  he  went  to 
Indiana,  and  while  a  resident  of  the  Hoosier 
State  was  engaged  in  various  occupations;  he 
once  made  a  trip  on  a  flat-boat,  loaded  with 
produce,  to  New  Orleans.  He  lived  in  Indi- 
ana seven  years,  and  then  came  to  Illinois,  lo- 
cating in  Schnyler  county;  as  before  stated,' 
he  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Bainbridge 
township,  and  with  the  exception  of  four  years 
spent  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  this  has 
been  his  home  for  the  past  forty  years. 

He  married  Mary  Waugh,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sally 
Waugh.  She  died  in  1886.  Of  this  union 
five  children  were  born:  James,  Charles,  Nor- 
man, Stephen  and  Emily  J.  Stephen  resides 
on  the  home  farm,  and  has  the  management 
of  the  same;  he  married  Elizabeth  Kline, 
May  8,  1884,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
three  children;  Olie  T.,  Fidelia  and  Min- 
nie E. 

Mr.  Beckwith  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  as  was  also  his  wife.  He 
is  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity,  and  has  the 
respect  of  the  entire  community. 


,ON.  PERRY  LOGSDON,  a  citizen  of 
Schuyler  county,  is  a  man  whose  name 
is  honored  where  it  is  known.  He  was 
born  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  July  8, 
1842,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Lucy  (Parker) 
Logsdon  (see  sketch  of  Joseph  Logsdon). 
Until  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  passed  an 
uneventful  life  amid  the  scenes  of  his  child- 
hood, but  this  quiet  was  then  rudely  dis- 
turbed by  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war 
between  the  North  and  South.  In  1861  he 
enlisted  in  Company  H,  Fiftieth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  his  country 
faithfully  until  the  cessation  of  hostilities, 


204 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


July  13,  1865,  being  the  date  of  his  die- 
charge.  He  participated  in  every  engagement 
of  his  company,  and  when  the  war  was  ended 
he  returned  to  his  home,  with,  the  rank  of 
First  Lieutenant. 

Mr.  Logsdon  was  married  September  5, 
1867,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Byers,  who  was  born  in 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  March  12,  1850,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Eleanor  (Stntsman) 
Byers  (see  sketch  of  John  S.  Stutsman).  Mr. 
Byers  was  born  in  the  Blue-grass  State,  and 
removed  to  this  county  in  1847,  where  he 
spent  his  last  days;  the  date  of  his  birth  is 
May  22,  1826,  and  his  death  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1862;  his  wife  was  born  August 
23,  1828,  in  the  State  of  Indiana.  The 
paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Logsdon  were 
John  and  Elizabeth  Byers;  he  died  in  1827, 
and  she  survived  until  1857.  After  his  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Logsdon  settled  on  land  which  is 
a  portion  of  his  present  farm;  the  dwelling 
was  a  log  house  which  was  raised  the  day 
General  William  Henry  Harrison  was  in- 
augurated President  of  the  United  States; 
there  he  lived  six  years,  and  then  removed  to 
his  present  home.  He  first  bought  106  acres 
of  choice  land,  to  which  he  added  120  acres 
later  on;  to  this  he  added  two  eighty-acre 
tracts,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
most  desirable  farms  in  the  county;  a  portion 
of  this  land  is  rented,  and  the  rest  is  devoted 
to  general  farming. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Logsdon  have  been  born 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  deceased: 
Luella  was  born  on  the  home  farm,  August 
5,  1869;  Julia  was  born  July  31,  1873; 
Charles  F.  was  born  January  6,  1880.  Mr. 
Logsdon  has  for  many  years  been  identified 
with  the  political  movements  of  his  county; 
he  has  been  Assessor,  was  Supervisor  two 
years,  and  has  been  School  Director;  in 
1884  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 


Legislature,  and  in  1888  was  re-elected  by  a 
large  majority.  He  is  a  Republican,  but 
carried  a  Democratic  district.  While  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  he  was  on  several 
committees  of  importance,  among  which 
were  these  on  Penal  and  Reformatory  Insti- 
tutions, Canals  and  Rivers,  Insurance,  Drain- 
age, and  Farm  Drainage.  He  discharged  his 
duties  with  marked  ability,  and  such  was  the 
dignity  and  courtesy  of  his  bearing  as  to  com- 
mand the  respect  of  his  allies  as  well  as  oppo- 
nents. Throughout  all  his  career,  Mr. 
Logsdon  has  borne  himself  with  a  deep  sense 
of  honor  which  has  insured  a  name  above  re- 
proach, a  credit  to  his  ancestry  and  a  legacy 
of  great  worth  to  his  posterity.  In  the  terri- 
ble conflict  of  this  nation  he  was  a  brave, 
courageous  soldier;  in  the  private  walks  of 
life  he  has  been  as  much  the  hero.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  G.A.  R.  at  Rush- 
ville,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  this 
organization. 


f  WILLIAM  MEYER,  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  section  17, 
0  range  11,  was  born  in  Westphalia' 
Prussia,  Germany,  in  1838.  In  1849,  he 
came  to  America  with  his  parents  (see  bio- 
graphy of  Fred  Meyer)  and  has  been  living 
in  this  country  ever  since.  Here  he  grew 
to  manhood,  obtaining  a  little  knowledge  of 
English  and  English  books.  While  he  is  not 
a  well  educated  man  he  has  good  judgment 
and  is  very  intelligent  He  is  the  eldest  of 
his  father's  family,  of  whom  all  are  married 
and  live  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Meyer 
owns  a  well  improved  farm  of  160  acres,  all 
under  the  plow  with  first-class  farm  buildings, 
all  erected  by  himself.  Beside  this  fine  farm 
he  owns  seventy  acres  of  good  grass  land  and 


SGHUTLER    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


205 


eighty  acres  of  timber  land.  These  lands 
are  all  earned  by  his  own  hard  work.  He 
follows  general  farming  and  stock-raising  and 
breeds  cattle  from  a  first-class  stock. 

He  was  married  the  first  time  to  Caroline 
Telkemeyer,  born  in  Cass  county,  in  1845, 
where  she  was  reared  and  educated.  She 
came  of  German  parents  who  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Cass  county 
where  they  lived  and  died,  the  mother  when 
young  and  the  father,  William,  when  about 
sixty-five.  They  were  earnest  members  of 
the  German  Lutheran  Church.  Mrs.  Meyer 
died  at  her  home  in  this  county  in  1879,  on 
Easter  Sunday  of  that  year.  She  was  thirty- 
three  years  of  age,  a  true,  good  wife  and 
mother,  anda  devout  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  She  was  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren: Mary  at  home  with  her  father;  Minnie 
and  Emma,  also  at  home.  They  are  intelli- 
gent young  women.  Mr.  Meyer  was  married 
the  second  time  in  Schuyler  county,  to  Lizzie 
Gise,  of  Hesse  Darmstadt,  born  in  1849.  She 
came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
woman  with  her  father,  John,  the  mother 
having  died  in  Germany.  They  settled  in 
Cass  county.  Later,  Mr.  Gise  went  tq  Ore- 
gon and  died  there  when  an  old  man,.  He 
and  his  family  were  Lutherans.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Meyer  have  one  child,  Lucy.  .  They  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Churph,  and  are 
true,  good  people.  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics. 


IZRA  JACKSON  is  a  Hoosier  by  birth, 
born  in  Scott  county,  February  26, 
1823.  His  father,  Samuel  Jackson, 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  his 
grandfather,  Solomon  Jackson,  was  probably 
a  native  of  the  same  State.  The  grandfather 
was  a  powerful  man  and  lived  to  the  great 

15 


age  of  ninety-eight  years.  He  enlisted  three 
different  times  in  the  Colonial  army  during 
the  Revolutionary  war,  the  first  two  enlist- 
ments being  as  substitute.  He  served  dur- 
ing nearly  the  entire  war,  and  was  very 
j'oung  when  he  first  enlisted.  He  was  a 
shoemaker  by  occupation,  but  also  taught 
school,  and  remained  in  North  Carolina  until 
the  formation  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana, 
when  he  came  there,  too,  and  settled  in  what 
is  now  Scott  county.  He  was  thus  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers  and  pioneers  of  Indi- 
ana. He  bought  land  and  lived  there  until 
his  death.  For  many  years  he  drew  a  pen- 
sion from  the  Government  for  his  services 
and  patriotism  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  visited  Sphnyler  county  several  times,  but 
finally  died  in  Jefferson  county,  Indiana. 

Samuel  Jackson,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  quite  a  young  man  when  he  went  to  Indi- 
ana. He  married  and  lived  there  until  1829, 
and  then,  accompanied  hyhiswifeandfivechil- 
dreu,  all  drawn  by  two  yoke  of  oxen,  hitched 
to  an  old-fashioned  wagon,  came  to  Illinois 
in  search  of  a  home.  There  was  scarcely  an 
inhabitant  on  the  broad  prairie  then,  and  not 
a  lajd-out  road  in  Schuyler  county.  He 
located  in  what  is  now  Bainbridge  township, 
moving  into  a  vacant  log  cabin,  which  the 
family  occupied  for  two  years,  buying  in  the 
meantime  a  tract  of  land  upon  which  was  a 
rude  log  cabin  and  five  or  six  acres  of  cleared 
land,  the  remainder  of  the  farm  being  heavy 
timber.  There  wag  little  value  then  in  stand- 
ing timber,  no  matter  how  large  and  fine,  and 
accordingly  the  great  trees  were  cut  down, 
rolled  together,  and  destroyed  by  the  torch. 
This  was  necessary  in  order  to  clear  the  land 
for  cultivation.  Upon  this  farm  he  resided 
until  his  death  in  1839.  He  was  an  indus- 
trious, exemplary  citizen,  and  an  honor  to 
the  great  and  historic  name  of  Jackson.  The 


206 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA88, 


maiden  name  of  his  wife,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  Esther  Close,  who  was  born 
within  two  miles  of  Albany,  New  York.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to 
America  at  the  age  of  thirteen.  He  mar- 
ried a  Connecticut  lady,  and  came  to  Scott 
county,  Indiana,  in  a  very  early  day,  being 
one  of  its  pioneers. 

Our  subject,  Ezra  Jackson,  is  one  of  seven 
children  born  to  his  parents,  viz.:  Zadok,  Ezra, 
Calvin,  Elizabeth,  Jesse,  Solomon  and  Mary 
J.  When  Ezra  was  five  years  of  age,  he 
was  brought  to  Schuyler  county, where  Tie  grew 
to  manhood.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
and  remained  there  until  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  when  he  commenced  to  learn  the  trade 
of  a  cooper,  after  following  which  a  few 
years,  he  conducted  a  hotel  for  one  year  in 
Frederick.  In  1865  he  bought  property  at 
the  corner  of  Liberty  and  Lafayette  etreets, 
Rushville,  where  he  kept  hotel  for  twenty 
years.  He  then  removed  the  building  stand- 
ing there  and  erected  the  brick  stpre  build- 
ing now  occupying  the  site  of  the  hoteL 
For  some  time  he  has  been  retired  from 
active  business.  He  was  married,  in  1846,  to 
Emily  JBrunk,  who  was  born  in  Morgan 
county,  Illinois,  June  8,  182Q,  the  daughter 
of  Jesse  and  Eliza  (Day)  Brunk,  natives  of 
Kentucky,  and  pioneers  of  Morgan  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson's  living  children  are; 
Owen,  Felix,  Mary  Ellen,  Effigene,  Martha 
and  Frederick.  Mr.  Jackson  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics. 


fHOMAS  J.  CLARK  was  born  in  Hunts- 
ville  township,  Schuyler  county,  Sep- 
tember 16, 1853.  His  father,  Harrison, 
was  born  in  Logan  county,  Kentucky,  Febru- 
ary 15,  1811,  and  he  was  the  son  of  Abner 
Clark. .  The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared 


and  married  in  his  native  township  and  re- 
sided there  until  1833,  when  he  emigrated  to 
Illinois.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  child,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Wilgus, 
and  family.  They  owned  a  wagon  together, 
and  each  one  had  his  own  horse,  and  in  this 
way  made  an  overland  journey  to  Illinois  and 
located  in  Schuyler  county.  When  he  landed 
here  his  entire  wealth  consisted  in  his  inter- 
est in  the  wagon,  his  horse  and  $150.  He 
lived  at  Mount  Sterling  one  year,  then  en- 
tered a  tract  of  Government  land  in  what  is 
now  Huntsville  township,  Schuyler  county. 
He  wanted  a  quarter  section  of  land,  but  that 
would  have  cost  more  money  than  he  had, 
consequently  he  entered  eighty  acres,  and  as 
soon  as  he  obtained  the  money  he  entered  the 
remainder  of  the  quarter.  As  every  other 
settler,  he  first  built  a  log  cabin  on  the  place 
and  commenced  to  improve  his  farm.  For 
several  years  there  were  no  railroads,  and  he 
hauled  his  wheat  to  Quincy,  forty  miles  away. 
He  commenced  very  soon  to  deal  in  stock, 
and  was  very  successful  both  as  a  stock-dealer 
and  farmer.  He  continued  to  purchase  land 
until  he  had  about  500  acres.  Here  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death  in  1883.  His  wife 
was  named  Lydia  Coffman,  of  Hardin  county, 
Kentucky,  born  August  3,  1815.  Her  par- 
ents came  from  Germany,  and  were  early 
settlers  of  Kentucky.  She  died  in  1860. 

Thomas  was  educated  in  Schuyler  county, 
and  two  years  at  Lincoln  University.  In  1875 
he  went  to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  pur- 
chased a  farm  twelves  from  Wichita  and  there 
engaged  in  farming  for  two  years,  when  he 
went  into  Wichita  and  engaged  in  the  grain 
business.  He  remained  there  two  years  and 
then  went  to  McPherson,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  same  business,  there  built  an  elevator 
and  shipped  the  first  car  load  of  grain  ever 
shipped  from  that  station.  After  two  years 


SOHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


207 


he  returned  to  Illinois  and  purchased  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides  in  Pea  Ridge  township. 
It  contains  240  acres,  and  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  county. 

He  was  married  in  1874,  to  Virginia, 
daughter  of  John  S.  Anderson.  She  was  born 
in  Huntsville  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark 
have  seven  children:  Helen,  Arthur  R.,  Ches- 
ter L.,  John  H.,  Paul,  Mary  A.  and  Stanley. 

Mr.  Clark  joined  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  and 
is  an  Elder  in  the  church  and  has  officiated 
both  as  Superintendent  and  teacher  in  the 
Sunday-school.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  the  County 
Central  Committee.  In  1890  he  was  special 
agent  of  the  Government  to  make  note  of  the 
recorded  indebtedness  of  the  Twelfth  Con- 
gressional District.  He  has  served  several 
terms  as  Secretary  of  the  Mount  Sterling 
Mutual  Insurance  Company,  which  office  he 
now  holds.  Mr.  Clark  is  well  read,  keeps. 
posted  on  all  general  questions,  is  also  a  for- 
cible writer,  and  is  one  of  the  prominent  men 
of  the  township. 


[HOMAS  R.  WILLIAMS,  Superintend- 
ent of  the  Cass  County  Poor  Farm,  was 
born  in  Bertie  cqunty,  North  Carolina, 
June  1,  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  Williamson 
A.  and  Margaret  (Thomas)  Williams,  natives 
of  Bertie  county,  North  Carolina.  The 
family  is  an  pld  one  in  the  State.  The  pa- 
rents liyed  on.  a  farm  until  after  the  birth  of 
six  children,  and  in  the  fall  of  1856  removed 
tp  Illinois  by  wagon,  and  settled  in  this 
favored  section,  not  far  from  Bluff  Springs. 
They  rented  for  two  years,  and  then  purchased 
the  farm  where  they  lived,  when  the  mother 
died  in  May,  1884,  three-score-and-ten.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 


Church.  Her  husband  remained  on  the  farm 
for  two  years  longer,  and  then  went  to  Beards- 
town,  and  one  year  later  came  to  Bluff 
Springs,  and  here  spent  his  last  years,  dying 
iu  October,  1888.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
a  stanch  Democrat,  and  a  very  worthy  man. 

Our  subject  and  his  brother  are  the  only 
members  of  the  family  now  living.  Mr. 
Williams  has  lived  in  this  county  since  he 
was  six  years  of  age,  and  has  been  a  practi- 
cal farmer  since  he  was  twenty-two  years  ot 
age.  He  took  charge  of  the  Poor  Farm  in 
1887,  after  his  brother  had  managed  it  for 
eight  years.  It  is  located  at  Bluff  Springs, 
and  consists  of  more  than  1QQ  acres  of  fine 
land.  It  is  well  managed  by  Mr.  Williams. 

The  average  poor  in  attendance  all  the 
time  is,  about  twelve,  and  there  is  but  one 
feeble-minded  person  among  them. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  this  county  to 
Sophia  Reichert,  born  in  Beardstown,  in 
1857,  reared  and  educated  in  Cass  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  Conrad  and  Sophia  Rei- 
chert, of  Gerrnany.  The  mother  died  in  the 
prime  of  life,  in  Cass  county.  Mr.  Reichert 
was  married  the  second  time  to  Mrs.  Withroe, 
and  they  live  in  Beardstown,  now  quite  old. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  have  three  chil- 
dren: Charles  F.,  John  F.  and  Howard,  all 
at  home.  The  family  belongs  to  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  Williams  is 
a  Democrat.  The  county  has  the  right  man 
in  the  right  place. 


fOSEPH  M.    SPENCER,    an   intelligent 
and  progressive  citizen  of  Ashland,  Illi- 
nois, and  an  honored  veteran  of  the  late 
war,    was  born  in  Gibson  county,    Indiana, 
October  24,  1842. 


208 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Of .  CASS, 


His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(Hayhurst)  Spencer,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Morgantown,  Virginia,  the  father  of 
Welsh  and  the  mother  of  German  ancestry. 
They  were  married  in  Miami  county,  Ohio, 
removing  thence  to  Indiana,  from  where 
they  came  to  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  in 
1849.  The  parents  and  younger  children 
later  removed  to  Kansas,  where  the  father 
died  in  1870,  leaving  his  family  and  many 
friends  to  mourn  his  loss.  He  was  a  man  of 
superior  intelligence  and  generous  impulses, 
and  was  very  popular  among  his  associates, 
who  keenly  felt  his  loss.  His  devoted  wife, 
whose  greatest  interest  was  the  welfare  of 
her  husband  and  family,  returned  to  Illinois 
after  her  husband's  death,  finally  expiring  in 
Morgan  county,  Illinois,  in  1879,  deeply 
lamented  by  all  who  knew  her  and  who  ap- 
preciated her  many  excellent  qualities  of 
mind  and  heart. 

This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Job  H.,  the  eldest,  died  in  Arkansas,  in 
April,  1890,  leaving  two  children,  his  wife 
having  previously  died;  John  D.  served  three 
years  in  the  Forty- second  Indiana  Infantry, 
is  now  married  and  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Gibson  county,  Indiana;  William  S.  resides 
in  Buena  Vista,  Colorado:  he  is  a  widower 
and  has  a  family;  Rebecca,  wife  of  William 
A.  Baldwin,  lives  in  Loami,  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois;  Amos  and  Simeon  died  in 
youth. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Illinois  when  he  was  seven 
years  of  age,  and  his  boyhood  and  early  man- 
hood was  spent  in  this  State,  in  the  quiet 
pursuits  of  farm  and  home  life.  These 
peaceful,  happy  days  were  disturbed  by  the 
Civil  war,  and  young  Joseph  enlisted  at 
Springfield,  on  September  15,  1861,  in  Com- 


pany K,  Thirty-third  Illinois  Infantry.  He 
was  in  the  Department  of  Missouri,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  notorious  Jeff  Thomp- 
son, at  the  battle  of  Blackwell  Station,  in 
October,  1861,  and  was  paroled  on  the  same 
day.  Jeff  said  "  they  could  either  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance,  receive  a  parole,  or  be 
shot;"  that  he  had  "no  use  for  prisoners." 
It  was  at  this  battle  that  Mr.  Spencer  saved 
the  life  of  General  Lippincott,  a  service 
which  the  General  appreciated  until  the  day 
of  his  death,  and  the  heroic  act  afterward 
brought  many  courtesies  to  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  He  was  offered  a  commission  as 
Second  Lieutenant,  but  declined  it  as  a  re- 
ward for  doing  his  duty.  We  pause,  to  ex- 
claim, In  what  other  country  could  such  an 
incident  have  occurred?  Truly,  America 
rears  kings,  not  ordinary  men  ! 

Mr.  Spencer  was  seven  months  under  pa- 
role, when  he  returned  to  the  right  of  his 
command,  at  Village  Creek,  Arkansas,  and 
took  part  in  the  fight  at  Cotton  Plant, 
which  occurred  the  following  day.  Here,  he 
captured  Colonel  Harris'  horse,  sword  and 
two  revolvers.  This  was  the  Colonel  who 
commanded  the  Texas  Legion  in  that  engage- 
ment. Mr.  Spencer  was  next  engaged  in 
battle  at  Port  Gibson,  May  1,  1863;  he  had 
been  in  several  unimportant  battles  during 
the  interim,  but  this  was  the  next  general 
engagement.  He  was  at  Champion  Hills 
and  Black  River  Bridge;  after  which  came 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  where  he  dug  in  the 
ditches  and  was  under  fire  for  forty-seven 
days.  Here,  he  received  a  sunstroke,  and 
was  sent  to  St.  Louis  on  a  hospital  boat.  It 
was  then  that  he  realized  fully  the  saying 
that  misfortunes  never  come  singly,  for, 
while  en  route,  he  fell  down  a  hatchway, 
striking  on  his  head  and  causing  deaf  ness  in  his 
left  ear,  from  which  he  has  never  recovered. 


SCHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


209 


He  rejoined  his  regiment  at  New  Orleans, 
in  February,  1864,  they  being  on  their  way 
home  on  veteran  furlough.  Mr.  Spencer  re- 
enlisted  as  a  musician,  and  accompanied  the 
boys  home.  Afterward,  he  returned  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  did  garrison  duty  until  the 
Mobile  campaign,  when  the  regiment  was 
badly  decimated  by  a  railroad  wreck,  which 
killed  and  wounded  many  men.  Mr.  Spen- 
cer was  assigned  to  the  Sixteenth  Army 
Corps,  under  General  A.  J.  Smith,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  fight  at  Spanish  Fort.  He 
then  went  to  Montgomery,  Alabama,  and 
thence  to  Selma,  of  the  same  State,  whence 
be  and  the  command  moved  forward  to 
Meridian,  Mississippi.  From  there  they 
went  to  Vicksburg,  and,  later,  to  Yazoo, 
where  Mr.  Spencer  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice, November  24,  1865,  after  a  continuous 
service  of  more  than  four  years. 

His  duty  done,  his  thoughts  naturally 
turned  to  procuring  a  means  of  livelihood. 
It  was  then  that  he  turned  his  attention  to 
learning  the  business  of  painting  and  deco- 
rating, which  he  has  followed  most  of  the 
time  ever  since,  In  1866,  he  went  to  Kan- 
sas, where  he  remained  until  1874,  at  which 
time  he  removed  to  Iowa.  While  in  Mis- 
souri, in  the  winter  of  1862,  he  met  with  a 
very  painful  accident^  in  which  he  lost  one 
finger  and  had  another  severely  injured, 
which,  although  not  incapacitating  him  from 
work,  has,  at  times,  seriously  interfered  with 
his  dexterity.  In  1880,  he  finally  returned 
to  Ashland,  Illinois,  to  which  place  he  is  at- 
tached by  all  the  associations  of  his  child- 
hood. Here  he  and  his  family  have  since 
resided,  in  a  substantial  and  comfortable 
home  surrounded  by  neat  and  attractive 
grounds,  the  whole  place  breathing  the  air  of 
thrift  and  content.  Besides  this,  Mr.  Spencer 
is  also  the  owner  of  other  valuable  property. 


He  was  married,  August  7,  1870,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Gafd,  an  estimable  lady,  who  is  a 
native  of  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  of  which 
place  her  parents,  Ephraim  and  Paulina 
Gard,  were  worthy  pioneers.  Her  eldest 
brother,  John  S.,  died  in  the  United  States 
service,  while  waiting  for  his  discharge,  after 
the  close  of  the  war.  Mrs.  Spencer  was  the 
second  of  six  children,  only  three  of  whom 
now  survive:  William,  Mary  and  Lydia. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spencer  have  three  daugh- 
ters, Ella,  Anna  and  Lulu,  all  of  whom  are  at 
home,  the  second  being  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools.  They  are  all  highly  intel- 
lectual and  have  been  liberally  educated. 
Mrs.  Spencer  and  the  two  older  daughters 
rae  useful  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Mr.  Spencer  is  a  straight  Republican  in 
politics,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
public  affairs. 

He  is  a  prominent  member  of  John  L. 
Douglas  Post,  No.  592,  in  which  he  served 
for  two  terms  as  Quartermaster,  and  one 
term  as  Officer  of  the  Day.  He  is  an  An- 
cient Odd  Fellow,  to  which  order  he  has 
belonged  for  a  number  of  years. 

Any  one  who  has  read  thus  far  in  the  life 
of  this  noble,  upright  man,  will  not  be  at  a 
loss  to  make  deductions  in  keeping  with  his 
exemplary  character.  Unaided,  he  has  at- 
tained to  prominence  and  acquired  a  com- 
fortable income  for  himself  and  family, 
while  his  •numerous  generous  qualities  ap- 
peal successfully  to  the  hearts  of  his  country- 


men. 


,ENRY  CADY,  of  Huntsville,  came  to 
this  county  in  1840.  His  grandfather, 
Reuben  Cady,  has  been  written  up  in 
the  biography  of  M.  E.  Cady.  His  father 
was  Horace  Cady,  and  he  married  also  a 


210 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Miss  Cady,  but  no  relation.  Mr.  Horace 
Cady  was  a  farmer,  and  emigrated  to  New 
York  State,  settling  near  Rochester.  Here 
they  stayed  until  1840,  when  they  came  to 
Illinois,  settled  in  Camden,  and  the  father 
purchased  120  acres  of  land.  He  later  re- 
sided tor  four  years  near  Farmington,  Fulton 
county,  then  returned  to  Schuyler  county  and 
passed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  first  settled.  He  died 
January,  1851.  His  wife  died  .November, 
1870.  They  had  ten  children,  namely:  Heze- 
kiah,  died  in  Sacramento,  California;  Dane- 
ford,  now  in  Gamden  township;  Elizabeth, 
now  Mrs.  I.  G.  Cady,  of  Camden  township; 
Lucia  married  Perry  Anderson,  and  is  now 
dead;  Henry;  Reuben  died  in  Camden  town- 
ship; Orin  died  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  while 
in  the  army;  Fhilinda  married  Cyrus  Ander- 
son, of  Huntsville  township;  Emeline,  now 
Mrs.  Richard  Mead,  of  Rushville.  This 
large  family  have  commanded  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  every  one  wherever  any  of  them 
have  gone. 

Henry  Cady  was  born  in  Otsego  county, 
New  York,  December  3,  1828.  He  came 
with  the  family  to  Illinois,  and  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  in  1849.  He  started  a 
shop  in  1854  and  continued  it  for  six  years. 
He  then  settled  where  he  now  resides  and 
purchased  land,  but  still  continued  his  trade 
until  1870,  when  he  discontinued  the  black- 
smith shop  and  devoted  himself  to  farming. 
He  now  owns  320  acres  of  land,  on  which  he 
has  made  many  valuable  improvements.  He 
follows  stock-raising  and  has  produced  some 
very  fine  cattle.  He  has  been  Supervisor 
one  term,  and  Road  Commissioner  still  an- 
other term. 

He  was  married  in  1855,  to  Emeline  Plunk- 
ett,  of  Camden  township.  They  have  had 
eight  children:  Adelia,  now  Mrs.  Edwin 


Elliott;  Amelia,  died  in  childhood;  Amanda, 
now  Mrs.  Greeley  Clark;  Frank,  died  at 
eighteen;  Everett  is  at  home;  Mary  is  also 
at  home,  and  the  youngest  child  is  Stowell 
R.  Mr.  Cady  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
the  family  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Mr.  Cady  is  a  man  who  has  made 
his  property  himself,  and  has  been  a  man  of 
good  habits  all  his  life. 


E.  JONES,  prominently  connected  for 
the  last  twelve  years,  as  division 
0  road  master  between  Bushnell,  Illinois, 
and  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  of  the  St.  Louis  di- 
vision of  the  Qtiincy  Railroad,  with  headquar- 
ters at  Eeardstown,  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Baldwinsville,  New  York,  February  11,  1847- 
He  was  there  reared  and  educated,  becoming 
early  acquainted  with  hard  work.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen,  he  enlisted  in  the  Scott's  Nine 
Hundred  Cavalry,  but  before  he  reached  the 
front  he  was  overtaken  by  his  father,  and 
compelled  to  return  home.  In  1863,  he  en- 
listed in  Nine  Hundred  of  New  York  State 
Militia,  and  served  until  July,  1864,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-fifth  New  York  Regiment  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Colonel  Jennings  and  Captain  O.  K. 
Howard,  commanding,  and  this  regiment  was 
assigned  to  First  Division  of  the  Fifth  Army 
Corps.  He  fought  as  a  brave  soldier  at 
Hatcher's  Run,  Petersburg,  Weldon  'and 
Quaker  roads  and  Five  Forks;  was  in  the  pur- 
suit of  Lee,  and  was  at  Lee's  surrender  at 
Appomattox,  where  his  company  lost  their 
First  Lieutenant,  the  last  man  killed  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and,  later,  he  partici- 
pated in  the  grand  review  at  Washington 
District  of  Columbia.  He  had  many  narrow 
escapes  from  capture  and  wounds,  especially 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


211 


while  serving  as  a  scout  for  General  Chamber- 
lain, and  for  the  period  of  nine  months  his 
was  one  of  the  fighting  regiments  of  the  war. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  to  obtain  a  piece  of 
the  famous  apple  tree  at  Appomattox  Court 
House,  where  Lee  held  his  last  consultation 
with  his  staff  and  decided  to  surrender.  He 
is  honestly  proud  of  his  military  record,  and 
was  honorably  discharged  June  11,  1865. 

His  connection  with  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &Qnincy  Railroad  system  began  in  1867> 
and  after  a  period  of  two  years'  service  with 
the  bridge  department,  with  headquarters  at 
Gralesburg,  he  helped  in  the  construction  of 
the  large  railroad  bridges  over  the  Mississippi 
river  at  Burlington,  Quincy  and  Hannibal, 
Missouri.  He  was  also  engaged  between 
Hannibal  and  Moberly,  Missouri.  Later  he 
was  assistant  track  layer  for  the  new  road, 
then  known  as  the  Hannibal  and  Naples,  now 
part  of  the  "Wabash  system.  All  these  years 
he  has  proven  himself  a  good  man,  and  his 
promotion  has  been  won  by  his  own  efforts, 
He  helped  build  what  is  known  as  the  Louis- 
iana branch  of  the  Q.  system,  and  after  the 
completion  of  that  road  he  became  section 
foreman,  and  later  extra  gang  foreman,  which 
is  on  line  of  regular  promotion,  and  after  nine 
years  was  promoted  to  assistant  road  master 
of  the  St.  Louis  division,  with  headquarters 
at  Beardstown.  Two  years  later  he  became 
roadmaster  from  Bushnell  to  St.  Louis.  He 
now  has  control  of  136  miles  of  track,  with 
two  yards,  thus  putting  hini  over  a  large 
number  of  men.  Since  May,  1880,  he  has 
been  the  Q.  road- master,  and  has*  achieved 
a  just  prominence  by  his  indomitable  energy 
and  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  company. 
He  is  a  good  citizen,  and  a  leader  in  all  local 
and  public  matters. 

For  several  years  he  has  been  a  working 
member  of  McLane  Post,  No.  97,  G.  A.  R., 


of  Beardstown,  of  which  he  is  now  Past  Com- 
mander. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Beards- 
town  Lodge,  K.  of  P.",  No.  207,  and  was  a 
charter  member  and  the  first  Chancelor  Com- 
mander, serving  for  three  terms,  and  is  now 
Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the  district,  and  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  all  its  work,  and  he  is  a 
member  of  the  orders  of  Woodmen  and  Work- 
men. He  is  also  active  in  local  politics,  is 
Chairman  of  the  Republican  County  Central 
Committee,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education.  He  belongs  to  the  Road- 
masters'  Association  of  America,  is  an  ex- Vice 
President  of  it,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Execu- 
tive Board. 

He  was  married  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  to 
Almira  E.  Stedman,  of  Pike  county,  formerly 
of  Wilkes  Barre,  Pennsylvania.  She  was  only 
twelve  years  old  when  her  parents  came  to 
Illinois,  and  she  grew  up  in  Pike  county. 
Their  living  children  are:  Bertha,  Anna,  Al- 
thea,  Ray  and  Almira  Edrie. 


DWARD  F.  HACKMAN,  a  farmer  of 
section  26,  township  17,  range  12,  was 
born  at  his  father's  home,  in  this  county, 
November  28,  1857.  He  is  the  second  son 
and  fifth  child.  His  parents  were  John  Fred- 
erick and  Inglehei  t  (Meyer)  Hackman,  natives 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  coining  of  pure  Ger- 
man ancestry.  They  came  to  America  in 
1835,  with  their  respective  families.  They 
grew  up,  were  married  in  Cass  county,  and 
soon  afterward  settled  on  a  farm  in  Indian 
Creek  precinct,  and  later,  they  came  to  Arenz- 
ville  precinct,  where  they  purchased  their 
present  home.  They  bought  from  time  to 
time,  and  made  improvements,  and  now  have  a 
beautiful  home.  (For  further  particulars,  with 
regard  to  ancestry,  see  biography  of  Will- 
iam Hackman.) 


212 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OAS8, 


Edward  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and 
remained  there  until  he  was  twenty-five  years 
old.  He  has  since  tilled  his  own  farm.  He 
has  resided  on  the  farm  lie  now  owns  for 
eleven  years,  and  last  year,  1890,  he  bought 
it.  It  is  a  fine  farm,  and  he  has  made  many 
improvements  upon  it.  It  contains  240  acres. 

He  was  married  here  to  Amelia  Jokish,  an 
accomplished  young  lady,  born  and  reared  in 
the  county.  Since  her  marriage,  she  has  been 
a  devoted  wife  and  mother.  (For  family  his- 
tory, see  biography  of  C.  G.  Jokisch.)  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hackman  are  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Elmer,  Orville  E.,  Cora  M.,  Mor- 
ton H.,  and  Earl  R.  All  are  bright,  smart 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackman  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Emanuel  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  Mr.  Hackman  has  been 
Steward  for  five  years.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  is  very  prominent  in  politics. 

Mr.  John  Frederick  and  wife  have  lived 
honored  lives  in  the  county,  and  their  sons 
and  daughters  are  a  credit  to  them.  The 
father  aud  sons  are  all  strong  Republicans, 
and  the  former  is  seventy-five  years  of  age, 
but  he  is  in  poor  health,  and  for  the  past  ten 
years  has  been  retired  from  active  business. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the 
Emanuel  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  this 
place.  His  wife  is  also  a  member  of  the 
same,  and  is  seventy-two  years  of  age.  They 
have  eight  children  living:  Wilhelmenia, 
widow  of  Henry  Winkle,  residing  in  Beards- 
town,  mother  of  three  bright  daughters ;  Her- 
man; Sophia,  wife  of  M.  L.  Korse,  a  hardware 
dealer  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska;  Matilda  is  at 
home  keeping  house  for  her  parents ;  Edward ; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Philip  Jokisch;  Henry,  of  the 
firm  of  Korse  &  Hackman,  hardware  dealers 
at  Beatrice,  Nebraska. 

Herman  Hackman  is  a  prominent  young 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  yet  single,  of  section 


30,  township  17,  range  11.  He  manages  his 
father's  old  homestead  of  319  acres,  and  has 
run  it  on  his  own  account  for  the  past  ten 
years.  He  was  born  on  this  farm,  May  6, 
1850,  and  was  reared  and  received  his  first 
education  in  the  county;  later  he  attended  a 
commercial  school  in  St.  Louis.  He  has 
always  followed  the  vocation  of  farming, 
and  is  a  hard-working  young  man.  He,  like 
his  father  and  brothers,  is  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  a  Methodist  in  religion. 


R.  RICHARD  HOMER  MEAD  is  a 
native  of  Schuyler  county,  born  in 
Huntsville,  January  16,  1847,  being  a 
son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Mary  (Briscoe)  Mead. 
He  was  educated  in  Huntsville.  When  he 
was  sixteen  years  old  he  enlisted  in  Company 
K,  Eighth  Iowa  Cavalry,  at  Camp  Roberts, 
Davenport,  Iowa.  From  there  they  went  to 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  were  on  duty  in 
the  mountains  during  the  winter  of  1863-'64. 
In  the  spring  they  were  on  the  left  wing  of 
General  McCook's  cavalry,  with  Sherman's 
army  on  liis  advance  on  Atlanta,  participating 
in  the  engagements  of  that  campaign,  besides 
other  engagements.  There  was  fighting  every 
day  for  100  days.  They  then  returned  north, 
and  were  the  first  forces  to  oppose  Hood's 
crossing  the  Tennessee  river.  They  retreated 
before  Hood's  advance  to  Duck  river,  where 
they  prevented  his  advance  until  the  battle 
of  Franklin,  in  which  they  participated,  also 
in  the  battle  of  Nashville,  when  they  pur- 
sued Hood's  army  to  the  Tennessee  river.  In 
the  spring  of  1865  they  were  in  Wilson's 
cavalry,  and  fought  two  engagements  in  the 
mountains  in  Alabama  after  the  war  was 
over,  not  having  received  notice  of  the  sign- 
ing of  the  terms  of  the  surrender.  They 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


213 


next  were  sent  in  pursuit  of  Jeff.  Davis,  to 
Macon,  Georgia,  where  he  was  captured.  Mr. 
Mead  was  then  mustered  out,  August  28, 
1865.  He  was  taken  prisoner  on  McCook's 
raid  in  the  rear  of  Atlanta,  but  escaped  in  a 
few  hours.  One  half  of  his  company  died  at 
Andersonville  prison.  After  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  resumed  the  study  of 
medicine,  which  he  had  commenced  in  the 
office  of  his  father.  In  November,  1865,  he 
entered  the  medical  college  at  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
graduating  with  the  class  of  1867.  He  then 
located  at  Huntsville,  and  practiced  with  his 
father  until  1872,  when  he  went  to  Texas  and 
spent  five  years  with  the  I.  &  G.  N.  Railroad 
Company.  In  1878  and  1879  he  attended 
the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  and  then  re- 
sumed practice  at  Huntsville,  and  continued 
until  1884.  Dr.  Mead  had  thus  received  a 
good  medical  education,  but  his  literary  edu- 
cation was  limited  to  the  schools  of  Hunts- 
ville; however,  he  applied  to  the  Civil  Service 
•Commissioner  for  examination,  and  passed  in 
the  class  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  receiving  an 
appointment  as  Pension  Clerk  at  Washing- 
ton, District  of  Columbia,  August  18,  1884, 
being  the  fifteenth  man  from  Illinois  who 
passed  the  examination.  March  2,  1885,  he 
became  a  permanent  member  of  class  1,  and 
in  October  of  the  same  year  he  was  promoted 
to  class  2.  April  24,  1886,  he  was  detailed 
to  the  field  as  special  examiner,  and  worked 
in  Maine,  New  Hampshire  and  New  York. 
December  28,  1886,  he  resigned  his  position, 
but  being  an  honorably  discharged  soldier  he 
can  re-enter  the  service  at  any  date,  without 
an  examination.  He  returned  to  Huntsville, 
where  he  resumed  his  practice,  and  where  he 
has  remained  ever  since.  He  usually  spends 
the  winter  months  in  the  Southern  States. 
Dr.  Mead  has  had  a  large  practice,  and 
has  always  attended  to  his  patients  re- 


gardless of    weather,  bad    roads    or   illness. 

He  was  married  October  3,  1889,  to  Mary, 
daughter  of  James  N.  and  Martha  (Parrish) 
Ward,  and  they  have  one  child,  _  Clara 
Briscoe. 

Dr.  Mead  has  voted  the  Democratic  ticket 
for  years,  but  now  supports  the  People's 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Huntsville 
Lodge,  No.  465,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Augusta 
Chapter,  No.  78,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Almoner 
Commandery,  No.  32,  K.  T.,  also  of  Cyclone 
Lodge,  No.  635,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  is 
one  of  the  organizers.  He  attended  the  Na- 
tional Columbian  Medical  Association  at 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  in  1884-- 
'85-'86.  He  is  very  active  in  G.  A.  R.  mat- 
ters, is  a  member  of  George  A.  Brown  Post, 
No.  417,  of  the  Department  of  Illinois,  and 
always  attends  the  annual  National  Encamp- 
ment. 


ILLIAM  T.  TREADWAY  came  to 
Cass  county  (then  Morgan)  with  his 
parents  in  1829.  He  was  the  son  of 
Edward  and  Elizabeth  (Anderson)  Treadway, 
natives  of  Maryland,  raised  near  Baltimore. 
They  moved  from  there  after  marriage,  to 
Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  and  from  there  to 
this  county.  The  family  is  English-Scotch. 
They  had  eight  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject was  the  fourth;  only  three  are  living, 
and  he  is  the  oldest.  They  are  Edward, 
Owens  and  Elizabeth.  The  parents  died  here 
and  are  interred  in  the  Monroe  cemetery. 

William  was  born  in  Hamilton  county, 
Ohio,  August  22,  1819,  hence  was  ten  years 
old  when  he  became  a  resident  of  Cass  county. 
Sixty-three  years  of  his  life  have  been  spent 
in  this  county,  forty-one  of  them  on  his 
present  farm.  He  was  educated  in  the  sub- 
scription schools,  grew  to  manhood  a  farmer 


214 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


and  followed  that  occupation  all  his  life.  Pie 
is  now  enjoying  the  fruit  of  his  early  indus- 
try, and  is  living  a  retired  life.  During  his 
residence  in  this  county  Mr.. Tread  way  has 
witnessed  a  wonderful  transformation  from  a 
wilderness  to  a  populous  and  prosperous 
community.  His  farm  in  this  precinct  was 
partly  improved  when  he  bought  it,  and  this 
was  his  first  real  estate  in  the  county,  though 
he  spent  about  twenty-one  years  here  before 
this  purchase.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  has  held  the  various  county  and  precinct 
offices.  He  owns  290  acres  of  tillable  land, 
has  a  good  house  and  fair  improvements. 
His  farming  is  divided  between  grain  and 
stock-raising.  The  Treadway  family  has 
always  been  noted  as  a  robust  race,  always 
enjoying  long  lives,  and  have  been  repre- 
sented in  America  for  six  generations. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  in  1850,  to 
Mary  McHenry,  who  has  borne  him  nine 
children,  all  living:  Jacob,  Margaret,  Mary, 
Nancy,  James,  John,  Louisa,  Joseph  and 
Jefferson.  Two  daughters  and  one  son  are 
unmarried.  The  others  are  all  married  and 
are  farmers,  except  Joseph,  who  is  in  the 
agricultural  business  at  Virginia  City.  Mrs. 
Treadway  died  in  1879,  and  her  husband  is 
still  "unmarried. 


,LEXANDER  D.  SIX,  M.  D.,  one  of 
the  successful  surgeons  and  physicians 
of  Versailles,  was  born  in  Morgan 
county,  now  Scott,  in  1828.  His  father, 
David  Six,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  in  1799, 
and  his  father,  John  Six,  was  a  native  of  the 
Shenandoah  valley,  Virginia,  and  his  grand- 
father, the  great-great-grandfather  of  the  Doc- 
tor, was  banished  from  Germany  on  account 
of  his  tendency  toward  mutiny,  and  settled  in 


this  country,  where  he  founded  the  family  of 
Six  on  American  soil.  The  offence  for  which 
he  was  exiled  from  his  native  land  was  a 
small  one,  it  being  the  infringement  of  the 
game  laws  with  regard  to  hunting  rabbits. 
His  grandson,  John,  took  a  very  active  part 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  though  a  youth 
was  one  of  the  prison  guards  at  Yorktown. 
His  wife  was  Mary  Dnvall,  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  were  married  in  the  State  where  he 
was  following  his  trade  of  carpenter  and 
joiner.  After  marriage  they  removed  to 
Tennessee,  where  their  seven  sons  were  born. 
This  gentleman  was  a  typical  frontiersman 
and  hunter,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Tennessee, 
Kentucky  and  Illinois.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  David,  and  his  brother,  John,  were 
the  pioneers  of  that  family  to  Illinois,  com- 
ing in  the  springof  1823,  landing  near  Spring- 
field in  June,  making  the  journey  with  pack 
horses  and  bringing  their  families  with  them, 
David  having  two  children,  while  his  brother 
had  but  one.  In  a  year  or  two  they  came  to 
the  western  part  of  Morgan  county,  and  their 
parents  and  brothers  followed  to  Illinois  a 
couple  of  years  afterward,  making  the  jour- 
ney with  covered  wagons.  The  entire  party 
was  very  poor,  having  nothing  but  their  out- 
fits and  their  willing  hands,  ready  to  engage 
in  whatever  offered  itself.  John  Six  had  a 
family  as  follows:  Abraham  Six,  died  in  Scott 
county,  aged  sixty-seven,  leaving  three  sons 
and  two  daughters;  Daniel,  died  in  the  same 
county,  about  the  same  age,  leaving  eight  or 
nine  children  to  mourn  his  death;  John,  the 
next,  and  his  family  are  all  buried,  he  dying 
in  1857,  aged  sixty-seven;  Jacob,  moved  to 
Arkansas  and  died  at  an  advanced  age,  leav- 
ing a  large  family;  David,  father  of  subject; 
Isaac,  farmer  of  Scott  county,  where  he  died 
about  the  same  age  as  his  other  brothers; 
William  died  at  the  same  age;  Mary,  wife  of 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


215 


James  Taylor,  of  Scott  county,  a  farmer,  and 
they  had  a  medium  family;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
William  Parker,  died  in  Arkansas,  leaving  a 
large  family;  Catherine  is  still  living  with 
her  daughter,  in  Missouri,  aged  ninety  years, 
and  is  in  fair  health  of  mind  and  body;  she 
had  live  children;  Nancy,  wife  of  Simon 
Taylor,  died  when  about  seventy,  leaving 
twelve  or  thirteen  children.  These  children 
were  all  fanners,  or  the  wives  of  farmers,  and 
they  all  crossed  the  plains  to  Illinois.  The 
father  and  mother  of  the  subject  lived  on  a 
farm  of  140  acres,  near  Mount  Sterling,  where 
the  father  died,  aged  fifty-nine  years,  leaving 
eleven  living  children  and  one  deceased 
daughter  of  five  years.  The  name  of  the 
children  were:  Nancy,  wife  of  a  Mr.  Green,  of 
California,  has  a  large  family;  Martha,  died 
in  Missouri,  aged  forty-eight,  leaving  the 
nine  children  she  had  born  to  her  husband, 
George  Scott;  Daniel,  a  farmer  of  Mount 
Sterling,  has  a  family  of  two  daughters  and 
the  same  number  of  sons;  Abraham,  a  farmer 
two  miles  east  of  Mount  Sterling,  has  seven 
children;  Alexander  D.,  subject;  Mary,  died, 
aged  forty-eight,  in  California,  near  Los  An- 
geles, being  the  wife  of  Irving  Carter,  by 
whom  she  had  six  children;  Isabella  died 
when  five  years  old ;  William  died  near  Mount 
Sterling  on  the  homestead,  aged  fifty-four, 
leaving  a  wife  and  two  daughters;  Eliza- 
beth, now  Mrs.  William  Bowen,  of  Knox 
county,  Missouri,  has  six  daughters;  Cynthia, 
widow  of  W.  A.  Sieles,  lives  on  her  farm  in 
Missouri  with  her  seven  children;  Oliver  P. 
and  James  K.  are  both  bachelors  on  the  home 
farm.  This  family  is  among  the  earliest  of 
the  settlers,  and  the  Six  prairie  in  Mount 
Sterling  is  named  after  them. 

The  Doctor  was  reared  to  farm  life  and 
received  his  primary  education  in  the  log 
Bchoolhouses,  with  the  puncheon  floors  and 


slab  seats,  without  backs.  The  school  that 
he  attended,  principally,  was  held  in  Mount 
Sterling.  He  left  the  subscription  school 
at  eighteen  and  went  for  a  year  to  the  Mount 
Sterling  Academy  when  he  was  twenty-two, 
tion  school  of  the  neighborhood  held  in  the  log 
After  this  he  taught  school  for  four  years, 
reading  medicine  all  this  time.  lie  finished 
his  medical  course  in  Rush  Medical  College, 
Chicago,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1859, 
beginning  his  practice  at  Mount  Pleasant. 
He  went  to  Colorado  in  1860  and  two  years 
later  made  an  exploring  trip  through  Idaho 
and  Montana.  He  spent  two  years  in  Colo- 
rado and  four  years  in  Montana,  and  was  one 
of  the  nineteen  who  discovered  the  gold  mines 
in  the  last  named  State,  at  Big  Hole,  not  long 
before  the  discovery  of  the  Bannock  mines. 
He  was  interested  in  these  and  other  mines 
during  the  four  years  he  spent  in  this  State, 
but  returned  home,  across  the  plains,  by 
stage,  a  journey  of  2,200  miles,  an  easier 
journey  than  the  trip  out,  which  was  made 
with  ox  teams. 

The  Doctor  bought  his  present  farm  of  400 
acres  about  1873,  of  J.  P.  Hambaugh  for 
$9,000,  with  no  buildings  but  the  old  log- 
cabin.  He  built  his  farm  house  in  1875  and 
his  barns  in  1880  and  1889,  one  being  36  by 
40  and  the  other  36  by  48.  His  farm  is  a 
grain  and  stock  one,  he  raising  wheat,  corn 
and  hay,  feeding  his  stock  at  home.  At 
times  he  has  as  many  as  forty-two  head  of 
horses,  which  he  raises  from  colts.  He  has 
built  a  warehouse  on  his  own  land,  at  Perry 
Spring  Station,  where  they  ship  a  great  deal 
of  grain  and  stock. 

This  gentleman  was  married,  in  Lee  town- 
ship, to  Elizabeth  Osborn,  still  living.  They 
have  three  living  children,  but  have  buried 
one  daughter,  Jessie,  aged  nine  years.  She 
was  a  lovely  child  and  her  untimely  death 


216 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire  household.  The 
living  children  are:  Charles,  aged  twenty  - 
four;  Fred  EL,  twenty-two;  and  Mattie,  the 
pet  of  the  household,  aged  eight.  The  son 6 
are  both  regular  farmers,  and  are  now  con- 
ducting the  stock  farm.  Both  have  received 
a  good  business  education,  and  are  still  single, 
residing  at  home.  The  little  daughter  is  a 
sweet  child  and  tills,  to  some  extent,  the  ach- 
ing void  left  by  her  departed  sister. 

The  Doctor  still  practices,  but  only  pursued 
his  profession  exclusively  for  about  two 
years.  He  was  of  a  great  deal  of  use  in  the 
mines,  where  his  professional  skill  was  often 
called  into  play,  at  one  time  being  blown  up 
from  a  premature  discharge  of  a  blast  of 
powder;  the  Doctor  was  injured,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  he  recovered,  having  nar- 
rowly escaped  death.  This  gentleman  is  a 
member  of  no  secret  society  or  creed,  and 
believes  in  Democracy,  but  is  hardly  within 
party  lines.  He  and  his  family  are  highly 
respected. 

EVI  DICK,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  this  section,  was  born  in 
Simpson  county,  Kentucky,  February 
17,  1815,  son  of  Peter  and  Christina  (Shutt) 
Dick.  Peter  Dick  was  born  in  one  of  the 
Carolinas,  and  reared  to  farm  life.  He  came 
to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1829,  bringing  his 
wife  and  eight  children  all  the  way  from 
Simpson  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  had  set- 
tled at  a  very  early  day.  The  journey  lasted 
about  twenty-two  days,  and  they  settled  in 
Sangamon  county,  where  they  raised  one 
crop,  and  then,  in  the  winter  of  1831,  re- 
moved to  near  the  present  home  of  our  sub- 
ject, buying  160  acres  of  partly  improved 
land,  nine  or  ten  acres  being  broken,  and  a 
small  log  house  erected  on  the  land.  In  this 


cabin  they  lived  for  two  years,  until  Peter 
rebuilt  it,  and  in  the  remodeled  house  this 
esteemed  gentleman  ended  his  days,  aged 
seventy  years.  His  wife  was  born  in  the 
same  county  as  himself,  and  died  on  the  old 
farm,  aged  sixty-eight.  These  two  had  eight 
children,  five  yet  living.  Peter  Dick  was  a 

son  of  John  and Dick,  also  natives  of 

one  of  the  Carolinas,  who  died  in  Kentucky, 
when  very  old.  Subject's  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Polly  Shutt,  natives 
of  Germany,  who  came  to  Illinois  at  an  early 
day,  dying  here  when  very  old.  The  entire 
family,  on  both  sides,  pursued  farming  to  a 
great  extent.  Peter  Dick  and  wife  were 
very  poor  when  they  came  to  Illinois,  and  so 
were  unable  to  provide  for  their  children, 
who  were  forced  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

Our  subject  was  no  exception  to  this  rule, 
and  everything  he  has  was  earned  by  himself. 
He  remained  on  the  farm,  working  with  his 
father  until  his  marriage.  His  education 
was  received  at  the  district  and  subscription 
schools.  After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Dick  set- 
tled in  a  log  cabin,  about  18  x  20,  in  which 
he  lived  until  1852,  when  he  moved  into  his 
present  fine  house.  The  fine  home  and  farm 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Dick  presents  a  great 
contrast  to  the  wild  prairie  found  by  his 
father  and  mother  when  they  came  to  this 
region  in  search  of  fortunes.  "Wild  deer  and 
game  of  many  kinds  abounded.  Mr.  Dick  is 
inclined  to  think,  however,  that  pioneer  life 
had  its  pleasures  as  well  as  trials,  as  he  says 
that  the  people  were  much  more  sociable  in 
those  days  than  now. 

Mr.  Dick  was  married  the  first  time  to 
Emmatiah  Leeper,  in  1839.  This  lady  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Mary  Leeper.  Mrs  Dick 
died  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  aged 
about  thirty-five  years;  by  this  wife  he 


SCHLTYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


217 


had  nine  children,  three  now  living,  namely: 
Amos,  married  to  Matilda  Armstrong,  two 
children;  Robert  L.  married  Amanda  Sutton, 
three  children;  Martha  A.  married  Alonzo 
Sutton,  five  children.  Mr.  Dick  was  mar- 
ried a  second  time,  to  Mary  Morgan,  born  in 
Kentucky,  died  on  the  old  home  farm,  aged 
fifty-three.  She  bore  him  two  children, 
Eliza  C.  and  George  L..  the  latter  now  in 
Oregon.  The  former  married  N.  B.  Orr,  of 
Delaware  county,  Iowa,  born  in  1856,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Caroline  Orr,  and  they  have 
three  children. 

Mr.  Dick's  fine  farm  of  300  acres  is  man- 
aged by  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Orr,  who  carries 
on  a  mixed  farming,  and  waving  fields  of 
grain  now  occupy  the  prairie  where,  half  a 
century  ago,  deer  were  found  in  flocks  of  sev- 
enty-five. 

Mr.  Dick,  like  his  father  before  him,  is  a 
stanch  Democrat,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for 
Martin  Van  Buren.  Mr.  Dick  and  his 
father  helped  build  the  first  church  and 
schoolhouse  in  the  section,  and  has  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  church  and  school  matters 
ever  since.  He  arid  his  family  are  all  church 
attendants  and  worthy,  good  people. 


W.  TAYLOR,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Brooklyn  township,  and  an 
honored  pioneer  of  the  county,  was 
born  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  in  February, 
1824,  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Betsey  (Scott) 
Taylor,  natives  of  Pennsylvania;  the  father 
died  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  and  the 
mother  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 
years,  at  Burlington,  Iowa.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Matthew  Taylor,  was  born  in 
the  north  of  Ireland,  of  English  parents. 
He  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1772, 


and  settled  in  Pennsylvania;  he  died  in 
Huntingdon  county,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
seven  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Mcllheny,  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestors;  she  lived  to  be  ninety-five 
years  old.  Alexander  Taylor  came  to  Ohio 
in  1810,  and  cleared  a  farm  out  of  the  heart 
of  the  forest.  His  wife,  Betsey  Scott,  was  a 
daughter  of  Nehemiah  and  Mary  (Wick) 
Scott;  her  father  was  a  native  of  Long 
Island,  and  was  a  descendant  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry, and  the  mother  of  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania;  both  died  in  Trumbull  county, 
Ohio.  The  Taylor  family  have  been  promi- 
nent in  the  affairs  of  both  church  and  State, 
possessing  great  intelligence  and  culture. 

Henry  W.  Taylor  received  superior  edu- 
cational advantages,  and  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  began  teaching  school ;  he  followed 
this  profession  two  years,  and  then  took  a 
course  of  law  in  a  private  school.  After  his 
graduation  he  engaged  in  practice,  but  in  a 
short  time  the  California  gold  fever  swept 
this  country,  and  lie  determined  to  go  to  the 
Pacific  coast.  He  made  the  journey  over- 
land with  four  yoke  of  oxen,  and  was  on  the 
way  from  the  1st  of  April  until  October  22. 
He  remained  four  years,  and  was  engaged  in 
mining  during  that  time. 

He  was  married  June  8,  1853,  to  Miss 
Cornelia  Manlove,  a  native  of  Rushville, 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  D.  and  Sophronia  (Chadsey)  Man- 
love.  Mrs.  Taylor's  father  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day,  and 
was  married  in  Schuyler  county  in  1826. 
(This  was  the  third  marriage  in  the  county.) 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have  three  children 
living:  Marian  H.  married  T.  D.  Lewis,  and 
has  three  children;  Ida  M.  is  at  home;  Fan- 
nette  married  Dr.  J.  E.  Camp,  and  is  the 
mother  of  three  children. 


213 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    GASS, 


After  his  marriage  Mr.  Taylor  lived  in 
Rushville  township,  and  was  engaged  in 
operating  a  lumber-yard  and  building  a  plank 
road  until  1857,  when  he  sold  his  entire 
possessions  and  removed  to  Brooklyn  town- 
ship. He  developed  a  farm  of  900  acres  out 
of  prairie  and  timber  land,  made  many  valu- 
able improvements,  and  has  one  of  the  best 
places  in  the  county.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  he  is  an  Elder.  Politically  he  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party;  his  first  vote  was 
cast  for  Zachary  Taylor,  but  at  the  formation 
of  the  Republican  party  he  gave  his  allegi- 
sance  to  that  organization,  and  cast  hip 
snffracre  for  J.  C.  Fremont.  He  was  Justice 

O 

of  the  Peace  for  sixteen  years,  was  Super- 
visor for  two  terms,  and  has  served  on  the 
school  board.  In  connection  with  his  large 
agricultural  interests,  Mr.  Taylor  has  carried 
on  a  mercantile  business  since  before  the 
war,  purchasing  his  first  stock  in  February, 
1861.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  fine, 
blooded  stock,  and  has  done  much  to  elevate 
the  standard  in  this  section.  He  is  a  self- 
made  man,  and  a  citizen  in  whom  Schuyler 
county  takes  just  pride. 


fAMES  D.  THOMPSON,  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  Woodstock  township, 
is  entitled  to  the  space  that  has  been 
accorded  him  in  this  history  of  Schuyler 
county,  and  following  is  a  brief  outline  of 
his  career.  He  is  a  native  of  Crawford 
county,  Pennsylvania,  born  March  30,  1823, 
a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Peterson) 
Thompson.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Will- 
iam Thompson,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Ireland,  and 
when  a  boy  crossed  the  seas  to  try  his  for- 
tunes in  the  New  World.  He  was  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade,  and  followed  his  vocation  all 


his  life;  he  and  his  wife  attained  the  good 
old  age  of  three-score  and  ten  years.  Will- 
iam Thompson,  Jr.,  was  a  native  of  the  Key- 
stone State,  and  resided  there  until  1837, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois;  he  was  a  mill- 
wright by  trade,  and  worked  at  that  occupa- 
tion several  years.  Two  years  after  coming 
to  this  State  he  purchased  land  in  Brown 
county,  on  which  he  settled  the  14th  day  of 
May.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  his  death 
occurred,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years  and 
seven  months;  he  left  a  wife  and  six  chil- 
dren. The  family  then  rented  land  for  a 
period  of  eight  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  located  on  the  tract  purchased  by  the 
father.  The  mother  died  in  Brown  county, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Her  parents, 
James  and  Elizabeth  (Abbott)  Peterson,  were 
of  English  and  German  descent,  and  died  in 
Pennsylvania,  at  the  ages  of  ninety-one  and 
ninety  years  respectively.  James  D.  Thomp- 
son is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living.  He  remained  under  his 
parents'  roof  until  he  was  married;  this 
event  occurred  April  3,  1856,  when  he  was 
united  to  Miss  Margaret  E.  Grosclaude,  a 
native  of  France,  born  April  27,  1830.  Her 
parents,  James  F.  and  Catharine  E.  (Jonte) 
Grosclande,  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  1833,  and  located  in  Woodstock  township, 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois;  he  died  here  Sep- 
tember 30,  1878,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years,  and  she  September  15, 1878.  at  seventy- 
two  years;  they  reared  a  family  of  eleven 
children.  Mrs.  Thompson's  paternal  grand- 
parents died  in  1878,  the  grandfather  Sep- 
tember 30,  and  the  grandmother  September 
16.  Peter  J.  Jonte,  the  maternal  grand- 
father, was  born  in  February,  1776,  and  died 
October  2,  1846;  his  wife,  Susan  Landon, 
was  born  March  25,  1774,  and  died  June  7, 
1842. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


219 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  are  the  parents  of 
six  children:  Mary  E.  is  married,  and  the 
mother  of  three  children;  William  J.  is  mar- 
ried, and  has  six  children;  Jefferson  E.  is 
married,  and  has  three  children;  Emily  L.  is 
married,  and  the  mother  of  a  family  of  three; 
Charles  W.  is  married;  and  Lorena  M.  is  at 
home. 

Mr.  Thompson  has  been  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
county,  and  owns  about  300  acres  of  choice 
land;  he  has  been  School  Director  for  twenty- 
three  years,  and  has  held  other  local  offices, 
always  discharging  his  duties  with  a  fidelity 
that  won  the  entire  confidence  of  his  con- 
stituency. Politically  he  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party. 


[R.  GEORGE  W.  CRUM,  farmer  and 
physician,  town  17,  range  11,  section 
35,  post  office  Arenzville,  was  born  on 
the  homestead  adjoining.  (See  sketch  of 
James  Crnm.)  Dr.  Crum  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools.  From  there  he 
went  to  the  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville 
for  one  year,  and  then  attended  two  years  at 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Normal,  Illinois. 
He  then  attended  three  years  the  Illinois 
Wesley  an  College,  receiving  the  degrees  of 
B.  A.  and  M.  A.  from  that  popular  institu- 
tion. From  there  he  went  to  Adrian,  Michi- 
gan, to  complete  his  scientific  course.  He 
received  the  degree  of  B.  S.  at  Adrian,  and 
completed  a  full  classical  course  at  the  Wes- 
leyan  College.  He  studied  medicine  under 
private  tutors  during  his  vacations,  and  then 
attended  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  re- 
ceiving the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1874.  His 
close  application  to  study  had  undermined 
his  health,  and  he  felt  obliged  to  retire  to  the 


farm  to  recuperate.  On  completing  his  pro- 
fessional course  he  entered  upon  the  duties 
imposed  by  the  office  of  hospital  physician, 
but  this  was  terminated  by  failing  health. 
He  intends  to  resume  practice  during  the 
coming  year. 

He  was  married  August  21,  1878,  to  Mol- 
lie  E.,  daughter  of  Dr.  David  Malone,  now 
deceased.  Mrs.  Crum  was  born  in  Posey 
county,  Indiana.  They  have  two  children, 
Cora  and  Olga,  eleven  and  thirteen  years  old. 

The  Doctor  is  not  an  aggressive  politician. 
He  owns  a  farm  of  160  acres  of  well- 
improved  land,  adjoining  that  of  his  father. 
Mrs.  Crum  is  a  lady  of  fine  literary  attain- 
ments, a  graduate  of  the  Athenaeum  College 
at  Jacksonville,  Illinois.  Her  only  brother 
is  a  physician  there.  Her  sisters,  Alice, 
Emma  and  Rosa,  all  married  into  representa- 
tive and  prominent  families.  Alice  was  the 
wife  of  William  Morrison,  and  died  in  Iowa; 
Emma  became  the  wife  of  Robert  McCurdy, 
of  Princeton,  Indiana;  and  Rosa  married 
Elijah  Needham,  of  Virginia,  Illinois.  She 
is  not  now  living.  Mrs.  Crum  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Church,  and  her  husband  is 
a  member  of  the  1.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  A.  O. 
U.  W.  They  are  very  worthy  people. 


fAMES  H1LES,  general  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  of  Beardstown,  was  born  in  Salem 
county,  New  Jersey,  January  4,   1822 
His  father,  John,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
place,  was  there  engaged    as    a   truck  raiser, 
and  afterward  ran  a  large  farm  in  Manning- 
ton  township,  and  still  later  was  engaged  in 
farming    and  truck-raising  near   Bridgeport. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-six,  after  lead- 
ing a  quiet,  peaceable  life.     His  wife's  name 
was    Sarah    Chrispen,  also  born    in    Salem 


220 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    C'ASS, 


county.  She  came  of  an  old  Quaker  family. 
Her  own  mother  and  a  sister  were  speakers 
among  Friends  for  many  years.  She  and 
her  husband,  however,  adhered  very  closely 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
they  were  working  members.  She  died  at 
the  age  of  ninety. 

James  grew  up  in  New  Jersey,  and  was 
married  March  7,  1844,  and  about  this  time 
commenced  farming  in  Marion  county,  and 
followed  it  for  about  nine  years;  then  he 
was  a  butcher  in  Woodtown  two  years.  He 
came  here  in  1856;  first  he  engaged  as  a 
butcher  and  farmer  at  Brighton,  Illinois,  for 
two  years,  and  then  went  to  Greenfield.  While 
at  those  towns  he  furnished  the  meat  for  the 
workmen  on  what  is  now  the  Quincy  railroad, 
while  it  was  building.  He  followed  that 
business  there  for  three  years.  He  was  a 
poor  man  when  he  reached  here,  but  has  since 
acquired  a  good  property.  It  is  now  thirty- 
one  years  since  he  came  to  Cass  county,  en- 
gaging first  in  farming.  He  has  been  very 
successful,  because  of  a  progressive  nature, 
and  because  he  understood  the  nature  of  the 
soil.  He  soon  began  the  growing  of  sweet 
potatoes  and  watermelons,  and  this  has  oc- 
cupied most  of  his  time  for  twenty-five  years. 
He  raises  from  2,000  to  2,500  bushels  an- 
nually, and  a  large  number  of  melons.  He 
is  very  well  known,  and  is  respected  as  a 
hard  worker  and  a  good  citizen.  His  place 
consists  of  fifty-nine  acres,  where  he  has 
lived  but  a  few  years. 

He  was  married  in  Woodtown,  New  Jersey, 
to  Sarah  Kidd,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Salem  county,  born  in  1818.  Her  parents, 
Joseph  and  Jane  Kidd,  lived  and  died  on  the 
old  farm  in  Salem  county,  New  Jersey, 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hiles  have  had  ten  children,  among 
whom  were  two  sets  of  twins,  who  died  when 


young.  The  three  living  children  are: 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Thomas  Reeves,  farmer 
and  gardener,  near  Beardstown;  James,  a 
farmer  in  Cass  county,  and  Charles,  a  farmer 
and  trucker,  near  Beardstown.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hiles  are  good  people:  both  have  been  active 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
for  more  than  fifty  years.  Mr.  Hiles  has 
never  been  a  chewer  or  smoker  of  tobacco, 
has  never  been  intoxicated,  nor  has  he  ever 
used  a  profane  word.  He  has  been  a  life- 
long Democrat. 


EORGE  S.  CAMPBELL  was  born  in 
Missouri  township,  Brown  county,  Illi- 
nois, April  12,  1857.  His  father,  Will- 
iam O.  F.  Campbell,  was  born  in  Logan 
county,  Kentucky,  in  1815,  and  his  father, 
Owen  Campbell,  was  a  native  of  Orange 
county,  North  Carolina,  while  his  father, 
John  Campbell,  came  from  Ireland  to  Amer- 
ica in  Colonial  times,  and  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject 
went  to  Kentucky  with  his  parents  when 
quite  young.  He  was  married  to  Mary,  the 
daughter  of  William  Clark,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Owen  Campbell  resided  in  Logan 
county  until  his  death,  during  the  war  of 
1812.  He  greatly  opposed  England  and  was 
killed  during  a  dispute  relating  to  the  great 
measures  which  were  then  attracting  the  at- 
tention of  everyone.  He  left  a  farm  of  sixty- 
two  acres.  The  father  of  our  subject  resided 
in  Kentucky  until  1835,  when  he  emigrated 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  on  that  part  of  Schuy- 
ler  county  now.  included  in  Brown  county. 
He  had  a  tract  of  land  in  what  is  now  Mis- 
souri township,  but  at  that  time  they  were 
included  in  Schuyler  county.  Here  he  re- 


SGBUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


221 


sided  until  his  death  in  1891.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Caroline  Stubble- 
field,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  in  1819,  and 
died  in  1870.  He  was  a  firm  member  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  but  after 
coming  to  Illinois  he  united  with  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  and  served  as  an  Elder  seven 
years;  and  also  preached.  He  was  a  great 
bible  student,  and  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
also  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  seven 
years. 

George  S.  Campbell  was  educated  at  the 
Mt.  Sterling  schools.  He  lived  with  his 
father  until  1872.  At  that  time  he  began  to 
learn  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the 
Gazette  of  Mt.  Sterling,  and  this  has  been 
his  business  ever  since.  He  has  worked  at 
his  trade  in  different  places,  and  in  1878 
purchased  the  Examiner,  a  weekly  paper 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  people  in  gen- 
eral, and  the  Democratic  party  in  particular. 

He  was  married,  in  1886,  to  Miss  Alta  M. 
Larkin,  born  in  Brown  county,  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  Larkin.  They  have  had  two 
children,  Earl  and  Elsie.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  is  a  member  of  Jeph. 
tha  Lodge,  No.  100,  1.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also  the 
Encampment  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  I.  O.  M. 
A.  and  Modern  Woodmen. 


fOHN  W.  SEAMAN,  an  old  represent- 
ative citizen  and  successful  stock  raiser, 
was  born  in  Jefferson  -county,  Virginia( 
six  miles  north  of  Harper's  Ferry.  Septem- 
ber 21,  1820.  His  father,  Joseph,  was  also 
a  native  of  Jefferson  county,  and  was  en- 
gaged there  for  years  as  a  boatman  on  the 
Shenandoah  and  Potomac  rivers,  and  kept  a 
public  inn  for  some  time.  His  parents,  who 
lived  and  died  there,  were  American  born, 
but  of  German  ancestry,  the  father  being  in 

16 


the  Revolutionary  war.  Joseph  J.  was  a 
soldier  in  a  Virginia  regiment,  was  in 
many  engagements,  and  for  some  time 
was  stationed  at  Baltimore,  Maryland.  His 
wife  was  Nancy  Deaver,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Jefferson  county,  and  came  of 
similar  ancestry  as  her  husband.  After 
the  birth  of  their  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  is  the  youngest,  Joseph  Seaman 
and  wife,  in  the  spring  of  1882,  came  West, 
taking  a  boat  at  Wheeling,  and  came  down 
the  Ohio,  and  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers,  and  landed  at  Beardstown  when  it 
was  a  hamlet  of  a  few  houses.  There  the 
family  lived  for  some  years,  Mr.  Seaman  fol- 
lowing the  trade  of  carpenter.  He  later 
went  to  Frederick,  Schuyler  county,  and  there 
died  when  sixty  years  of  age.  His  wife  died 
the  next  day,  at  about  the  same  age.  They 
had  many  acquaintances  among  the  pio- 
neers of  Cass  county. 

John  ia  the  only  surviving  member  of  the 
family  that  came  from  Virginia  to  Illinois, 
He  came  herein  1832,  found  it  new  and  un- 
broken, and  has  lived  to  note  the  many 
changes  that  have  taken  place  during  the  past 
thirty  years.  He  reached  here  about  the  time 
the  Indians  left  the  county,  and  hence  has 
been  closely  connected  with  all  pioneer  his- 
tory. He  has  seen  the  county  settled,  all  the 
roads  laid  out  and  built,  all  the  school  houses 
built,  all  the  railroads  and  all  the  other  im- 
provements made  that  have  made  this  the 
garden  spot  of  Cass  county.  His  farm  of 
about  500  acres,  highly  improved  and  well 
stocked,  is  located  in  section  16,  township 
18,  range  11  west.  He  can  boast  of  the 
character  of  his  soil,  except  100  acres  on  a 
sand  ridge,  and  sixty-five  acres  in  the  bluffs. 
He  purchased  the  place  in  1852,  and  its 
present  substantial  condition  is  due  to  his 
perseverance  and  industry. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS8, 


He  was  married  in  this  county,  to  Mary  E. 
Thompson,  born  in  New  York,  in  1828.  She 
came  to  this  county  with  her  parents,  George 
B.  and  Hannah  Thompson,  late  in  the  '30s. 
Both  lived  and  died  in  the  county,  Mr. 
Thompson  being  a  farmer,  and  at  one  time  a 
merchant  in  Beardstown.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  were  quite  well  known  as  pioneer 
settlers  of  this  county,  the  former  dying  in 
Beardstown,  about  seventy  years  of  age,  and 
the  latter  in  1850.  Mrs.  Seaman  was  one  of 
five  children.  A  brother,  Seth  Thompson, 
now  at  the  soldier's  home  atQuincy,  Illinois, 
and  Mrs.  Seaman,  are  the  only  remaining 
members  of  the  family. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seaman  are  members  of  no 
church,  but  are  good,  moral  people,  and  are 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  them.  He  is  not 
an  office  seeker,  but  is  a  decided  Democrat  in 
politics. 

They  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
four  of  whom  are  dead:  Frank,  Harriet, 
Charles  and  an  infant.  Those  living  are: 
John,  a  farmer  on  the  old  homestead,  mar- 
ried Ida  Kruse;  George,  a  machinist  living 
in  Cass  county,  married  Susie  Keiket;  Fred, 
at  home  helping  on  the  farm  ;  Hannah  Hea- 
ton,  living  in  Washington,  on  a  farm  ;  Cora, 
wife  of  James  Heaton,  also  lives  in  Wash- 
ington; Anna  S.  Pearn,  near  Virginia,  Illi- 
nois; and  Bertha  S.  Hale,  of  Springfield, 
Illinois. 

The  entire  family  are  excellent  people,  and 
excellent  representatives  of  Cass  county. 


^ZARIAH  LEWIS,  a  prosperous  and 
influential  farmer  of  Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, residing  in  township  18,  range  9 
west,  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Ken- 
tucky, March  15,  1813,  and  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Elizabeth  (Burns)  Lewis.  The  Lewis 


branch  of  the  family  is  of  Welsh  ancestry, 
while  that  of  Burns  descended  from  German 
ancestry.  The  father  of  our  subject  par- 
ticipated in  the  war  of  1812,  for  which  he 
also  received  a  pension  and  a  soldier's  war- 
rant, which  were  contined  to  his  widow.  He 
was  born  in  Virginia,  and  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Kentucky  at  an  early  day.  He 
continued  to  reside  in  the  latter  State  until 
1828,  and  then,  with  his  wife  and  seven  chil- 
dren, started  for  Illinois,  at  that  time  the  ex- 
treme frontier.  They  made  the  journey  with 
a  two-wheeled  cart,  which  was  drawn  by  a 
pair  of  small  oxen,  preceded  by  horses.  They 
were  four  weeks  on  the  journey,  and  most  of 
the  family  came  on  foot.  They  were  among 
the  very  earliest  settlers  of  Illinois,  the 
country  being  then  wild  and  abounding  with 
game.  On  their  arrival  in  Morgan  (now  Cass) 
county,  they  had  only  fifty  cents  between 
them ;  and  all  who  were  able  went  out  to  work 
by  the  day  and  month — worked  on  farms, 
split  rails,  and  did  whatever  they  found  to  do. 
The  honest,  hard-working  father  was  finally 
enabled  to  enter  forty  acres  of  Government 
land,  in  Mason  county,  where  he  built  a  small 
cabin,  in  which  he  resided  until  his  death  in 
1844,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  His  de- 
voted wife  survived  him  many  years,  dying 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  on  the 
original  forty  acres  which  she  had  assisted 
in  reclaiming  from  a  wilderness.  By  her 
careful  management  she  had  accumulated  a 
nice  little  property.  She  was  the  mother  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom,  as  far  as  known, 
five  now  survive. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  a  sub- 
scription school  for  a  short  time  in  his  youth, 
but  owing  to  his  father's  limited  means  and 
the  scarcity  of  schools  he  had  but  few  educa- 
tional opportunities.  He  continued  to  reside 
at  home  until  his  marriage,  working  on  farms 


SO  SUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


223 


in  his  vicinity  by  the  day  and  month.      After 
his    marriage,    he    settled  on  a  farm  in  the 
eastern  part  of   Cass  county,  which  he  rented 
and  worked  on  shares  by  the   month,   where 
he  continued  for  four  or  five  years.      He  then 
bought  forty  acres  of  fertile  farming  land,  on 
which  he  built  a  log  cabin,  16  x  16  feet,  into 
which   he  and  his  family  moved.      Here  he 
continued  to  live  and  industriously  improved 
his  farm,  for  two  years.     At  the  eud  of  this 
time,  he  sold  out  and  again  rented  land,  on 
which  he  lived    for   about    five  years.      He 
then  bought  forty  more   acres  of    partly  im- 
proved land,  which  he  continued  to  work  for 
seven  or  eight  years,  when  he  again  sold  out 
and     bought    110  acres    in  the    immediate 
vicinity.     On  this  latter  place,  he  continued 
to   live  until    1856,  at  which  time    he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm.      Here    he  now  has 
120  acres,  which  he  has  carefully  cultivated 
to  mixed  farming,  besides  which  he  has  made 
a  specialty  of  stock-raising,  having  now  some 
very  tine  specimens  of    cattle.      By  unremit- 
ting industry,  able  management  and  careful 
economy,  he  has  prospered,   and  is  now  vir- 
tually retired  from  active  business,  and  is  en- 
joying in  comfort  the  fruits  of  his  early  toil. 
Mr.  Lewis  first   was   married  in   February, 
1832,  to  Miss  Sarah  Graham,  an  intelligent 
lady,  who    was  an  orphan,  and  a  native  of 
Green  county,  Kentucky.     By  this  marriage, 
there  were  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
yet  living:  the  elder,  Elizabeth,  is  married  and 
has    seven  children  and    ten  grandchildren; 
Nancy  Jane  W.  is   married  and  has  eleven 
children  and  sixteen  grandchildren;  Mary  A. 
married,  has  four  children  and  two  grandchil- 
dren ;  Caroline,  married,  has  five  children  and 
one  grandchild;  Kilbourn,  married,  has  eight 
children.     The  devoted  wife  and  mother  died 
in  1863,  aged  forty-six  years,  leaving  her  fam- 
ily and  many  friends  to  mourn  her  loss. 


October  4,  1864,  Mr.  Lewis  was  again 
married,  his  second  wife  being  Mary  E.  Clark, 
an  estimable  lady,  who  was  born  in  Marietta, 
Ohio,  August  28,  1823.  Her  parents  were 
John  S.  and  Mary  E.  (Pearse)  Clark,  both 
natives  of  Ohio.  Grandfather  Pearse  was  a 
brave  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
drew  a  pension  for  his  services  in  that 
struggle.  Her  father  was  born  in  Cincin- 
nati, and  was  an  old  sailor  and  river  boat- 
man. In  1826  he  brought  a  boat  load  of 
salt  to  Illinois,  landing  at  Beardstown.  Thence 
he  proceeded  to  Morgan  county,  where  he 
settled  on  a  farm,  on  which  he  continued  to 
live  until  three  years  previous  to  his  death. 
He  then  sold  out  and  bought  property  in 
town,  where  he  resided,  retired  from  business 
pursuits,  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years.  He  was  a  very  energetic  man 
and  was  popular  among  his  associates,  being 
widely  known  throughout  this  State.  His 
wife  died  at  the  same  place  as  her  husband, 
aged  sixty-five  years.  She  was  an  intelligent 
woman  of  kindly  impulses,  and  much  beloved 
by  those  who  knew  her.  They  were  the  pa- 
rents of  fourteen  children,  of  whom,  as  far  as 
known,  three  or  four  now  survive.  By  the 
second  marriage  Mr.  A.  Lewis  has  one  son, 
Charles,  born  July  4,  1868,  who  is  now  married 
and  has  one  child. 

Whatever  success  has  blessed  Mr.  Lewis' 
efforts  is  entirely  due  to  his  own  persistence 
and  intelligence,  and  he  richly  deserves  the 
prosperity  which  he  now  enjoys. 


ORMAN  PARSONS,  now  retired  and 
living  quietly  at  his  home  at  the  corner 
of  Fifth  and  Washington  streets,  is  one 
of  the  old  settlers,  having  come  here  in  1854. 
He  was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  No- 
vember 6,  1811,  and  was  a  child  only  a  few 


234 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


years  old  when  his  parents, Moses  andElsiby 
(Pease)  Parsons,  with  a  colony  of  twenty 
families,  during  the  war  of  1812,  came  over- 
land with  teams  to  Geauga  county,  Ohio. 
They  arrived  in  June,  1814,  and  made  a  set- 
tlement in  the  heavy  timber  of  that  new,  un- 
broken country,  surrounded  by  Indians  and 
plenty  of  game.  He  there  lived  until  the 
country  was  well  improved,  when  he  died 
some  years  ago  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years.  His  wife  had  died  some  five 
years  before.  They  were  Methodists,  and  the 
father  and  seven  sons  were  all  Republicans. 

Norman  Parsons  served  with  his  State 
militia,  went  through  all  the  promotions  from 
First  Lieutenant  to  Colonel  of  his  regiment. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
at  Beardstown. 

After  his  arrival  in  Beardstown  he  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Fischer  &  Parsons, 
wagon  manufacturers,  who  did  business  for 
two  years.  A  company  was  then  established 
known  as  Putnam  &  Parsons,  doing  a  general 
tombstone  business.  This  continued  for  two 
years,  and  at  this  time  Mr.  Parsons  bought  a 
stock  of  goods  at  Falls  City,  Nebraska,  where 
he  lived  for  one  year,  and  then  returned  to 
this  county,  where  he  secured  and  began  to 
improve  175  acres  of  land  near  Beardstown. 
Here  he  continued  until  1861,  when  he  en- 
listed in  the  Third  Illinois  Cavalry  and  was 
soon  after  made  Sergeant  of  Company  C.  He 
served  three  years  in  the  army  of  the  West. 
At  Germantown,  Tennessee,  he  veteranized 
and  was  made  First  Sergeant  of  Company  F. 
of  Third  Illinois  Cavalry,  re-organized,  and 
served  until  the  fall  of  Richmond.  He 
returned  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  with  his 
regiment  in  1865,  and  later  was  sent  to  Fort 
Snelling,  Minnesota,  to  protect  the  whites 
against  the  Indians.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  June  20, 


1865.  He  was  in  all  the  great  battles  of  his 
division  of  the  army,  and  had  many  narrow 
escapes,  and  at  one  time  was  surrounded  by 
General  Forrest's  men  and  made  his  escape 
only  by  his  military  tactics.  He  was  a  man 
of  daring  and  bravery.  He  returned  to 
Beardstown  in  1865,  made  a  trip  to  Nebraska 
on  horseback,  and  spent  some  time  there  look- 
ing after  his  real-estate  interests. 

He  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  this  place 
by  President  Grantin  his  first  term,  and  held 
it  for  eighteen  years  consecutively,  and  had 
in  the  meantime  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Republican  party  in  Geauga  county,  Ohio, 
and  was  vice-president  of  the  first  anti-slavery 
society  organized  in  that  section. 

He  was  first  married  in  Ohio,  to  Amanda  F. 
King,  who  died  in  1852,  aged  thirty-four. 
She  left  two  sons:  Melbourne,  living  in 
Beardstown,  and  William;  both  of  these  gen- 
tlemen made  very  fine  records  indeed  in  the 
war  of  the  rebellion.  Mr.  Parsons  was  mar- 
ried a  second  time  to  Mrs.  Catherine  Saun- 
ders.  She  has  three  children  by  a  former 
marriage,  namely:  John,  a  mercantile  book- 
keeper; George,  who  was  a  member  of  Bat- 
tery B,  Second  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  in  the 
late  war;  and  Elva  J.,  a  lady  of  superior 
talent,  and  a  teacher  in  the  high  school,  and 
is  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Saunders. 


QUIRE  JAMES  M.  WATKINS,  a 
popular  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  farmers  of  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  residing  in  township  18, 
range  9,  was  born  in  Richmond  precinct, 
same  county,  February  5,  1839. 

His    parents    were    Elijah  and   Lydia  A. 
(Montgomery)  Watkins,  both  natives  of  Ken- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    OOUNTIE8. 


225 


tucky,  the  former  born  in  Green  county,  in 
1797,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Hart  county. 
His  father's  parents  were  Samuel  and  Mary 
(McClure)  Watkins,  the  former  a  native  of 
Wales  and  the  latter  of  Maryland.  Samuel 
Watkins  came  to  America  when  a  very  young 
man  and  settled  in  Maryland,  where  he  was 
married,  and  whence  he  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky. He  was  a  prominent  pioneer  of  the 
latter  State,  in  which  he  made  his  home  for 
many  years,  and  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five  years.  His  wife  also  died  in  that 
State,  aged  sixty-five  or  seventy  years.  They 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  eleven  of 
whom  survive.  Two  of  these,  Lewie  and 
Hank,  were  brave  and  efficient  soldiers  in  the 
war  of  1812.  The  mother  of  this  subject  was 
a  daughter  of  Simpson  and  Salie  (Gum) 
Montgomery.  She  was  one  of  five  children, 
two  of  whom  were  half  brothers.  Her  father 
was  of  Scottish  descent,  his  parents  never  com- 
ing to  America,  and  her  people  were  mostly 
farmers.  Her  father  was  a  boatman,  and  lost 
his  life  by  being  struck  on  the  head  with  a 
gun. 

The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  notice  re- 
sided at  home  until  he  attained  the  age  of 
nineteen.  He  then  worked  for  a  while  by  the 
day  and  month  in  Kentucky  until  he  had  ac- 
cumulated some  means,  and  when,  about  the 
year  1833-'34,  he  emigrated  with  his  wife  to 
Illinois,  at  that  time  the  frontier  of  civiliza- 
tion. They  came  overland  with  one  wagon, 
drawn  by  oxen,  and  brought  some  stock. 
They  first  located  in  Wayne  county,  but 
shortly  afterward  removed  to  Menard  county, 
where  he  continued  to  live  until  1838,  when 
he  sold  out  and  came  to  Cass  county.  Here 
he  first  rented  land  for  five  or  six  years,  then 
bought  eighty  acres,  a  few  of  which  were 
broken,  and  the  place  having  an  old  log 
house  on  it.  This  house  served  as  their  home 


for  about  a  year,  when  it  was  replaced  by  a 
better  one.  The  father  was  an  exceedingly 
energetic  man,  and  his  success  in  this  new 
country  was  a  foregone  conclusion.  He 
added,  from  time  to  time,  to  his  original  pur- 
chase, until  he  possessed  300  acres  of  choice 
farming  land,  160  of  which  was  received  from 
the  Government.  His  death  occurred  on  the 
old  homestead  in  1884,  to  the  great  sorrow 
of  many  friends,  who  esteemed  him  for  his 
ability,  industry  and  uprightness  of  character. 
He  and  his  worthy  wife  were  earnest  and 
useful  members  of  the  Primitive  Baptist 
Church,  and  he  helped  to  build  the  first 
church  in  his  locality.  He  displayed  his 
usual  activity  in  church  and  all  good  work, 
and  acted  as  a  Deacon  for  many  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to 
farm  work  and  attended  subscription  school 
during  the  winters,  working  on  his  father's 
farm  in  the  summer.  Owing  to  his  busy 
life,  his  education  was  limited,  and  he  is  es- 
sentially a  self-educated  and  self-made  man. 
Extensive  reading,  supplemented  by  excellent 
judgment  and  an  active  mind,  have  combined 
to  render  himself  successful  in  life  and  a 
leader  among  men.  He  lived  at  home  until 
after  his  marriage,  and  the  following  year 
moved  to  his  father-in-law's  farm,  on  which 
he  remained  until  the  next  year.  He  then 
bought  twenty-five  acres,  a  few  of  which  were 
broken,  and  built  on  it  a  box  house,  16  x  18 
feet.  He  and  his  family  lived  in  this  house 
for  twelve  or  fourteen  years,  when  he  erected 
his  present  substantial  and  comfortable  home. 
He  has  lived  on  the  same  place  ever  since, 
which  now  contains  120  acres,  devoted  to 
mixed  farming,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  farms 
in  the  connty. 

He  was  married  June  14,  1859,  to  Miss 
Nancy  Jane  Lewis,  an  estimable  lady  and  a 
daughter  of  Azariah  and  Sarah  Lewis,  a 


226 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    GA8S, 


sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  work.  She 
was  born  April  4,  1842.  They  have  eleven 
children,  as  follows:  Sarah  E.,  born  March  10, 
1860,  married  H.  Speulda,  and  they  have 
seven  children;  they  live  in  South  Dakota; 
Charles  L.,  born  October  16,  1861,  married 
Susan  McNeil,  a  native  of  this  county;  they 
have  three  children;  Simpson  Lee,  born 
November  13,  1863,  married  Ida  Taylor,  and 
lives  in  Chandlerville;  William  B.,  born  De- 
cember 28,  1867,  married  Belle  Miller,  and 
they  have  two  children;  he  lives  in  this 
neighborhood;  Laura,  born  December  15, 
1865,  married  James  Cooper,  and  they  have 
three  children;  John  R.,  born  March  29, 
1870,  married  Dora  Lucas,  and  they  have 
one  child;  Azariah,  born  August  20,  1872. 
Stella  M.,  born  December  19,  1874;  Miamia 
B.,  born  June  16,  1877;  Josephine,  born 
August  28,  1880;  Casper,  born  June  25, 
1884.  All  of  Mr.  Watkins'  children  have 
had  educational  advantages. 

Mr.  "Watkins  is  an  old  Andrew  Johnson 
Democrat,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Stephen 
A.  Douglas.  With  the  exception  of  his  vote 
cast  for  General  Weaver  for  President,  he 
has  voted  a  straight  Democratic  ticket  ever 
since.  Acknowledging  his  ability,  his  con- 
stituents have  sought  the  advantage  of  his 
judgment  and  experience  by  electing  him  to 
various  local  offices.  He  went  from  the 
school  room  to  the  position  of  school  director, 
in  which  capacity  he  has  served  ever  since. 
He  has  held  the  responsible  position  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  twenty  years,  dis- 
charging his  duties  with  justice  and  impar- 
tiality. 

His  wife  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Prim- 
itive Baptist  Church,  and,  both  by  her  in- 
influence  and  means,  contributes  to  its  sup- 
port. 


Mr.  Watkins'  life  is  a  brilliant  example  of 
what  may  be  accomplished  by  intelligent  and 
persistent  effort,  which  not  only  insure  ma- 
terial prosperity  but  also  crown  their  vota- 
ries with  honor  and  happiness. 

f 

DAM  P.  SEASLY,  a  progressive  and 
enterprising  young  farmer  of  Oakland 
township,  was  born  in  Carroll  county, 
Maryland,  in  1860.  His  father,  Adam  Seasly, 
now  a  resident  of  Adams  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  a  native  of  Germany,  but  emigrated 
to  America  when  a  young  man;  he  was 
reared  to  the  life  of  a  farmer,  and  also  mas- 
tered the  blacksmith's  trade  in  his  own 
country.  After  arriving  in  this  country  he 
went  directly  to  Pennsylvania,  and  there  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Cook,  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Cook;  she  died  in  early  woman- 
hood in  Pennsylvania,  leaving  two  sons  and 
a  daughter:  Mary,  Adam  P-.  and  George; 
Mary  died  in  infancy,  and  George  lived  only 
a  few  years.  At  the  age  of  three  years  Adam 
P.  was  taken  by  Henry  Riffle,  and  under  his 
care  was  reared  to  manhood. 

In  the  spring  of  1869  Mr.  Riffle  came  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Illinois,  and  located  at  Ver- 
mont, Fulton  county;  he  was  a  plasterer  by 
trade,  and  followed  that  calling  in  connec- 
tion with  farming.  Mr.  Riffle  had  no  chil- 
dren of  his  own,  but  adopted  a  son  and 
daughter,  for  whom  he  carefully  provided. 
Adam  P.  Seasly,  the  son,  was  given  a  good 
education,  and  was  taught  the  printer's  trade. 
Mr.  Seasly  was  married  in  1881,  to  Miss 
Rebecca  E.  Kost,  of  Fulton  county,  Illinois, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  Kost, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Kost  is  a  car- 
penter and  farmer,  and  in  1850  he  emigrated 
to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Fulton  county.  He 
is  now  one  of  the  wealthiest  resident  laud 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


227 


owners  in  this  section,  but  is  retired  from 
active  business  pursuits.  Mr.  Seasly  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Fulton  county, 
which  he  continued  until  1885,  when  he  re- 
moved to  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres; 
he  rents  an  additional  eighty  acres,  and  is 
carrying  on  a  successful  business.  To  him 
and  his  wife  have  been  born  three  children: 
Ross  H.,  Edgar  and  Ruth. 

Politically  our  subject  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party;  he  has  served  as  School 
Trustee,  and  has  always  been  a  liberal  sup- 
porter of  home  industries  and  enterprises. 


fHOMAS  P.  PARROTT,  an  intelligent 
and  public-spirited  citizen  of  Buena 
Vista  township,  is  a  pioneer  of  1831, 
since  which  time  his  interests  have  been 
identified  with  those  of  his  favorite  county. 
He  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  having  been  born 
in  Glasgow,  that  State,  on  September  3, 1825. 

His  father,  Josiah  Parrott,  was  a  native  of 
Maryland,  having  been  born  in  Talbot  county, 
that  State,  on  July  20,  1800.  He  had  no 
school  advantages,  but  acquired  an  excellent 
business  education  in  Glasgow,  Kentucky,  to 
which  place  he  early  removed.  He  was  pos- 
sessed of  unusual  financial  ability,  and  had  a 
remarkable  aptitude  for  mercantile  pursuits. 
In  time  he  became  the  owner  of  three  stores, 
one  at  Glasgow,  one  at  Thompsonville,  and 
another  at  Gainesboro,  Tennessee.  He  was 
married  in  Kentucky,  to  Nancy  G.  Bransford, 
a  native  of  Rockingham,  Virginia,  in  which 
place  she  was  born  on  July  27,  1807.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Bransford,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  that  place. 

In  1830  Mr.  Parrott  came  to  Rushville, 
Illinois,  which  was  then  a  new  and  sparsely 
settled  country,  and  opened  a  store  at  that 


place.  He  had  at  that  time  $60,000  and  a 
large  stock  of  goods.  After  starting  his  store, 
he  returned  to  Kentucky,  and  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year,  1831,  he  removed  his 
family  to  Rushville,  where  he  continued  in 
business  for  more  than  forty  years,  being  the 
oldest  merchant  of  that  place.  He  also 
started  several  other  stores  at  the  same  time, 
in  different  towns,  one  at  Beardstown,  and 
another  at  Princeton,  while  he  had  still 
another  at  Pulaski.  All  were  general  stores 
and  all  carried  large  stocks  of  goods.  He 
possessed  very  great  energy  and  excellent 
financial  ability,  and  was  eminently  success- 
ful in  business.  He  invested  largely  in  land, 
and  became  the  owner  of  thousands  of  acres 
of  the  richest  land  of  Schuyler  county.  He 
voted  with  the  Whig  party,  and  later  with 
the  Republican,  but  never  desired  to  hold 
office.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  being  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  lodge  in  Rushville.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent nlember  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  liberal  supporter. 
He  helped  to  build  the  first  Methodist  church 
in  RuShville,  and  contributed  toward  the 
erection  of  the  present  handsome  edifice. 

Mr.  Parrott's  first  wife  died  on  July  26, 
1835,  leaving  four  children  to  the  care  of  her 
husband,  and  many  friends  to  mourn  her  loss. 
She  was  a  woman  of  intelligence  and  many 
charms  of  character,  a  faithful  wife  and  fond 
mother,  and  was  much  lamented  by  all  who 
knew  her.  The  children  were:  Thomas  P., 
subject  of  our  sketch;  James  H.,  now  a  real- 
estate  man  of  Omaha,  Nebraska;  John  B., 
who  died  in  Buena  Vista,  unmarried;  and 
Susan,  who  died  unmarried. 

Mr.  Parrott  was  subsequently  married 
again,  his  second  wife  being  Catharine  Scripps, 
a  native  of  Missouri.  They  had  twelve  chil- 
dren: George,  deceased;  Maria,  who  married 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


Colonel  William  McAlister,  and  died  in 
Rushville;  Lydia,  married;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried Albert  Clark,  and  died -in  Kearney,  Ne- 
braska; Josiah,  a  traveling  salesman;  Catha- 
rine, deceased;  Charley,  a  resident  of  Lincoln, 
Nebraska,  and  was  for  many  years  a  banker 
in  Omaha;  Walter,  a  wholesale  dealer  in 
hats,  caps  and  notions,  in  Chicago;  Frank, 
deceased;  Marcus,  a  resident  of  Omaha; 
Ellen, deceased;  and  Lewis, a  real-estate  man 
of  Omaha,  Nebraska. 

The  father  died  at  his  home,  surrounded 
by  his  family  and  friends,  on  May  29,  1881, 
aged  eighty-one  years,  much  lamented  as  a 
faithful  friend  and  fond  husband  and  father. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  but  a  mere 
boy  when  the  family  came  to  Rusliville  in 
1831.  He  attended  school  in  Kushville,  and 
when  young  began  to  assist  in  the  duties 
about  his  father's  store,  and  when  grown,  be- 
came a  partner.  The  confinement  of  indoor 
work,  however,  did  not  agree  with  his  health, 
and  consequently,  during  the  war  he  located  on 
a  farm  in  JBuena  Vista  township.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  320  acres  of  highly  cultivated 
land.  Besides  his  farming  interests,  he  is 
largely  engaged  in  stock-raising,  being  a 
breeder  of  shorthorn  and  red-polled  cattle, 
and  of  Morgan  and  Clyde  horses,  and  has 
some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  various 
breeds  to  be  found  in  the  country. 

On  January  25,  1848,  he  was  married  to 
Sarah  Wright,  a  daughter  of  E.  M.  and  Sarah 
Wright.  She  was  born  in  Syracuse,  New 
York.  Their  happy  married  life  was  doomed 
to  be  of  short  duration,  for,  after  little  more 
than  a  year,  on  November  12,  1849,  his  wife 
died,  leaving  to  his  care  one  child,  Sarah  G., 
now  the  wife  of  Insco  Marine,  and  resides  at 
Beatrice,  Nebraska. 

On  October  10, 1860,  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried again,  his  second  wife  being  Emma 


Window,  born  in  Macomb,  Illinois,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  William  H.  Window.  Her  fa- 
ther was  a  Methodist  Episcopal  minister, 
widely  and  favorably  known  in  Illinois. 
They  had  eight  children,  two  sons  and  six 
daughters:  Susan,  wife  of  E.  H.  Lugg,  of 
Warsaw,  Illinois;  William;  Grace;  Harry; 
Catharine;  Ida;  Blanche  and  Margaret.  The 
faithful  wife  and  devoted  mother  died  on 
July  22,  1890,  much  mourned  by  her  family 
and  friends.  April  13,  1892,  Harry  married 
Miss  Carrie  McConnick,  of  Buena  Vista. 

Our  subject  affiliates  with  the  Republicans 
in  politics,  and  though  averse  to  office  has, 
at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his  numerous 
friends,  served  in  some  local  positions  of 
trust,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  con- 
stituents. He  is,  like  his  father  before  him, 
a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  denomination  has  found  in 
him  an  earnest  and  sympathetic  friend. 

Of  high  integrity  and  morality,  of  rare 
ability  and  warm  impulses,  he  enjoys  the 
confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  the  es- 
teem of  his  family  and  a  host  of  friends. 


(ASPER  ROHN,  a  general  farmer  in 
sections  32  and  33,  range  12,  township 
18,  Beardstown  precinct,  has  a  well 
improved  tract  which  has  been  his  farm  for 
twenty-one  years.  He  was  born  on  a  part  of 
the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  September  23, 
1842.  His  parents  were  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
(Longore)  Rohn.  They  both  came  to  America 
and  were  married  after  landing  in  St.  Louis, 
and  later  came  to  Beardstown  (for  further 
history,  seehistory  of  J.  Henry  Rohn,  this 
book).  They  were  very  early  settlers,  having 
come  to  the  county  three  years  after  the  In- 
dians had  left  the  State. 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


229 


Mr.  Casper  Rohn  has  been  a  hard-working 
man,  has  been  moderately  successful,  and  has 
made  his  way  in  the  world  by  his  own  efforts. 

He  was  married  first  to  Mary  Jockissh,  of 
Cass county,  Illinois, and  residedin  thisconnty 
until  her  death  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  years.  She  was  a  good,  kind  wife  and 
mother,  and  left  her  husband  four  children: 
Lizzie  Eveland,  living  in  Fulton  county,  Illi- 
nois; Clara,  at  present  in  Jacksonville,  Illi- 
nois; Philip  is  at  home  on  the  farua,  and 
George,  who  lives  at  Boody,  Illinois.  Mr. 
Rohn  was  married  a  second  time  in  this 
county,  to  Delia  Dunn,  born  in  Morgan 
county,  daughter  of  an  old  settler.  Her 
father  now  lives  in  Missouri,  but  her  mother 
died  there  some  years  ago.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rohn  are  the  parents  of  six  children:  Lulu, 
Walter,  Frank,  Charles,  Samuel  and  Ruth. 
They  are  associated  with  the  people  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  Rohn 
is  an  ardent  Republican.  Mr.  Rohn  is  an 
honest,  peaceable,  home  loving  German  citi- 
zen, and  he  and  his  worthy  wife  are  greatly 
esteemed  by  their  hosts  of  friends. 


DANIEL  STEPHENS  has  been  closely 
identified  with  the  history  of  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  since  1836,  and  it  is 
fitting  that  his  name  should  appear  in  this 
volume.  He  was  born  in  Davidson  county, 
North  Carolina,  April  4,  1819,  a  son  of  Alex- 
ander Stephens,  who  died  in  1825;  the  mother 
of  our  subject,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Dealy,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey;  she  was 
married  a  second  time  in  Illinois,  spend- 
ing the  last  of  her  life  in  Bainbridge 
township.  Daniel  Stephens,  in  early  life, 
became  inured  to  the  hard  labor  of  a 
farm ;  he  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities 


to  secure  an  education,  but  as  there  were  no 
free  schools  and  his  father  was  in  limited  cir- 
cumstances, the  advantages  offered  him  were 
very  few.  He  lived  in  North  Carolina  until 
1836,  when  he  emigrated  to  the  West,  and 
settled  in  Illinois;  the  entire  journey  was 
made  overland  with  teams,  and  the  country 
reached  was  little  better  than  a  wilderness. 
Mr.  Stephens  settled  in  that  portion  of  Schuy- 
ler county  which  is  now  included  in  Brown 
county,  but  he  had  no  means  to  invest  in 
land,  and  so  was  obliged  to  work  for  wages; 
he  received  $12  a  month,  and  from  this  small 
snm  saved  enough  to  make  a  beginning.  In 
1841  he  settled  on  a  tract  of  patent  land  that 
is  now  a  part  of  his  farm,  and  three  years 
later  he  bought  eighty  acres,  for  which  he 
paid  $170;  this  place  was  covered  with  tim- 
ber and  brush,  and  in  the  heart  of  the  forest 
he  erected  a  cabin  that  afforded  protection 
and  shelter;  he  courageously  undertook  the 
task  of  placing  the  land  under  cultivation, 
and  as  he  prospered  he  invested  in  other 
lands,  until  he  now  owns  572  acres,  lying  in 
Bainbridge  and  Woodstock  townships. 

Mr.  Stephens  was  married  January  26, 
1840,  to  Rebecca  Kimbel,  a  native  of  Simp- 
son county,  Kentucky,  and  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Kimbel.  Of  this 
union  were  born  seven  children:  George  W., 
William  M.,  David,  Samuel,  John  R.,  Saman- 
tha  Jane  and  Olive. 

George  W.  Stephens  has  been  three  times 
married,  his  present  wife  being  Ann  Irvin; 
they  have  seven  children:  William  M.  has 
been  married  twice,  Martha  J.  Eason  being 
the  second  wife;  he  has  eight  children;  David 
married  Martha  Landreth,  and  has  a  family 
of  seven  children;  Samuel  married  Cornelia 
Persinger,  and  has  four  children ;  John  mar- 
ried Mary  J.  Macombs,  and  has  one  child; 
Samantha  J.  is  the  wife  of  Richard  Black, 


230 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


and  has  three  children;  Olive  married  L.  F. 
Nooner,  and  is  the  mother  of  four  children. 
Mr.  Stephens  has  thirty-five  grandchildren 
and  three  great-grandchildren. 


lOBERTB.  McMASTER  was  born  in 
Highland  county,  Ohio,  February  3, 
1827,  a.  son  of  David  McMaster,  who 
was  born  in  county  Down,  Ireland.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  John  McMaster,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  of  Scotch  ancestry.  He 
emigrated  to  America  in  1807,  and  settled  in 
Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  where  he  lived 
until  1818.  He  removed  to  Ohio  in  that 
year,  and  located  in  Highland  county.  He 
bought  a  tract  of  heavily  timbered  land,  built 
a  log  cabin  in  the  midst  of  the  forest,  and  re- 
sided there  until  his  death.  He  married  Jen- 
nie McKee,  of  County  Down,  Ireland;  she 
died  on  the  farm  in  Highland  county,  the 
mother  of  four  children:  James,  David,  Ar- 
thur and  Robert.  David  McMaster,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  a  lad  of  twelve 
years  when  his  parents  crossed  the  sea  to 
America.  He  was-  married  in  Virginia,  and 
lived  there  until  1816,  when  he  removed  to 
Kentucky;  at  the  end  of  one  year  he  went  to 
Highland  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  among 
the  pioneers;  he  bought  a  tract  of  timber  land, 
erected  the  characteristic  log  cabin  with  a 
mud-and-stick  chimney,  and  began  the  task  of 
clearing  a  farm.  Cincinnati  was  the  nearest 
market-town,  sixty  miles  distant,  wild  game 
was  abundant,  and  the  mother  carded,  spun 
and  wove  the  cloth  with  which  her  children 
were  dressed.  In  1836  Mr.  McMaster  sold 
this  farm  and  came  to  Illinois,  accompanied 
by  his  wife  and  six  children;  they  made  the 
journey  in  a  four-horse  wagon,  camping  on 
the  way.  He  first  located  in  Fulton  county, 
and  in  1838  came  to  Schuyler  county,  and 


rented  until  he  bought  land  in  Rushville 
township,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in 
1866.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Wardlaw,  a  native  of  Rockbridge  county, 
Virginia,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  Wardlaw,  natives  of  Scotland.  They 
reared  a  family  of  six  children:  Mary  C  , 
William  W.,  John  M.,  Robert  B.,  Jane  C. 
and  Sarah  A. 

A  lad  of  nine  years,  Robert  B.  McMaster 
came  to  Illinois,  and  well  remembers  many 
incidents  of  the  journey  and  the  trials  and 
privations  to  which  they  were  subject  on  the 
frontier.  He  attended  the  pioneer  schools, 
and  received  a  training  which  fitted  him  for 
the  ordinary  duties  of  life.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  1850,  and  in  March  of 
that  year  started  for  the  Golden  State.  He 
took  the  overland  route,  and  accomplished 
that  perilous  journey  without  accident  or  dis- 
aster. He  arrived  in  California  in  July,  and 
at  once  engaged  in  mining;  he  continued  this 
industry  until  1852,  when  he  returned  to  Illi- 
nois. He  bought  land  included  in  the  tract 
he  now  owns  on  section  twenty-two,  Rush- 
ville township,  and  has  been  one  of  the  most 
progressive  and  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
county.  He  was  actively  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  1884:,  when  he  purchased 
property  in  and  adjoining  Rushville,  and 
erected  a  handsome  residence  which  he  now 
occupies. 

Mr.  McMaster  was  married  in  1853,  to 
Rachel  Quinn,  and  they  had  a  family  of  three 
children:  Curtis  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight  years;  Jennie  died  in  infancy;  Mary 
married  Marshall  Finch,  and  has  two  sons, 
Robert  and  Wade  T.  Mrs.  McMaster  was 
born  in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  November 
14,  1836,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Quinn,  a 
native  of  Virginia.  He  married  Nancy  Ken- 
nedy, a  native  of  Hardin  county,  Kentucky, 


SCHV7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


231 


and  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Rachel  (Colvon) 
Kennedy.  In  1837  they  moved  to  Illinois 
with  their  family  of  eight  children,  and 
settled  in  Schuyler  county;  the  father  died 
in  1844,  but  the  mother  survived  until  1886, 
in  her  eighty-fifth  year. 


?  HENRY  ROHN,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  living  on  the  old  homestead  in 
3  township  18,  range  12,  of  the  precinct 
of  Beardstown,  was  born  at  the  same  place, 
September  20, 1837.  He  is  the  eldest  mem- 
ber of  the  family.  The  father,  Henry,  was  a 
native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt.  Henry  Rohn, 
Sr.,  had  grown  up,  but  was  yet  single,  when 
he  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  brother 
John,  and  after  a  long,  tedious  passage,  they 
landed  in  New  Orleans,  and  from  there  pro- 
ceeded to  St.  Louis.  Here  he  stopped  and 
married  the  girl  who  had  come  with  him 
from  the  same  province.  Her  name  was 
Elizabeth  Longore,  and  they  soon  came  to 
Cass  county  and  entered,  in  the  year  1837, 
Government  land.  They  added  to  it  from 
time  to  time  until  he  owned  1,300  acres, 
made  by  him  and  his  thrifty  wife.  He  was 
$105  in  debt  when  he  landed  in  Beardstown, 
having  to  borrow  money  to  come  there.  He 
continued  on  this  same  land,  improving  it 
until  his  death  in  1891.  He  was  then  nearly 
eighty-six  years  of  age.  He  was  a  well- 
known  pioneer,  a  successful  farmer,  a  good 
neighbor  and  husband,  and  an  active  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chnrch.  His 
wife  is  yet  living,  aged  eighty-one  years, 
smart  and  active,  making  her  home  with  her 
son  William,  and  is  still  an  active  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

.  J.  Henry  has    lived   on  the  farm  he  now 
owns  all    his  lifetime.     It  consists  of    820 


acres,  and  of  this  500  acres  are  under  the 
plow,  with  good  farm  buildings.  He  has 
owned  the  old  homestead  for  fifteen  years. 

He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Malinda 
Wagle,  born  in  Brown  county,  in  1840.  Her 
father  was  Jephtha  "Wagle, of  Madison  county, 
Kentucky,  who  was  married  there  and  came 
to  Brown  county  as  an  early  settler,  and  later 
moved  on  a  farm  near  Arenzville,  and  there 
lived  and  died.  His  wife  is  yet  surviving,  at 
the  age  of  eighty  years,  making  her  home  in 
this  county.  Her  maiden  name  was  Phoabe 
Todd,  and  she  was  a  relativeof  Mrs.  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rohn  are  the  parents 
of  four  children:  Albert  and  Louis  H.  are 
both  at  home  helping  on  the  farm,  and  Carrie 
and  Nettie  are  twins,  and  both  are  bright  and 
intelligent  children.  The  whole  family  are 
Methodists,  and  are  good  types  of  German 
citizens.  Mr.  Rohn  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


fOHN  A.  YOUNG,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  prosperous  agriculturists 
of  Schuyler  county,  resides  on  section 
21,  Buena  Vista  township.  The  following 
space  will  be  devoted  to  a  brief  biography  of 
which  he  is  the  subject.  He  was  born  in 
Schuyler  county,  on  the  farm  which  he  now 
occupies,  June  14,  1832,  a  son  of  John 
Young,  a  native  of  Ireland;  the  paternal 
grandparents  were  John  and  Margaret  Young. 
John  Young  emigrated  to  America  when  a 
young  man,  and  stopped  for  a  time  in  Phila- 
delphia; thence  he  continued  his  journey  to 
the  West,  and  after  locating  in  Rushville  he 
sent  for  his  parents;  they  left  their  native 
land,  crossed  the  sea,  and  made  a  home  in 
the  new  world;  they  now  reside  in  Buena 
•Vista  township,  at  a  good  old  age.  There 
were  born  to  them  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 


232 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OAS8, 


ters:  John,  William  K.,  Alexander,  Mar- 
garet and  Elizabeth.  The  father  of  John  A. 
Young  was  married  at  Rushville  to  a  daugh- 
ter of  Hugh  McCreary,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
who  came  to  America  aboard  the  same  ship 
as  her  husband,  and  it  was  on  this  voyage 
that  they  met.  He  died  in  early  life,  the 
date  being  February  8,  1835;  he  was  a 
farmer,  and  had  entered  land  in  Buena  Vista 
township;  the  wife  died  June  14,  1883;  they 
had  two  children:  James  M.  died  in  infancy; 
John  A.  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  the 
family.  During  his  boyhood  days  he  lived 
with  his  mother  and  relatives;  from  early 
childhood  he  was  self-sustaining,  working 
for  his  board;  he  attended  school  until  six- 
teen years  of  age,  and  then  settled  with  his 
mother  on  the  homestead  that  had  been  en- 
tered by  the  father.  In  1852  he  went  to 
Caliiornia,  making  the  journey  overland, 
and  remained  on  the  Pacific  coast  six  years; 
he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  and  agricult- 
ural pursuits,  and  was  reasonably  successful. 
He  returned  via  the  Isthmus  and  New  York 
city;  he  made  a  visit  to  relatives  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  then  came  to  his  old  home.  Here 
he  resumed  agricultural  pursuits,  making 
many  improvements  in  the  way  of  erecting 
buildings;  his  mother  resided  with  him  until 
her  death. 

The  homestead  originally  consisted  of  130 
acres,  twenty  acres  of  which  Mr.  Young  sold 
to  raise  the  money  to  go  to  California.  He 
•<'  now  owns  580  acres  in  one  body,  well  stocked, 
and  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  gives 
especial  attention  to  the  breeding  of  live- 
stock, and  has  a  fine  herd  of  short-horns,  and 
some  horses  of  excellent  pedigree. 

Mr.    Young  was    united  in    marriage  Oc- 
tober 13,  1869,    to  Miss  Mary  L.  Clark,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  John  Clark;  she  was  born' 
in  Schnyler  county,  Illinois,   April  1,  1847, 


and  died  May  15,  1878;  she  was  the  mother 
of  four  children;  Carl  C.,  born  August  9, 
1870,  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Steel 
Company;  Anna  F.,  born  August  3,  1872,  is 
a  student  at  De  Pauw  University,  Green- 
castle,  Indiana;  Sarah  E.,  born  August  23, 
1874,  and  James  H.,  December  10,  1876. 
Mr.  Young  was  married  a  second  time, 
November  24,  1881,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  De 
Witt,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Ellen  (Little) 
DeWitt;  she  was  born  at  Littleton,  Schuyler 
county,  May  22,  1855;  five  children  were 
born  of  this  union:  one  died  in  infancy; 
Mary  was  born  September  19,  1882;  John 
D.,  April  5,  1884;  D  wight  M.,  September 
28,  1885;  Ellen  L.,  April  16,  1888.  Mrs. 
Young  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 

In  addition  to  the  business  interests  al- 
ready mentioned,  Mr.  Young  has  invest- 
ments in  real  estate  in  Duluth  and  other 
points;  he  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Bank 
of  Rushville,  and  is  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  same.  Politically  he  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  ;  he  has  been  Supervisor 
of  his  township,  but  his  private  affairs  have 
so  taken  his  time  that  public  office  has  not 
been  sought.  He  is  a  man  of  broad  intelli- 
gence, and  the  strictly  honorable  methods  he 
has  employed  in  his  business  career  has  won 
him  the  entire  confidence  and  respect  of  the 
community. 


A.  BERRY,  foreman  of  the  black- 
smith shops  of  the  Rock  Island  and 
*  St.  Louis  division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  railroad,  located  at 
Beardstown,  was  born  in  Medina,  Ohio, 
February  12,  1852.  He  came  when  five 
years  of  age  to  Aurora,  Illinois,  with  his  par- 
ents. He  grew  up  there  and  received  a  com- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


233 


mon  school  education  and  learned  his  trade. 
His  father,  Thomas  E.  Berry,  had  come  from 
England  to  Medina,  Ohio,  there  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  and  was  married  to  Anna 
Pierce,  who  was  also  of  English  birth.  In 
1857,  Thomas  Berry,  wife  and  four  children, 
settled  in  Aurora,  where  he  still  lives,  aged 
seventy-three  years,  and  is  still  hearty 
enough  to  work  at  his  trade.  His  wife  died 
in  1887.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church. 

Mr.  Berry  came  here  from  Aurora  and 
was  for  one  year  foreman  of  the  Chicago 
division  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  railroad.  He  has  been  twenty-six 
years  with  this  company  and  has  never  lost  a 
month's  time,  nor  been  suspended.  He  won 
his  promotion  by  attending  strictly  to  busi- 
ness. 

He  was  married  in  Aurora,  to  Ella  Irwin, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  the 
same  place.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Jerry 
Irwin,  a  prominent  and  successful  tailor  of 
Aurora,  who  died  in  1881.  His  wife  still 
lives  in  Aurora.  They  were  both  Roman 
Catholics.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berry  have  one 
child,  Maude.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order.  He  is  a  sound  Republican,  but  not  an 
office-seeker. 


?OSEPH    GIFFORD,   a   well-to-do   and 
highly    esteemed    farmer   of   Versailles 
township,  Brown  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  has  lived   for  twenty  years,  was  born  in 
Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  December, 
1833. 

His  parents,  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Davis) 
Giftbrd,  were  both  natives  of  the  Keystone 
State,  where  his  father  was  born  in  1802. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  also  named  Joseph, 


was  of  English  parentage,  and  is  thought  to 
have  been  born  in  England.  He  was  a  pros- 
perous farmer  in  Huntingdon. county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  left,  at  his  death,  a  good  estate 
to  his  family,  consisting  of  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  all  of  whom  became  heads  of 
families,  some  attaining  a  great  age.  One 
son  was  more  than  ninety  years  of  age  when 
last  heard  from,  and,  if  still  living,  as  is  quite 
probable,  he  is  nearly  a  hundred.  The  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  moved  from 
Pennsylvania  directly  to  Brown  county,  Illi- 
nois, in  1856,  and  rented  land  near  the  village 
of  Cooperstown,  where  he  resided  for  thirteen 
years,  until  his  death  in  1869,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years.  He  left  a  widow  and  five 
children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter:  David, 
a  successful  farmer  in  Iowa;  Joseph,  of  this 
sketch;  John  and  Isaac,  both  prosperous 
farmers  of  Nebraska;  and  Jemima,  who 
married  Manuel  Whited,  and  died  in  Ne- 
braska, aged  forty-two  years,  leaving  five 
children. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to 
hard  labor,  and  had  but  few  educational 
advantages.  Before  he  was  eleven  years  old, 
he  worked  in  the  Sligo  Pig  Iron  Works,  in 
Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania.  When  eigh- 
teen years  of  age,  he  commenced  life  for  him- 
self, and  what  little  education  he  possesses 
has  been  gleaned  by  the  dusty,  toilsome  way- 
side of  life.  Fortunately  his  parents  dowered 
him  with  an  unclouded  intelligence  and  a 
robust  constitution,  and  inculcated  in  him  a 
love  of  truth  and  integrity,  and  trained  him 
to  habits  of  industry  and  economy. 

He  was  married  in  his  twenty-first  year,  to 
Lucinda  Hovis,  of  Venango  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, August  3,  1854,  and  continued  to  live 
in  the  Keystone  State  until  the  fall  of  1868, 
when  they  removed  to  Brown  county,  Illi- 
nois. They  made  the  journey  overland  with 


234 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


a  team,   bringing   six    children    with    them . 
They   were  four  weeks    en    route,   and,  the 
weather  being  propitious,  their  journey  was  a 
continual    pleasure    trip    and    picnic.     They 
camped  in  their  tent    and  covered  wagon  at 
night,  and   cooked   their  meals  by  the  way. 
Arriving    in    Brown    comity,    Illinois,  they 
located  on  forty  acres  of  their  present  farm 
for  which  they  paid  $650.     There  were  no 
buildings  on  the  place  at  the  time,  and  only 
fifteen  acres  of  it  were  cleared.     They    had 
brought  but  little  means  with  them,  and  went 
in  debt  $ 450,  since  when  they  have  purchased 
forty  more  acres,  are  out  of  debt,  and  have 
most  of  the  farm  well  improved. 

Prior  to  coming  to  Illinois,  in  September, 
1862,  Mr.  Gifford  went  as  a  volunteer  in 
Company  E,  Sixteenth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry, 
from  Franklin,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  on 
duty  all  of  the  time  from  his  enlistment  un- 
til his  discharge  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia, 
June  17,  1865,  except  when  he  was  sick  in 
the  hospital  with  typhoid  pneumonia,  from 
June  4  to  August  16, 1863.  He  was  in  some 
forty-six  engagements,  some  of  which  were 
hotly  contested.  Among  these  was  the  bat- 
tle of  Hatcher's  Run,  which  he  thinks  was 
worse  than  that  of  the  "  Bull  Pen."  His  last 
year  of  service  was  spent  under  the  command 
of  General  Phil.  Sheridan. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giiford  have  had  ten  chil- 
dren, nine  of  whom  survive:  Sarah,  married 
George  Green,  .and  died,  aged  twenty-five 
years,  leaving  two  sons;  Ernest,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Elkhorn  township,  married  Alice 
Lewis,  and  has  two  children;  Maggie  married 
Morgan  Grady,  a  successful  fanner  of  Pike 
county,  Illinois;  Laura  married  Frank  Sellers, 
a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Iowa,  and  has  one 
daughter;  Ida  married  George  B.  Alexander, 
and  has  two  children;  Julia  married  John 
Orr,  a  progressive  farmer  of  Cooperstown 


township;  Hattie  married  William  Tolle,  an 
estimable  laboring  man  of  Versailles  town- 
ship, and  has  one  son;  Mattie  and  Mollie, 
twin  sisters,  are  intelligent  and  active  young 
ladies,  who  relieve  their  mother  of  much  of 
the  household  work;  Joseph  W.,  the  youngest 
ayouth  of  sixteen,  is  at  home,  and  does  much 
of  the  hard  labor  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Gifford, 
who  has  toiled  hard  for  many  years,  is  taking 
a  needed  rest  whenever  he  can  do  so. 

In  politics  Mr.  Gifford  is  Democratic,  and 
has  been  honored  by  his  constituents  several 
times  with  public  office.  Besides  minor 
positions  of  trust,  he  has  served  two  terms  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  was  re-elected  for 
the  third  term,  but  declined  to  qualify,  think- 
ing he  had  done  his  share  of  such  service. 

Religiously  he  and  his  worthy  wife  are 
earnest  and  useful  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  to  which  they  have  belonged 
many  years. 

Mr.  Gifford's  history  would  serve  as  an 
example  for  many  poor,  young  men,  starting 
in  life.  A  careful  analysis  of  his  prosperity 
would  be  found  to  consist  in  intelligent  and 
persistent  effort,  supplemented  by  upright- 
ness of  dealing,  careful  economy  and  uniform 
courtesy  in  all  the  various  walks  of  life. 


ILLIAM  G.  MOHLMANN,  pro- 
prietor of  the  furniture  and  under- 
taking establishment  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Jefferson  streets,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Beardstown,  July  10,  1866.  His 
father,  William,  was  born  in  Prussia  and  was 
the  son  of  Henry,  who  was  also  a  Prussian. 
He  grew  up  there  and  learned  the  trade  of 
cabinet  maker.  He  married  a  Prussian  lady 
of  good  family,  and  after  most  of  their  chil- 
dren were  born,  and  when  their  sou  William 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


235 


was  thirteen  years  old,  in  1849.  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  finally  settled  in  Beards- 
town  and  established  a  business,  which  was 
managed  by  Henry  Mohlmann  until  his 
death  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  It  was  afterward  carried  on  by  Will- 
iam Mohlinann  until  his  death  in  1891.  He 
was  a  good  business  man,  a  public-spirited 
citizen  and  one  that  did  much  for  the  city. 
His  wife,  as  well  as  mother,  is  still  living, 
the  latter  being  about  eighty  years  of  age. 
The  mother  of  William  G.  was  named 
Lydia  Lohmann,  a  Prussian.  She  was  yet 
young  when  she  came  with  her  parents 
to  the  United  States,  and  her  mother  is  still 
living,  smart,  bright  and  active.  The  whole 
family  were  identified  with  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

William  G.  Mohlmann  is  the  second  of 
seven  children.  He  grew  up  and  obtained  a 
practical  education,  and  learned  his  business 
by  growing  up  in  it.  He  afterward  took  a 
course  in  the  College  of  Embalming  in  Chi- 
cago. The  business  was  established  by  the 
grandfather,  Henry,  in  1858.  Until  1876 
most  of  the  goods  were  manufactured  by  the 
firm.  At  that  time  William  F.  became  sole 
proprietor,  and  in  1891  William  G.  became 
half  owner,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father 
the  sole  proprietor.  Theconvenient  building 
now  in  use  was  recently  built  by  the  present 
owner.  It  was  completed  in  July,  1891.  Mr. 
Mohlmann  occupies  a  double  store,  basement 
and  first  and  second  floors,  50  x  80  feet,  all 
stocked  with  goods. 

He  was  married  in  Virginia,  February  18, 
1892,  to  Miss  Rose  Leggett  of  North  Caro- 
lina. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mohlmann  are  young  so- 
ciety people  of  Beardstown.  Mr.  Mohlmann 
is  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  and  chapter,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.  of  Beardstown  and  Rushville,  and 
Commandery  No.  56,  and  Senior  Deacon  in 


blue  lodge  and  Royal  Arch  Captain  in 
chapter.  He  is  no  office-seeker,  but  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  He  is  yet  a  young 
man,  but  full  of  business  and  is  bound  to 
succeed. 


1LLIAM  HACKMAN,  a  practical 
German  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of 
section  30,  township  17,  range  11, 
is  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  where  he  lives. 
He  was  born  in  Hanover,  near  the  city  of 
Osnabriick,  in  1820,  September  13th.  He 
was  the  third  son  born  to  John  E.  and  Ma- 
ria (Struve)  Hackman,  natives  of  Hanover, 
who  came  of  pure  German  blood.  After  his 
marriage  he  settled  down  in  his  native  land 
as  a  farmer,  on  a  small  scale,  and  here  all  the 
children  were  born,  but  later  in  life  Mr. 
Hackman  sold  out  all  his  interests  in  his 
native  land  and  set  sail  from  Bremen  for  the 
United  States,  with  his  wife  and  family.  Af- 
ter a  voyage  of  seven  weeks  and  two  days, 
they  landed  at  Castle  Garden,  coming  on  at 
once  to  Illinois  via  Albany,  New  York,  Buf- 
falo, across  Lake  Erie,  landing  at  Cleveland, 
across  the  canal,  down  the  Ohio  to  Cairo,  up 
the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis,  and  thence 
up  the  Illinois  river  to  Beardstown,  in 
June,  1835.  The  father  purchased  120 
acres  in  township  12,  range  11,  but  before 
they  were  settled  he  sickened  and  died.  He 
had  procured  the  deed,  so  his  family  had  the 
farm.  He  was  only  fifty-eight  years  of  age 
and  had  been  in  the  country  but  a  few, 
months.  The  widow  mother  moved  on  the 
farm  with  her  children,  and  they  began  their 
life  as  farmers  in  a  new  country.  Some  years 
later  she  went  to  live  with  her  only  daughter, 
Mary  Bushman,  of  Beardstown,  where  she 
died  when  seventy-two  years  of  age.  She 


236 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OA88, 


lived  to  see  her  children  all  well  married  and 
settled  in  life.  Mrs.  Hackman  joined  the 
Methodist  Church  in  this  county  and  died 
in  that  faith.  Her  husband  was  a  Lutheran. 

William  and  a  brother  Fred  are  the  only 
surviving  children,  the  latter  also  being  a 
farmer  at  Arenzville.  William  grew  to  man- 
hood in  this  county.  He  is  now  the  owner  of 
two  fine  farms  of  320  acres  in  all,  both  having 
a  complete  set  of  farm  buildings  on  them, 
built  by  Mr.  Hackman.  The  land  is  in  a  fine 
condition  and  yields  good  crops. 

He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Eliza- 
beth Meyer,  born  in  Germany,  in  1828.  She 
was  a  small  child  when  brought  to  America 
by  her  parents.  They  made  their  first  settle- 
ment on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Hack- 
man. It  was  on  this  farm  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Meyer  both  lived,  and  died  when  they  were 
thirty  years  old.  They  were  Lutherans  in 
religion.  Mrs.  Hackman  is  one  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  she  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Fred 
Hackman,  of  this  county,  and  a  brother, 
Henry,  a  retired  farmer  of  Oregon,  are  the 
only  surviving  members.  The  next  year, 
July,  1835,  after  they  came  to  America,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Meyer  died,  and  Mrs.  Hackman 
was  reared  by  a  Mrs.  Freeman  Skinner.  She 
has  been  a  true,  good  wife  to  a  devoted  hus- 
band for  the  past  forty-five  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackman  are  the  parents  of 
six  children:  one,  Matilda,  died  when  young; 
one,  William  E.,  died  when  twenty- two; 
and  Loulisa,  after  her  marriage  to  George 
Keoneke,  to  whom  she  bore  five  children. 
The  living  children  are,  Louis;  Lucinda,  wife 
ofTheo.  Heierman,  afarmer  in  Morgan  county, 
Illinois;  and  they  have  one  child. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackraan  are  regarded  as  be- 
ing among  the  good,  kind  and  hospitable 
old  settlers  of  the  county.  They  are  upright, 
Christian  people,  being  members  of  the  Eman- 


uel  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  two  miles 
from  Arenzville.  Mr.  Hackman  and  son  are 
sound  Democrats  in  politics. 

Mr.  Louis  Hackman  is  now  the  manager 
of  his  father's  old  homestead,  and  he  is  con- 
ducting it  in  a  way  that  reflects  great  credit 
on  him.  He  is  a  hard-working  man,  and 
thoroughly  understands  his  business,  as  the 
fine  condition  of  his  fields  testify.  He  was 
married  to  Amelia  Kors  of  this  county,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  as  bright  little 
ones  as  any  one  need  care  to  see.  Mr.  Louis 
Hackman  has  been  County  Commissioner  for 
the  past  nine  years. 

The  whole  family  are  just  the  kind  of  peo- 
ple that  make  Cass  county  so  prosperous,  and 
if  there  were  more  like  this  worthy  German 
and  his  son,  the  prosperity  of  the  State  would 
be  greatly  increased.  . 


fUDGE  JOHN  A.  ARENZ,  now  retired 
from  active  life  and  living  at  his  pleas- 
ant home  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and 
State  Streets,  was  born  on  the  river  Ehine, 
near  Cologne,  in  1810,  October  28.  He  is 
the  only  member  of  the  family  that  came  to 
this  country  now  living,  His  parents  lived 
near  Cologne,  Germany,  and  the  father, 
Francis,  died  there  when  past  ninety  years 
of  age;  he  was  a  prominent  and  successful 
man  and  was  an  officer  in  the  army  of  his 
country,  and  received  a  pension  for  some 
years  before  his  death.  His  wife  lived  to  be 
an  old  lady  over  seventy-five  years  old. 

Mr.  Arenz  came  to  this  country  in  1835, 
on  a  sailing  vessel  from  Bremen.  He  landed 
in  Baltimore  city  and  another  brother  fol- 
lowed Mr.  Arenz  to  this  country,  and  he 


SCHUXLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


237 


died  in  this  State  some  twelve  years  ago, 
leaving  a  family.  Mr.  Arenz  had  been  care- 
fully educated  in  civil  engineering  and  other 
branches ;  was  one  of  the  corps  of  men  that 
measured  the  State  of  Prussia.  He  was  the 
principal  of  a  public  school,  and  was  given  a 
license  to  practice  as  an  attorney  at  law.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  about  the  time  he 
was  elected  County  Judge.  Mr.  Arenz  had 
followed  his  brother  Francis  to  this  country, 
he  having  come  some  time  before,  being  the 
first  member  of  the  family  that  left  the  old 
world  for  the  new.  Our  subject  came  to  this 
county  in  1835,  and  the  State  was  still  un- 
settled in  great  part.  His  brother's  was  the 
only  frame  house  for  miles  around  and  wild 
game  of  every  kind  abounded.  There  were 
no  railroads  and  but  few  wagon  roads. 
The  people  were  kind  and  good  hearted. 
Mr.  Arenz  had  come  to  the  State  from 
Baltimore,  crossing  the  mountains  to  Wheel- 
ing, "West  Virginia,  coming  down  the  Ohio 
river  to  St.  Louis  on  a  boat,  It  took  fourteen 
days  to  make  the  trip,  the  boat  often  sticking 
on  sand  bars.  After  landing  in  St.  Louis  he 
came  to  Cass  county,  and  after  some  time  he 
and  his  brother  Francis  laid  out  the  town  of 
Aren^ville  in  the  southern  part  of  Cass 
county.  There  they  estsblished  a  saw  mill, 
gristmill  and  general  store,  and  ran  it  for 
some  time  successfully.  Later  Francis  died 
and  Mr.  Arenz  came  to  Beardstown  and  has 
since  made  it  his  home.  Francis  died  in 
Jacksonville,  in  1856,  in  the  prime  of  life, 
and  was  considered  one  of  the  foremost  men 
of  the  State.  He  was  one  of  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture  and  was  a  Director  of  the 
same.  He  also  organized  the  local  board  of 
Cass  county,  which  has  continued  ever  since. 
The  State  Board  passed  commendable  resolu- 
tions on  the  death  of  Mr.  Francis  Arenz,  for 

his  earnest,  hard  work. 
17 


Mr.  John  Arenz  became  prominent  as  soon 
as  he  came  to  the  county  and  was  soon 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  has  held 
other  local  offices.  He  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  Probate  Judge,  being  the  second 
elected  in  the  county.  He  held  the  office 
for  many  years.  He  was  elected  first  Mayor 
of  Beardstown,  in  1850,  and  has  filled  the 
office  twice,  subsequently.  He  has  been  city 
Alderman  and  Treasurer,  and  served  for 
many  years.  He  has  been  an  admirer  of 
the  principles  of  his  party,  Eepublican. 
He  was  a  Whig  until  the'  dissolution  of  that 
party  and  he  then  ardently  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  new  party  from  the  time  of  its 
organization.  He  has  always  been  regarded 
as  a  representative  man. 

He  was  married,  in  Beardstown,  to  Mary 
Miller,  of  Kentucky,  and  she  died  at  her 
home  in  this  city  in  1886,  aged  seventy  years. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Captain  William 
Miller,  of  Kentucky,  a  soldier  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  having  served  as  Captain  of  a  com- 
pany from  Jacksonville,  lllionis,  where  he  was 
a  pioneer,  but  later  he  came  to  Beardstown, 
where  he  died  at  an  advanced  age.  He  was 
a  prominent  man.  Judge  Arenz  and  wife 
had  three  children;  Francis  W.  died  when 
young;  Maria  L.,  wife  of  Philip  Kuhl,  a 
merchant  of  this  city,  who  have  two  children; 
and  Anna,  wife  of  Omer  S.  Spring,  of  Peoria, 
Illinois,  a  wholesale  grocer  and  confectioner; 
they  have  one  daughter,  Mary  L. 


CARLES  J.  NORBURY,  one  of  the 
old  and  best  known  men  of  Cass  county, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  May  22, 
1812.  His  father,  Joseph  B.,  was  a  native 
of  Northumberland,  Pennsylvania,  grew  up 
and  obtained  his  education  in  Phila- 


238 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS 8, 


delphia,  became  an  attorney,  and  was  so  en- 
gaged until  his  death  at  sixty  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  well  known  citizen  of  that  city. 
His  mother,  Rebecca  Frick,  was  born  in 
Northumberland  county,  coming  of  German 
parents,  and  died  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Dutch  Eeformed  Church. 

Mr.  Norbury,  after  obtaining  his  early  edu- 
cation, became  a  clerk  in  a  wholesale  house  in 
Philadelphia.  In  the  spring  of  1836  he  came 
to  Beardstown  via  Pittsburg,  the  Ohio, 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers.  He  has  since 
been  a  resident  of  this  place.  He  first  began 
as  a  clerk  for  William  Eassett,  who  was  a 
dealer  in  flour  and  dry  goods  and  agent  for 
the  steamboats  on  the  rivers.  After  this  Mr. 
Norbury  was  associated  with  several  gentle- 
men, and  later  entered  into  business  relations 
with  George  Plahn,  which  continued  until 
1884,  when  Mr.  Norbury  retired  from  active 
business.  In  these  years  he  had  become  one 
of  the  best  known  men  of  the  county,  re- 
spected for  his  honesty  and  as  one  who  was 
a  friend  in  need.  He  never  accumulated  a 
large  fortune,  but  possesses  a  modest  com- 
petence. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  in  183,9,  to 
Elizabeth  Spence  of  Tennessee,  born  October 
16,  1822.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Rev, 
Thomas  Spence,  a  prominent  Methodist  min- 
ister of  Tennessee,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  the 
early  thirties,  having  been  a  pioneer  minister 
in  the  early  history  of  the  State.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Norbury  are  working  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church.  He  is  not  an  office 
seeker,  but  has  always  been  a  "Whig  and  a 
Republican,  voting  first  for  William  H. 
Harrison  and  last  for  his  grandson.  Having 
always  lived  a  temperate  life,  notwithstand- 
ing his  age,  he  has  a  clear  eye  and  sound 
faculties.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents 
of  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living. 


Those  living  are:  Rebecca,  widow  of  D.  H. 
Flickwin  and  living  in  Beardstown;  Jennie, 
now  wife  of  Judge  S.  P.  Dale,  Canon  City, 
Colorado;  William  remains  at  home;  Paralee, 
the  wife  of  O.  K.  Ruechler,  lives  in  Jackson- 
ville, Illinois;  Arthur  also  lives  at  Jackson- 
ville; Elizabeth  resides  in  Denver;  Anna, 
wife  of  William  D.  Epler,  resides  in  Beards- 
town;  Frank  is  a  physician  in  charge  of  the 
male  annex  of  the  insane  asylum  at  Jackson- 
ville; Mamie  is  the  wife  of  G.  B.  Hegardt, 
assistant  United  States  Engineer  at  Fort 
Stephens,  Oregon.  He  built  the  Government 
jetties  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river. 


fOHN  L.  BENNETT,  born  in  McDon- 
ough  county,  Illinois,  December  13, 1832, 
is  the  son  of  Isaac  Bennett,  born  in  North 
Carolina,  May  22,  1808.  He  married  in 
White  county,  Tennessee,  Mary  Lynch,  April 
8, 1834.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Mary  Lynch.  The  latter  was  born  August 
7,  1814.  Her  parents,  who  were  farmers, 
reared  eight  children,  the  father  dying  in 
Tennessee,  at  the  age  of  forty-live,  her  mother 
in  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  aged  eighty-four 
years.  Grandfather  Bennett  died  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1831,  and  his  wife  in  Hancock 
county  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  She  came 
to  Illinois  in  1834,  her  son,  Isaac,  coming 
with  her.  They  first  settled  in  McDonough 
county,  coming  from  Tennessee  in  ox  carts, 
taking  about  eight  weeks  to  the  trip.  They 
were  in  humble  circumstances,  and  lived  in 
McDonough  county  for  two  years,  and  then 
went  from  there  to  Hancock  county,  where 
they  took  up  a  claim  of  160  acres  of  wild  land 
with  no  improvements.  They  built  a  rude 
log  cabin,  in  which  they  lived  and  reared 
most  of  the  children.  He  made  a  good  farm 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES, 


239 


of  this,  for  which  he  paid  and  took  a  deed  in 
1838.  They  had  eleven  children:  John  L., 
the  second,  is  a  farmer  and  stock  grower  of 
Hiar  township,  McDouough  county;  Mary 
Jane  was  the  wife  of  Fhilo  McPeigh,  who 
died  and  left  two  children ;  Norelan  is  a  large 
farmer  of  Hancock  county,  and  has  three 
children ;  Barbary  Ann  was  the  wife  of  George 
Bradly,  and  died,  leaving  four  children; 
Rufus,  a  farmer  of  Hancock  county,  Illinois; 
Lorinda,  killed  by  a  kick  from  a  horse  at  the 
age  of  eleven;  Zilpha  died  at  fourteen;  Jere- 
miah, a  wealthy  ranchman  and  stock-grower 
of  Texas;  Lucinda,  wife  of  William  Duncan, 
died  leaving  five  children;  Phoabe  is  married 
and  resides  in  St.  Louis,  and  has  two  children. 

John  L.  Bennett  had  very  limited  oppor- 
tunities for  obtaining  an  education:  could 
barely  read  when  a  young  man.  He  had  to 
begin  hard  work  when  but  a  child,  plowing 
corn  when  only  eleven  years  old.  He  has 
worked  very  hard  all  his  life  until  very  re- 
cently. He  was  and  is  still  a  very  rugged 
and  strong  man,  and  could  endure  anything 
and  everything,  even  the  ague  which  shook 
him  while  a  lad. 

He  was  married  at  twenty-one  and  soon 
left  home.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Carder, 
born  in  Indiana,  where  she  was  reared, 
daughter  of  Cooper  B.  Carder,  of  South  Caro- 
lina, who  came  to  Illinois  in  1839.  Her 
mother  was  a  Miss  Dudney,  of  Tennessee. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carder  came  to  Illinois  in, 
1839,  where  the  latter  died  in  1853,  leaving 
Elizabeth  to  care  for  the  home.  Mrs.  Ben- 
nett's father,  nearly  eighty  years  of  age,  is 
living  with  her  on  the  farm,  of  180  acres. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bennett  have  had  a  hard 
struggle  to  get  this  farm.  They  worked 
rented  lands  for  some  years  and  then  bought 
their  first  land  in  1864,  fifty-five  acres  of 
timber  for  $700,  paying  one-half  down.  This 


was  in  Hancock  county,  and  they  sold  this 
and  bought  where  they  now  are.  They  have 
owned  as  much  as  230  acres  since.  Mr.  Ben- 
nett has  done  general  farming  all  these  years, 
and  for  the  past  few  years  lias  owned  stock 
horses.  He  stands  three  fine  stallions,  two 
of  them  full  blood,  imported  Clydesdale.  He 
keeps  from  fifteen  to  twenty  head  of  horses, 
some  cattle  and  many  hogs.  Turns  off  as 
high  as  forty  horses. 

They  have  had  twelve  children,  have  buried 
two  daughters  and  three  sons;  four  died  in 
infancy  and  early  childhood.  Eliza  Ann,  the 
first  born,  married  Samuel  Reeves,  and  died 
at  thirty  years  of  age.  Those  living  are: 
Mary  M.,  wife  of  William  Neff,  farmer  in 
Hancock  county,  with  two  children;  Charles 
Edward  married  Allie  Buck,  a  farmer;  John 
M.  married  Nancy  White,  resides  with  his 
parents  and  is  running  the  home  farm;  Henry 
is  single  and  has  a  tonsorial  establishment  in 
Chicago;  Edgar  is  married  to  a  Miss  Swanson 
and  resides  in  Chicago;  Otto,  in  Hancock 
county;  Homer,  still  a  child,  is  at  home.  Mr. 
Bennett  is  a  straight  Democrat.  He  and  his 
wife  are  highly  respected  by  all  who  know 
them. 


HRISTIAN  DUPES,  of  the  firm  of 
Dupes  &  Blohm,  dealers  in  general 
merchandise  and  farm  implements,  was 
born  in  Monroe  precinct,  Cass  county,  where 
he  has  always  lived.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  county  as  a  farmer.  He 
is  the  son  of  David  Dupes,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  came  to  Illinois  when  a  young 
man  early  in  the  forties.  He  was  married, 
in  1844,  in  Schuyler  county,  to  Katie  Neat- 
hamer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  was 
reared  in  her  native  State.  She  came  when 
young  to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  and  was 


240 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


married  to  Mr.  Dupes  at  the  early  age  of 
fourteen.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  Dupes 
began  their  married  life  on  a  farm,  but  in 
1845  he  moved  to  Cass  county,  and  they  set- 
tled in  Monroe  precinct,  where  he  afterward 
owned  300  acres  in  this  county  and  160  in 
Ottawa  county,  Kansas.  He  continued  to 
live  in  Monroe  precinct  until  his  death,  on 
section  26,  township  18,  range  11,  in  1888. 
He  was  then  seventy-three  years  of  age,  and 
had  been  a  successful  farmer,  a  good  citizen 
and  a  stanch  Democrat.  His  wife  still  survives 
him,  living  at  the  old  homestead,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two  years.  She  is  the  mother  of  six 
sons  and  three  daughters  still  living,  and  two 
sons  deceased. 

Christian  is  the  eldest  child,  and  has  never 
married.  He  was  engaged  as  a  farmer  for 
many  years,  and  was  very  successful,  owning 
some  very  valuable  property  in  the  village  of 
Bluff  Springs.  His  present  business  was 
established  in  October,  1888,  under  the  pres- 
ent firm  name,  but  recently  Mr.  Dupes  sold 
the  store  to  A.  W.  Blohm,  but  retains  the 
realty.  After  the  first  year  they  increased 
their  capital  and  capacity  to  double  its  origi- 
nal size,  and  are  now  doing  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive business. 

He  is  independent  in  politics,  and  is  an 
ambitious  young  man,  still  in  the  prime  of 
life,  being  only  a  little  over  forty  years  of 
age.  He  is  a  good  citizen  and  a  reliable 
business  man.  He  is  the  Assistant  Post- 
master of  the  place,  L.  A.  Jones  being  the 
Postmaster. 


fLAVJUS  C.  PRICE,  one  of  the  oldest 
of  the  native  born  settlers  of  Mount 
Sterling,  was  born  December  12,  1838. 
His  father,  William  D.  Price,  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  near  Leesburg,  July  17,  1817. 


Grandfather  of  subject,  William  D.  Price, 
was  born  in  Virginia,  and  removed  from 
there  to  Kentucky,  being  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  that  state.  He  spent  his  last  years  at 
Lexington.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British. 

Father  of  subject  was  reared  in  Kentucky, 
and  came  from  there  to  Illinois  about  1833, 
and  located  in  that  part  of  Schuyler  county 
now  included  in  Brown  county.  He  entered 
a  tract  of  Government  land  on  section  2, 
built  a  log  house,  and  at  once  commenced  to 
improve  a  farm.  He  was  a  resident  there 
till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1848.  The 
maiden  name  of  mother  of  our  subject  was 
Eliza  A.  Taylor.  She  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Kentucky,  October  17,  1817,  daugh- 
er  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Taylor.  Her  par- 
ents came  from  Kentucky  to  Morgan  county 
in  1832,  and  thence  to  Brown  county  in 
1834.  Mother  of  subject  died  February  1, 
1871. 

Subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  township.  When  his  parents  settled 
here,  and  for  years  afterward,  the  country  was 
but  little  improved,  and  deer,  turkeys, 
wolves  and  other  game  abounded.  He  at- 
tended the  pioneer  schools.  These  were 
taught  in  a  log  house,  the  seats  made  of 
slabs,  one  side  hewn  smooth,  and  wooden 
pins  for  legs.  There  were  no  desks,  but 
holes  bored  in  the  wall,  pins  inserted,  and  a 
plank  laid  on  them  served  as  a  desk  for  the 
larger  pupils. 

He  continued  to  reside  with  his  mother  on 
the  farm  till  1862,  when,  August  8,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and 
Nineteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  The 
regiment  was  organized  at  Quincy,  in  Octo- 
ber, and  was  one  of  the  most  active  regi- 
ments in  the  army.  He  was  with  the  regi- 
ment in  all  its  various  marches,  campaigns 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


241 


and  battles.  The  most  important  battles 
were  the  siege  and  capture  of  Fort  de  Rus- 
sey,  Pleasant  Hill,  Yellow  Bayou,  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  and  Forts  Spanish  and  Blakely. 
He  was  discharged  with  the  regiment  and 
returned  home,  and  resumed  farming  till 
1882,  on  the  lot  where  he  now  resides  in 
section  1,  Mount  Sterling. 

He  was  married  May  10,  1861,  to  Narcis- 
sa  Wilson.  She  was  born  in  Brown  county, 
Illinois,  daughter  of  James  L.  Wilson.  She 
died  August  9,  1886.  He  was  again  mar- 
ried on  October  23,  1887,  to  Miss  Nancy 
Sullivan;  she  was  born  in  Scotland  county, 
Missouri.  He  has  one  child  living  by  first 
marriage,  Julia  E.,  and  by  second  marriage, 
one  daughter,  Calista.  Julia  E.  married 
Wm.  Jones,  of  Scott  county,  and  has  one 
daughter,  Ethel. 

Our  subject  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the 
Christian  Church,  as  also  was  his  first  wife. 


VENRY  C.  KEIL,  a  large  and  very  suc- 
cessful dealer  in  all  kinds  of  hardware, 
stoves  and  tinware,  was  born  in  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  November  7,  1848. 
He  grew  up,  attained  his  education  and 
learned  his  trade  of  tinner  in  his  native 
country.  His  father,  Johauas  Keil,  is  yet 
living  in  Germany  at  his  old  home,  and  is 
seventy  years  of  age.  He  has  been  all  his 
life  a  farmer.  He  had  married  a  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Moell,  a  native  of  his  own  province. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  She  and 
her  husband  had  belonged  all  their  lives  to 
the  German  Lutheran  Church. 

Henry  Keil  is  the  eldest  of  four  children. 
After  coming  to  this  country  and  locating  in 
Beardstown  in  1867,  he  went  back  by  way  of 
Hamburg,  Germany,  in  1873;  he  returned  to 


Beardstown  in  the  spring  of  1874,  and  has 
since  lived  here.  He  followed  the  tinner's  trade 
for  some  time.  He  began  business  for  him- 
self in  1876,  and  has  from  that  time  on  been 
increasing  his  stock  and  his  trade.  He  car- 
ries a  full  line  of  first-class  goods  in  a  fine 
brick  store  of  his  own  building,  which  he 
erected  on  Main  street  in  1890.  He  is  a  live 
man,  full  of  business,  and  one  who  works  for 
the  best  interest  of  his  city  and  county.  He 
has  been  a  stockholder  in  the  First  National 
bank  since  it  was  started,  first  as  a  private 
bank  in  1877,  and  later  a  national  bank  in 
1887. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to  Sophia 
Weis.  She  was  born  at  Hamilton  Station, 
Cass  county,  and  was  there  raised  and  edu- 
cated. She  is  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Catherine  Weis,  who  both  died  on  their  old 
farm  in  Cass  county.  They  were  pioneers  in 
Cass  county,  having  come  about  1840.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Keil  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  as  were  their  parents.  They  have 
three  smart  children:  Alma,  Arthur  and  Ed- 
win, all  still  at  home. 

Mr.  Keil  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  has 
been  Alderman  of  the  city  for  several  terms, 
and  is  a  fine  man  in  every  way. 


ifCHABOD  PERRY,  one  of  the  early  set- 
|l  tiers  of  this  county,  residing  in  Mount 
^  Sterling,  was  born  in  Clai  borne  county, 
Tennessee,  July  18,  1815.  His  father,  Ed- 
mond  Perry,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina 
and  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  receiving  a 
land  warrant  for  160  acres;  but  it  is  not 
known  that  this  was  ever  located.  His 
father  came  from  the  same  State,  and  re- 
moved from  there  to  Claiborne,  Tennessee, 
where  he  purchased  land  and  carried  on 
fanning  until  1831,  when  he  came  to  Illinois 


24S 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


He  spent  his  last  years  in  Brown  county. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Rebecca 
Yarberry,  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina. 
She  died  in  Brown  county,  also.  Their  son, 
Edinond,  was  a  natural  mechanic,  but  never 
learned  a  trade,  and  as  he  was  very  fond  of 
hunting,  he  put  in  a  good  deal  of  time  in 
that  way.  He  resided  in  Tennessee  until 
1831,  when,  with  his  parents  and  others  and 
wife  and  ten  children,  he  emigrated  to  Illi- 
nois, and  after  four  weeks  overland  travel 
landed  in  Morgan  county.  He  rented  a  log 
cabin,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  Jackson- 
ville, and  there  spent  the  winter,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1832  came  to  that  part  of  Schuyler 
that  has  been  included  in  Brown  county. 
He  settled  on  a  tract  of  vacant  land  in  what 
is  now  Cooperstown  township,  and  at  once 
built  a  log  cabin  in  the  usual  manner  of 
the  settlers,  with  rough  hewn  logs  and 
puncheon  floor.  He  lived  in  that  place  for 
about  a  year  when  he  found  out  that  he  had 
built  his  house  on  the  wrong  land.  He  then 
moved  to  the  adjoining  quarter  and  put  up  a 
log  cabin  there,  and  later  purchased  this 
land,  paying  therefor  $200,  mostly  in  prop- 
erty. It  was  military  land.  This  included 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  thirty,  and 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  improvement  of 
the  land,  and  resided  in  this  locality  until 
his  death.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Rachel  Bridges,  daughter  of  William 
and  Sarah  Bridges,  who  moved  from  Tennes- 
see to  Missouri  in  1831,  -and  spent  the  rest 
of  their  days  there. 

Ichabod  was  sixteen  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents.  The 
country  was  sparsely  settled  and  but  little 
improvement  has  been  made  anywhere. 
For  some  years  the  people  lived  on  the  pro- 
duce of  their  farms  and  on  the  wild  game 
that  abounded  in  the  forests.  His  mother 


used  to  card,  spin  and  weave,  and  dressed  her 
children  in  homespun  made  by  her  own 
hands.  The  father,  being  a  skilled  hunter, 
used  to  kill  a  great  many  deer.  He  dressed 
the  skins,  and  in  the  winter  the  boys  used  to 
wear  pants  made  of  that  material.  Ichabod 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Tennessee.  These  were  taught 
on  the  subscription  plan,  each  family  paying 
according  to  the  number  of  children  sent. 
He  made  the  best  of  his  opportunities,  and 
in  later  years  has  improved  his  mind  by  ex- 
tensive reading.  He  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  was  twenty  one  and  then  began 
life  for  himself.  In  1836  he  went  to  the 
Territory  of  Iowa.  At  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage he  located  on  wild  land  in  section  24, 
of  Mount  Sterling  township,  which  he  oc- 
cupied for  fifty-three  years.  He  bought 
other  tracts  of  land  at  various  times,  and  at 
one  time  was  the  owner  of  800  acres.  He 
has  assisted  each  of  his  children  to  homes, 
and  now  lives  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Ward. 
In  1838,  he  married  Martha  Bell,  born  in 
Kentucky,  January  1,  1818,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Jennie  Bell.  She  died  January 
7,  1892.  He  has  four  children  living: 
Oliver  H.,  married  to  Martha  McMillian; 
Lewis  C,,  married  first  to  Columbia  Sharon, 
and  for  his  present  wife,  Julia  Dennis; 
Ethan  Allen,  married  Delia  Sharon;  and 
Mary,  married  to  William  Ward.  Mr.  Ferry 
is  an  ardent  supporter  of  Republican  princi- 
ples. In  1846,  etc.,  when  he  was  a  Democrat, 
he  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  two  terms. 


f  RAN  KLIN  A.  HAMMER,  of  the  firm 
of  Beatty  &  Hammer,   dealers    in    all 
kinds  of  hardware  and  farmers'  imple- 
ments, was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Shenan- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


243 


doah  river,  in  Buckingham  county,  Virginia, 
April  10,  1829.  He  is  the  son  of  John 
Hammer,  who,  with  two  other  brothers,  had 
corne  from  Germany  prior  to  the  Revolution. 
The  family  was  started  in  this  country  by 
the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Franklin  Hammer, 
who  settled  in  Virginia,  and  lived  and  died 
there  at  an  advanced  old  age.  His  son  grew 
to  manhood  in  Virginia,  and  participated  in 
the  war  of  1812.  After  that  war  was  over 
he  moved  to  the  Shenandoah  valley  and 
farmed  in  Rockingham  county  for  some 
years,  when  he  went  to  Morgan  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  started  his  life  in  that  State  as  a 
general  mechanic  and  blacksmith  and  wagon- 
maker.  In  1843,  he  removed  to  Beardstown 
and  opened  up  a  livery  stable  and  hotel, 
which  he  ran  until  1848,  when  he  sold  out 
and  bought  a  farm  six  miles  from  Beards- 
town,  and  lived  on  it  for  some  years,  farm- 
ing and  improving  it  to  a  great  extent.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  again  moved  to 
Beardstown,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty,  in 
1868.  He  was  a  good  man  and  citizen  and 
well  known  pioneer.  He  was  a  Methodist 
in  religion,  and  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
married  in  his  native  county,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Marica,  of  Virginia.  She  died  on  the  farm 
in  Cass  county,  at  the  age  of  forty-six.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
was  married  a  second  time,  to  Cynthia  Dai- 
ton.  She  died  on  the  farm  in  Cass  county, 
without  issue,  when  quite  old. 

Franklin  is  the  only  surviving  member  of 
his  father's  three  children.  He  came  to  the 
State  of  Illinois  in  1835,  when  but  a  small 
boy,  with  his  parents,  settling  in  Arcadia, 
Morgan  county,  Illinois;  and  later,  in  1843, 
the  family  came  to  Beardstown,  and  his  father 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Cass  county.  Onr  sub- 
ject returned  to  Beardstown  and  was  con- 
nected for  many  years  in  the  livery  business, 


buying  and  selling  horses  and  preparing 
them  for  fancy  roadsters.  He  was  a  true  ad- 
mirer of  the  noble,  intelligent  animal,  and 
his  judgment  in  regard  to  the  worth  of  a 
horse  was  very  good.  In  the  old  days  he 
could  drive  four-in-hand  as  well  as  a  western 
stage  driver.  He  still  retains  his  fondness 
for  them,  and  has  all  his  old  power  of  judg- 
ing them.  In  1874,  he  sold  out  his  livery 
and  horse  business,  except  as  a  breeder  of  the 
Hambletonian  horses,  that  he  continued  until 
1877,  when  he  became  president  of  the  old 
Cass  County  Bank.  He  continued  in  this 
capacity  until  1883,  when  he  resigned  in  or- 
der to  enter  into  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Beattyj  he  buying  the  stock  of  Mr.  Rearick. 
He  had  been  a  stockholder  in  the  Cass  county 
bank  ever  since  its  organization  in  1866.  It 
had  been  previously  an  insurance  business. 
The  present  firm  of  Beatty  &  Hammer  is 
noted  for  the  full  line  df  reliable  goods  they 
carry.  They  are  located  on  Main  street.  Mr. 
Hammer  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
all  the  affairs  of  the  town.  He  has  made  ju- 
dicial investments  in  various  ways,  and  has 
made  considerable  money. 

Mr.  Hammer  was  married  in  Cass  county, 
to  Miss  Margaret  A.  Lee,  of  the  same  county 
of  Cass.  Her  parents,  Caleb  and  Matilda 
(Higgins)  Lee,  were  natives  of  Maryland,  and 
after  marriage  came,  in  1828,  to  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  and  settled  there.  He  was  a  farmer, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  on  the 
farm  that  he  purchased  upon  coming  to  the 
county. 

Mrs.  Hammer  is  the  youngest  of  four 
children,  and  all  were  born  in  Cass  county. 
She  and  her  husband  are  the  parents  of  two 
children  living:  John,  in  business  with  his 
father;  and  Nellie,  wife  of  Charles  Ireland, 
a  conductor  on  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  rail- 
road. Mr.  Hammer  is  a  Democrat  in  pol- 


244 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


itics,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Congregational    Church.     He  has    been    the 
Treasurer  and   Assessor  of  the  county 
term. 


one 


flLLlAM  T.  ADAMS  was  born  in 
Logan  county,  Kentucky,  March  7, 
1831.  His  father,  Benjamin  Adams, 
was  born  in  Maryland,  and  his  father  was 
also  from  Maryland.  He  was  also  a  farmer, 
who  left  Maryland  for  Kentucky  about  1.815, 
settled  in  Logan  county  and  resided  on  his 
farm  until  his  death.  His  wife's  name  was 
Sarah  Bell,  and  she  also  died  in  Logan  county. 
Benjamin  Adams  was  about  ten  years  old 
when  his  parents  moved  to  Kentucky,  and 
there  he  was  reared,  married  and  lived  until 
1830,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
what  is  now  Brown  county.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  three  children.  He 
made  the  entire  journey  by  team,  making  it 
in  three  weeks.  He  rented  land  a  mile  north 
of  Mount  Sterling  for  one  year,  and  then 
bought  timber  land  in  sections  2  and  3  of  the 
same  township.  '  Heat  once  built  a  log  cabin, 
making  a  comfortable  home,  although  he  had 
to  hew  the  logs  and  build  it  himself.  He 
lived  upon  the  same  farm  until  his  death  in 
1873.  His  wife's  name  was  Perneta  Clark, 
born  in  Logan  county,  Kentucky,  whose  father, 
Abner,  came  from  North  Carolina,  an  early 
settler  of  Logan  county,  where  he  lived  until 
1835.  He  then  sold  out  and  came  to  Illinois, 
and  bought  in  what  is  now  Missouri  town- 
ship, improved  his  farm  and  resided  there 
until  his  death.  His  wife's  name  was  Nancy 
Gorham,  of  Kentucky.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  is  still  living  at  the  old  home,  aged 
eighty-six.  He  was  two  years  old  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois.  Of  course, 
in  those  days  the  people  were  obliged  to  live 


on  game,  fish  and  the  product  of  their  land. 
He.  as  many  other  pioneer  buys,  went  to  school 
in  a  log  hut  with  seats  of  slabs.  Holes  in 
the  side  of  the  building  served  for  windows. 
He  resided  with  his  father  until  his  marriage, 
when  he  settled  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides. 

He  married,  September  21,  1854,  Ann 
Eliza  Buvinger,  of  Martinsburg,  Virginia, 
born  November  15,  1853.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Maryland,  and  her  grandfather  in 
Germany.  The  latter  located  in  Baltimore 
when  he  came  to  America,  and  continued 
there  until  his  death.  The  father  of  Mrs. 
Adams  was  a  hatter.  He  went  when  a  young 
man  to  Virginia,  and  there  married  Margaret 
McCormick,  and  in  1834  moved  to  Cham- 
paign county,  Ohio,  and  in  1852  came  to 
Illinois.  He  purchased  a  home  in  Mount 
Sterling,  and  here  resided  until  his  death. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  have  four  living  chil- 
dren: Charles  B.,  who  married  Sarah  Briggs; 
Sarah,  married  to  William  Briggs;  Thomas, 
married  to  Julia  Harris;  and  William  E. 


S.  NICHOLSON,  editor  of  the  Beards- 
town  Illinoian,  was  born  in  Oldham, 
Lancashire,  England,  in  1832.  The 
family  left  Liverpool  on  the  anniversary  of 
the  Queen's  marriage,  and,  like  so  many  emi- 
grants, had  a  slow  passage  to  New  Orleans, 
thence  up  the  Mississippi  river,  settling  at 
last,  after  a  journey  of  eleven  weeks  with  teams, 
at  Jacksonville.  In  1850  the  family  settled 
on  improved  lands  near  Beardstown.  They 
farmed  this  land.  Part  of  the  family  moved 
to  Home,  Peoria  county,  where  the  father  died, 
aged  seventy-three  years,  four  months  and 
twenty-eight  days.  He  had  been  a  good, 
quiet  citizen.  The  war  of  the  Rebellion 
changed  his  politics  and  he  became  a  decided 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


245 


Republican  in  his  old  age.  His  wife,  for- 
merly Miss  Mary  Needham,  died  February  9, 
1881.  She  had  been  a  good,  kind  wife  and 
mother,  and  both  she  and  her  husband 
were  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  having  been  so  connected  for  thirty- 
live  years. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  commenced  life 
here  as  an  office  boy  at  the  office  of  a  paper 
of  which  he  later  became  the  proprietor  and 
editor.  The  history  of  journalism  in  Beards- 
town  began  as  early  as  1834,  when  F.  Arenz, 
the  brother  of  Judge  Arenz,  became  the  editor 
of  the  Beardstown  Chronicle  and  Illinoian, 
a  kind  of  land  advertiser.  The  next  paper 
was  started  by  Judge  Emmons  in  1845,  and 
this  was  later  owned  by  C.  D.  Dickinson, 
and  he  was  followed  by  J.  M.  Sherman.  Soon 
after  it  became  the  property  of  B.  C.  Drake, 
who  ran  it  under  the  name  of  the  Central 
Illinoian,  When  the  war  broke  out  the  of- 
fice was  closed  and  the  editor  enlisted.  -The 
paper  was  re-organized  by  R.  S.  Mitchell,  the 
property  becoming  owned  by  a  stock  company. 
Following  the  election  of  1863  it  became  the 
property  of  L.  W.  Reavis,  who  continued  to 
be  the  owner  until  1866.  The  next  year  the 
paper  was  the  property  of  A.  J.  M  iller  and  was 
edited  by  Judge  Emmons,  and  in  1877  Mr. 
Nicholson  became  the  manager  and  pro- 
prietor. He  was  his  own  editor,  and  except 
for  a  short  interval  in  1883,  has  continued  to 
run  it  successfully  as  a  semi-weekly,  under 
the  name  of  the  Illinoian.  He  is  a  thorough 
and  practical  newspaper  man  and  the  columns 
display  his  ability.  His  paper  is  run  in  the 
interests  of  the  Republican  party,  and  he  has 
taken  hold  of  all  matters  that  tend  toward 
reform.  He  has  always  been  agreat  admirer 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  relates  Mr.  Lincoln's 
early  experiences  here  with  an  especial  pride 
and  enthusiasm. 


He  was  married  in  this  city,  in  1860,  to 
Miss  J.  D.  C.  Harris,  who  came  from  Eng- 
land with  her  parents  when  a  young  woman. 
She  died  herein  1873,  leaving  four  children, 
of  whom  but  one  is  still  living,  Charles  B.,  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Merry  &  Nicholson 
of  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  Mr.  Nicholson  was 
married  for  the  second  time,  in  this  city,  to 
Miss  E.  J.  Buck.  She  was  born,  reared  and 
educated  in  Cass  county,  and  she  has  been  a 
good  wife  and  mother,  and  is  an  intelligent 
lady.  Her  one  child  is  a  son  named  Edgar 
E.,  a  bright  lad  of  twelve  years.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Nicholson  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
every  sense.  He  has  frequently  been  a  dele- 
gate to  the  State  and  District  Conventions 
and  once  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Com- 
mittee. 


ILLIAM  W.  GLAZE  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1825,  in  Scioto  county, 
Ohio.  His  father,  Jacob  Glaze,  was 
born  in  the  same  county,  but  his  father  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  although  he  died  in  Scioto. 
Mr.  Glaze,  Sr.,  was  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and 
died  in  the  county  where  his  entire  life  was 
spent,  in  1844.  His  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Reardin  family,  a  native  of  the  same 
county  as  her  husband,  and  she  lived  until 
1891.  She  left  three  children  living. 

William  Glaze  moved  to  Brown  county  in 
1856,  by  team,  with  his  family.  Here  he  has 
remained  ever  since  on  the  land  he  bought 
when  he  came  to  the  county.  He  built  a 
house  when  he  brought  his  family,  as  the 
old  one-story  house  that  was  on  the  place 
when  he  bought  it  burned  down.  Times  were 
hard  after  his  arrival  in  Illinois.  The  banks 
of  the  State  were  in  bad  repute  and  money 
was  scarce.  Mr.  Glaze  had  a  great  deal  of 


246 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA88, 


difficulty  in  paying  his  taxes  the  first   year. 
He  served  as  Supervisor  two  terms. 

He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Coleman,  a 
native  of  Scioto  county.  They  have  six  child- 
dren;  May  J.,  Maggie  F.,  Carrie  F.,  Julia  H., 
Thomas  H.  and  A.  J.  Mr.  Glaze  has  been  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  for  twenty-six 
years  and  has  filled  all  the  important  offices 
in  the  order.  He  once  represented  the  order 
at  the  Grand  Lodge.  Two  of  his  children  live 
at  home. 


iHARLES  BOCKEMEIER,  general 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  was  born  in 
Prussia,  not  far  from  the  river  Rhine, 
August  16,  1835.  His  father,  Charles,  lived 
and  died  in  Prussia,  a  blacksmith  by  trade. 
His  wife  came  to  the  United  States  six 
months  after  his  death,  joining  her  sons  in 
Cass  county,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 
She  and  her  husband  were  life-long  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Charles  was  a  young 
single  man  when  in  1854  he  set  out  for  the 
United  States.  He  took  the  usual  route  via 
New  Orleans,  Mississippi,  Ohio  and  Illinois 
rivers,  to  Beardstown,  and  joined  his  brother 
Casper,  who  had  come  here  two  years  before. 
He  has  been  in  the  county  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  and  what  he  now  owns  he  has 
made  by  his  own  efforts.  He  has  owned  his 
present  place  for  fourteen  years.  It  consists 
of  160  acres,  some  well  improved,  and  some 
very  fine  pasture  land.  He  is  at  present 
Commissioner  of  road  district  No.  3,  of 
Cass  county. 

He  was  first  married  to  Miss  Barbara 
Gemming,  of  Germany,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  when  a  young  woman.  At  her 
death  she  left  three  children:  Mrs.  Anna 
Flamme,  of  Pekin,  Illinois;  Mrs.  Lena  Her- 
ety,  wife  of  a  railroad  employe",  and  Mrs. 


Emma  Nortrup,  of  Scott  county,  Illinois. 
He  was  married  a  second  time,  near  Beards- 
town,  to  Mrs.  Loise  Wubker;  her  maiden 
name  was  Loise  Schewe.  She  was  born  in 
Prussia,  came  here  when  a  young  woman, 
was  first  married  in  Cass  county,  to  Henry 
Wubker,  and  by  that  marriage  had  seven 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bockemeier  have 
two  sons,  Charles  and  William.  They  attend 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and  are  highly  re- 
spected members  of  it.  Mr.  Bockemeier  is 
a  sound  Democrat  and  an  excellent  man. 


HOMAS  I.  McDANNOLD,  an  exten- 
sive farmer  of  Pea  Ridge  township, 
was  born  in  Bath  county,  Kentucky, 
July  5,  1826.  His  father,  John,  was  born  in 
Montgomery  county,  Kentucky,  in  1797,  and 
his  father,  Reuben,  was  born  in  Culpeper 
county,  Virginia,  in  1750;  and  his  father, 
Alexander,  was  born  near  Aberdeen,  Scot- 
land, coming  to  America  in  colonial  times, 
and  settled  in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia, 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  days.  Reuben 
emigrated  to  Kentucky  at  an  early  day, 
secured  a  large  tract  of  land,  which  he  im- 
proved with  slave  labor,  and  resided  there 
until  1834,  then  sold  out  and  emigrated  to 
Pike  county,  Missouri,  settled  near  Clarks- 
ville,  bought  a  farm  and  resided  there  until 
his  death  in  1854.  John  learned  the  trade 
of  tanner  and  conducted  the  business  in 
Owensville,  Kentucky,  and  in  connection 
with  it  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business. 
He  resided  there  itntil  his  death  in  1834. 
He  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  and  served  several 
years  as  Sheriff  of  the  county.  In  1834  the 
mother  of  our  subject  emigrated  to  Illinois, 
making  the  journey  in  a  two  horse  wagon. 
She  located  at  Springfield,  where  two  brothers 
lived.  Her  father  gave  her  some  land,  a  part 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


247 


of  which  is  now  included  in  the  land  in 
Springfield  and  the  rest  at  Buffalo  Heart 
Grove.  She  married  a  second  time,  and  lived 
near  Springfield  for  a  season,  and  then  moved 
to  Jacksonville  and  spent  her  last  days  there. 

Thomas  was  in  his  eighth  year  when  they 
came  to  Illinois,  and  remembers  many  of  the 
incidents  of  the  journey.  At  that  time  Van- 
dalia  was  the  capital  of  the  State,  and  Spring- 
field was  only  a  village  of  2,000  inhabitants. 
There  was  no  railroad  in  Illinois,  and  St. 
Louis  and  Beardstown  were  the  nearest  mar- 
kets for  supplies.  He  went  to  school  at 
Springfield,  and  resided  there  until  1844,  and 
then  went  to  his  grandfather's  in  Pike  county, 
Missouri.  He  remained  with  his  grandfather 
one  year,  and  in  1845  came  to  Mount  Ster- 
ling, and  in  the  next  year,  in  company  with 
his  brother-in-law,  General  Singleton,  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  in  Missouri  township, 
which  he  occupied  two  years,  and  in  1848 
purchased  the  place  where  he  now  resides. 
He  is  well  known  as  a  practical  and  success- 
ful farmer,  and  has  purchased  land  at  different 
times,  and  now  owns  some  400  acres.  His 
improvements  rank  with  the  best  in  the 
county. 

He  was  married  in  March,  1849,  to  Mary 
Elizabeth  Means,  born  in  Lewis  county,  Ken- 
tucky, January  1,  1828.  Her  father,  Major 
John  Means,  was  born  in  the  same  county, 
and  his  father,  John  Means,  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, went  from  there  to  Kentucky  with 
his  family  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Lewis  county.  The  removal  was  made  with 
pack-horses.  He  secured  a  tract  of  land  on 
which  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  on  which 
he  remained  until  his  death.  His  wife's 
name  was  Elizabeth  Elton,  born  near  Phila- 
delphia, and  she  died  in  Lewis  county,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-six.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Mc- 
Dannold  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith, 


which  he  followed  in  Lewis  county  until 
1835,  and  then  with  his  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren came  to  Illinois.  He  settled  in  that 
part  of  Schuyler  county  now  included  in 
Mount  Sterling,  and  bought  a  tract  of  land 
one  mile  east  of  the  city,  and  remained  there 
until  his  death  in  1863.  The  name  of  his 
wife  was  Martha  Parker,  born  in  Culpeper, 
Virginia,  and  died  in  Mount  Sterling  in 
1884.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDannold  have  four 
living  children:  John  J.,  Thomas  R.,  George 
R.  and  Clara  L.  They  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  McDannold  was 
formerly  a  Whig,  but  has  been  a  stanch  Re- 
publican ever  since  the  formation  of  the 
party.  For  seventeen  years  he  has  been 
director  on  the  County  Agricultural  Board, 
and  for  six  years  has  been  its  vice-president. 


EORGE  W.  WILLIAMS  was  born  in 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  March 
17,  1826.  He  was  the  son  of  Thomas 
and  Margaret  (Young)  Williams.  The  former 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  died  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  when  George  was  about  four 
years  old.  Mrs.  Williams  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  died  in  Brown  county,  at  the 
home  of  her  son,  aged  seventy-eight. 

George  W.  Williams  was  bound  out  to  the 
trade  of  saddler  at  the  age  of  eight,  and  re- 
mained there  until  he  was  seventeen,  working 
for  his  board  and  clothes.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  apprenticeship,  he  hired  out  at  ten  dol- 
lars a  month,  and  worked  for  six  months  be- 
fore he  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  worked  under 
instructions  for  two  years,  and  then  traveled 
for  two  years.  In  1849  he  started  a  shop  in 
St.  Charles,  Missouri,  and  continued  there 
until  the  next  year,  when  he  started  for  Mt. 
Sterling.  He  remained  there  only  one  sum- 
mer, and  then  opened  a  shop  in  Versailles. 


248 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


In  1852  he  sold  out  and  crossed  the  plains  to 
California  with  a  team  of  oxen.  He  engaged 
in  mining  at  Michigan  Bar,  and  followed  it 
for  several  months,  when  the  city  was  burned. 
He  then  went  to  the  mines,  but  that  fall 
opened  a  shop  in  Red  Bluff,  and  managed  it 
until  1858.  He  then  returned  by  way  of 
New  Orleans  to  Versailles,  and  again  opened 
a  shop.  In  a  year  or  two  he  went  on  a  farm, 
which  he  had  bought  previously,  of  240  acres, 
partly  improved.  He  built  a  log  cabin  16  by 
18  feet  and  lived  there  until  1863,  when  he 
built  a  two-story  frame  house  and  various 
farm  buildings.  Mr.  Williams  retired  from 
farm  work  in  the  spring  of  1891,  and  bought 
a  nice  house  with  twelve  acres  surrounding  it 
in  Mt.  Sterling,  just  out  of  the  city  limits. 
He  has  been  Assessor  and  School  Director. 
He  is  a  strong  Democrat,  though  he  cast  his 
first  vote  for  Taylor. 

Mr.  Williams  was  married  in  Versailles, 
Illinois,  October  11,  1858,  to  Miss  Juliet 
Boss,  of  Kentucky.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Richard  Ross.  Mr.  Ross  is  still  living,  but 
his  wife  is  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  have 
four  children  yet  living,  three  being  dead. 
Those  Btill  living  are:  Frank,  married  and 
having  a  bag  works  at  the  old  home;  Lydia, 
married;  Charley  and  Edith  are  at  home. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  are  very  esti- 
mable people,  and  are  very  influential  among 
their  large  circle  of  friends. 


ilLLIAM  B.  MANLOVE  was  born 
in  Schuyler  county,  December  28, 
1830,  near  the  town  of  Rushville- 
He  is  the  son  of  Jonathan  and  Charity  (Bo. 
denhamer)  Manlove.  The  former  was  a  far- 
mer of  North  Carolina,  and  came  to  this 
county  in  the  fall  of  1830,  traveling  over 


laud  all  the  way,  and  settled  near  Rushville, 
where  he  stayed  the  first  winter.  The  next 
spring  he  went  south  and  settled  near  Sugar 
Grove;  and  in  1834,  he  sold  and  moved  to 
Birminghan  township,  and  bought  a  farm 
where  our  subject  still  lives,  of  eighty  acres. 
He  put  up  a  log  house,  in  which  the  family 
lived.  During  the  building  of  this  house 
the  father  died,  at  the  age  of  twenty- eight, 
leaving  a  wife  and  three  children,  of  whom 
William  was  the  eldest.  The  mother  wove 
cloth  for  a  living,  and  kept  the  old  farm,  and 
later  married  a  second  time,  dying  at  the 
home  of  her  son,  William.  William  Manlove, 
Sr.,  was  of  English  descent.  The  family  were 
all  farmers  as  well  as  can  be  ascertained.  They 
left  North  Carolina  on  account  of  slavery. 

William  stayed  at  home  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  old,  assisting  his  mother  and  at- 
tending school  in  winter.  After  he  became 
nineteen,  he  engaged  to  work  for  a  neighbor 
at  50  cents  a  day,  but  worked  for  him  only 
two  months,  and  then  went  to  his  first  free 
school, the  other  being  a  subscription  school. 
He  worked  out  by  the  month  for  a  year,  and 
then  returned  home,  and  buying  out  the  heirs 
settled  there.  He  had  one  yoke  of  oxen  at 
that  time. 

He  was  married  in  1853,  to  Miss  Abigail 
Swisegood,  who  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
and  came  with  her  parents  to  Illinois  in  1846, 
being  the  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
Swisegood.  She  was  one  of  six  children,  five 
yet  living. 

At  his  marriage  he  had  only  a  small  farm, 
but  by  dint  of  hard  labor  he  has  increased  it 
to  900  acres  of  as  fine  land  as  there  is  in  the 
county.  He  commenced  work,  plowing  corn 
at  25  cents  a  day,  taking  his  pay  in  bread  and 
meat,  which  he  carried  to  his  mother  who 
hired  him  out.  He  never  went  into  debt  for 
anything,  but  by  great  economy  and  much 


SCHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


249 


self-denial  he  succeeded  in  buying  some  land, 
and  afterward  stock.  He  feeds  two  or  three 
cars  of  cattle  and  hogs,  and  has  always  been 
a  man  devoted  to  his  home. 

He  voted  the  first  time  for  Fillmore  and  the 
Kepublican  ticket  ever  since,  as  his  father 
was  an  old-line  Whig.  The  whole  family  are 
considered  good,  honest  people,  and  highly  re- 
spected by  everybody,  making  no  pretensions. 
He  built  his  present  home  in  1865,  and  was 
visited  by  the  soldiers  returning  from  the  war. 
All  of  his  land  is  in  this  township,  and  600 
acres  of  it  is  highly  cultivated.  He  had  six 
children,  five  living,  namely:  Eli,  the  eldest, 
is  deceased;  Laura  A.,  John  J.,  Isabell  V., 
Tad  J.  and  Em  berry  J.  A  grandson,  William, 
a  son  of  his  oldest  son,  lives  with  them. 


(EORGE  I.  FIELDS  was  born  in  Wythe 
county,  Virginia,  May  16,  1837.  His 
father,  John  D.  Fields,  was  born  in  Rap- 
pahannock  county,  Virginia.  His  grandfather 
was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  came  to  this 
country  at  an  early  date  and  settled  near 
Richmond,  Virginia.  Here  he  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  100  years.  Mr.  John  D. 
Fields  was  a  brick  mason  and  a  farmer.  He 
attended  to  his  trade  and  had  his  sons  work 
the  farm.  He  lived  on  his  farm  until  his 
death  in  October,  1868,  when  he  was  ninety- 
six  years  old.  He  was  a  Sergeant  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and  made  a  fine  record  in  the  naval 
service,  especially  at  Norfolk,  Virginia.  He 
was  honorably  discharged.  He  received  his 
land  warrant  for  160  acres,  which  he  sold. 
His  wife's  name  was  Nancy  E.  Williams,  a 
native  of  Culpeper  county,  Virginia.  She 
died  in  Wythe  county,  Virginia,  after  a 
happy  married  life  of  sixty  years,  Mr.  and 


Mrs.  John  D.  Fields  had  seven  children, 
three  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Mr.  George  I.  Fields  is  the  youngest  of 
the  family.  He  left  his  home  in  1867  and 
settled  in  Versailles,  Brown  county,  Illinois. 
Until  that  time  he  had  been  a  farmer,  but 
from  then  until  1884  he  was  engaged  in 
milling.  Since  then  he  has  engaged  in  news- 
paper work  as  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Versailles  Enterprise. 

He  was  married  to  Ellen  P.  McWane 
April  16,  1865.  She  was  born  in  Nelson 
county,  Virginia,  and  is  still  spared  to  her 
family.  They  have  had  nine  children,  six  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Maggie  V. 
Nancy  E.,  Emma  J.,  Addie  D.,  Louie  and 
Stella  May. 

Mr.  Fields  has  been  elected  Tax  Collector 
for  the  township  seven  times.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  is  the  Chaplain  of  the 
blue  lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  connected 
himself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  1870,  and  has  been  a  Class-leader  and  ex- 
horter  most  of  the  time.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fields 
are  worthy  members  of  society  and  are  greatly 
esteemed  by  their  host  of  warm  friends. 


HOMAS  RYAN,  Supervisor  of  Buena 
Vista  township,  resides  on  section  20, 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  He  was 
born  October  20,  1845,  and  raised  in  this 
county.  His  parents  were  Charles  and  Mar- 
garet (Strong)  Ryan.  His  father  was  born 
in  Ohio,  but  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Frederick,  Illinois,  where  he  married,  and 
settled  in  Buena  Vista  township  in  1833. 
He  was  a  brickmaker,  and  burnt  the  first 
brick  ever  made  in  Rushville.  He  also 
worked  at  the  shoemaker's  trade.  He  finally 
located  on  land  in  section  21,  where  he  im- 


250 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    C'ASS, 


proved  this  farm  of  120  acres,  besides  which 
he  owned  320  acres  more.  He  erected 
good  substantial  buildings  on  this  place  and 
otherwise  improved  and  cultivated  the  land. 
Here  he  resided  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
•which  occurred  January  9,  1891.  His  wife, 
mother  of  our  subject,  died  December  16, 
1879.  They  had  eight  children,  five  sons 
and  three  daughters:  John,  deceased;  George, 
now  residing  in  Texas  (Grapevine);  Cathar- 
ine, wife  of  Thomas  Armstrong;  Louisa,  wife 
of  Alexander  Young;  Charles,  deceased; 
Thomas,  the  subject  of  our  sketch;  William; 
and  Margaret  E.,  wife  of  Thomas  Stoughel. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  home  farm,  and  received  his  education  at 
the  country  schools  of  that  district,  residing 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of 
age.  In  1868,  he  was  married  to  Ellen 
Shields,  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Julia  (Fut- 
ler)  Shields.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  June  16, 
1847.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  New  York,  who  came  to  Illinois 
in  1857,  locating  in  Rushville.  Mr.  Shields 
served  in  the  late  civil  war,  being  a  member 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Regi- 
ment, and  died  while  in  the  army.  His  wife, 
mother  of  Mrs.  Ryan,  is  still  living,  in  Can- 
ton, Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryan  have  had  twelve  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  are  living,  the  latter  be- 
ing Martin,  Josie,  Homer,  Minnie,  Herman, 
Clarence,  Lula  and  Lena,  the  last  two  being 
twins. 

Mr.  Ryan  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
farmers  of  the  county,  owning  160  acres  of 
highly  improved  and  cultivated  land,  devoted 
to  mixed  husbandry.  He  has  a  comfortable 
home  and  large  barns  for  his  grain  and  stock, 
besides  other  modern  improvements. 

Politically,  he  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  has  been  honored  by  his  con- 


stituents  by  being    elected    to    the   office  of 
Supervisor  of  his  township. 

He  is  a  respected  member  of  the  commun- 
ity on  account  of  his  many  admirable  traits  of 
character,  and  has  the  good  will  of  a  large 
circle  of  acquaintances. 


ENRY  D.  RITTER  was  born  August  6, 
1819,  son  of  Michael  and  Barbara  E. 
(Schafer)  Ritter.  The  former  was  born 
in  1795,  being  of  German  ancestry.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  stone  mason,  and  in 
1812  he  went  to  the  German  and  French  war 
and  served  as  a  soldier  for  nineteen  or  twenty 
years,  and  was  an  officer  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  He  was 
the  son  of  Reinhart  Ritter,  who  were  natives 
of  the  same  place.  They  were  farmers.  Sub- 
ject's mother  was  born  in  Germany  in  1796, 
and  died  when  about  sixty-five.  Her  parents 
lived  to  be  very  old  people. 

Henry  was  one  of  seven  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living,  and  he  is  the  eldest.  He 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-five 
years  old  and  worked  as  a  clerk.  He  sailed 
in  the  Mentor  for  America  from  Bremen, 
Prussia,  and  arrived  in  New  York  after  a 
voyage  of  six  weeks.  Here  he  remained  for 
eighteen  months,  engaged  in  painting  and  the 
manufacture  of  parasols  and  umbrellas.  From 
there  he  went  to  Virginia  and  followed  the 
business  of  painting  houses  for  three  years, 
when  he  married  and  came  to  Ohio,  settling 
in  Fayette  county,  where  he  bought  a  house 
and  four  acres  of  land,  and  there  lived  until 
1854,  when  he  sold  and  came  to  Illinois  in 
the  fall,  settling  where  he  now  lives.  Here 
he  bought  120  acres  of  land,  which  he  im- 
proved, and  in  the  same  winter  he  added 
eighty  acres  to  the  farm.  There  was  a  log 


SCHUYLER    AJf£>    BHOWN    COUNTIES. 


251 


house  on  the  land  in  which  they  lived  until 
1861,  when  he  built  his  present  house.  He 
later  bought  120  acres,  and  then  eighty  acres 
more,  making  in  all  400  acres.  He  rents  al- 
most all  of  his  land,  and  has  practically  re- 
tired from  active  business.  Mr.  Hitter  has 
always  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  tilled  nearly 
every  office  in  the  county.  He  was  School 
Trustee  and  Assessor  for  twenty  years,  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  twelve  years,  Constable 
and  Coroner  four  years,  Sheriff  two  years, 
Commissioner  two  years,  Supervisor  eight 
years,  and  was  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors for  a  time,  and  he  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  county. 

He  was  married  April  24,  1848,  by  Rev. 
William  N.  Scott,  near  Petersburg,  Hardy 
county,  Virginia,  to  Miss  Lucinda  E.  Hall, 
born  in  Virginia  on  the  south  side  of  Blue 
Ridge  mountains,  April  13,  1823.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Judy  (Taylor)  Hall. 
James  Hall  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  fol- 
lowed farming.  When  Mrs.  Ritter  was  three 
years  old  the  family  moved  to  Rockingham 
county,  Virginia,  where  they  lived  several . 
years  and  then  moved  to  Hardy  county,  and 
bought  a  farm,  on  which  he  erected  a  log 
house,  where  he  lived  a  year  or  two,  and  then 
built  a  new  and  better  hewn-log  house  in 
another  neighborhood,  about  a  mile  from  the 
first  one.  Here  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  dying  at  the  advanced  age  of  one 
hundred  and  two  years,  on  his  birthday.  He 
was  the  father  of  eighteen  children,  seven 
boys  by  his  first  wife  and  eleven  children  by 
the  second  one,  Judy  Taylor.  Seven  of  the 
latter  are  still  living.  One  of  the  sons, 
Henry,  by  the  latter  marriage,  was  starved  to 
death  in  one  of  the  prisons  of  Richmond, 
Virginia,  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 
Mrs.  Judy  Hall  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
and  a  daughter  of  George  Taylor.  She  died 


in  Hardy  county,  aged  seventy  years.  Mrs. 
Ritter  and  her  brother  went  to  school  in  the 
old  subscription  schools  where  the  parents 
paid  according  to  the  number  of  children 
sent;  and  Mr.  Hall  had  so  many  children  he 
could  not  afford  to  send  more  than  two  or 
three  at  a  time.  Mrs.  Ritter  remembers 
her  first  teacher,  a  Mr.  Nick  Hawk,  who 
managed  to  keep  school  the  entire  year  in 
a  log  house  with  benches  of  slabs,  without 
backs.  Their  slates  and  pencils  were  pieces 
of  soapstone  and  slate  that  they  could  find 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  school. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritter  have  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, nine  yet  living:  Mary  E.,  married  Cal- 
vin Hill;  Judy  V.  married  Henry  C.  Hill, 
seven  children,  six  yet  living;  Justina  C. 
married  Calvin  S.  Hill,  eight  living  children; 
Calvin  Z.  married  Viola  Weatherby;  George 
W.  married  Sylvina  Weatherby,  one  child; 
Douglas  J.,  at  home  with  his  father  at  work 
on  the  farm;  Elisa  Jane,  married  William  H. 
McDaniel,  five  children;  James  H.  S.  mar- 
ried Mattie  Shelton,  four  children  ;  Franklin 
W.  living  at  home;  Martha  O.  and  Martha 
Ann  died  when  small. 

Mr.  Ritter  is  a  member  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
Lodge,  No.  108,  at  Versailies,  and  the  Mere- 
dosia  Chapter  and  Council,  No.  56,  and  also 
of  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Irene  Lodge,  No.  72.  of  Ver- 
sailles, and  Encampment  of  I.  O.  O.  F. 

He  follows  general  mixed  farming  and  is  a 
well  educated  man,  being  educated  in  Ger- 
many. 


,ENKY  F.  WITTE,  a  practical  farmer 
and  stock-raiser,  lives  on  a  good  farm 
in  section  3,  township  18,  range  11, 
where  he  owns  120  acres  of  tine  prairie  land 
and  forty  acres  of  timber.  He  bought  this 


252 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF  .CAS8, 


land  in  1862  and  has  since  been  successful 
as  a  farmer.  He  was  born  in  Harford,  Men- 
den,  Westphalia,  Prussia,  Germany,  on 
August  9,  1824.  He  is  the  son  of  Fred  and 
Minnie  (Isserman)  Witte,  natives  of  Prussia, 
Germany,  where  they  married  and  began  life 
as  farmers.  There,  too,  all  the  family  was 
born,  and  in  1855  the  parents,  with  three 
children,  set  out  for  this  country,  taking 
passage  on  a  sailing  vessel,  the  Berker,  from 
Bremen,  leaving  September  8,  1856,  and 
landed  in  New  Orleans  after  a  voyage  of  nine 
weeks  and  two  days.  From  there  they  came 
up  to  Beardstown  on  a  steamer,  landing  here 
November  24,  1855.  Here  the  parents  lived 
and  died,  the  father  when  about  seventy 
years  old  and  the  mother  when  ten  years 
younger.  They  were  members  all  their  lives 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Henry  had  two  brothers  and  a  sister  that 
finally  came  to  this  country,  Henry  being 
the  only  one  now  living.  He  was  a  single 
man  when  he  made  the  voyage  and  worked 
for  two  years  in  the  Park  House  and  brick 
yards  in  Beardstown. 

In  1856  he  was  married  in  Beardstown  to 
Minnie  Vette,  born  near  the  birthplace  of 
her  husband.  Her  mother  had  died  in  Ger- 
many, and  her  father,  Fred  Vette,  followed 
his  daughter  to  the  United  States  and  spent 
his  last  years,  dying  in  Cass  county  when 
nearly  eighty  years  old.  He  and  his  wife 
were  life-long  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Mrs.  Witte  had  come  to  the  United 
States  when  a  young  woman,  in  1855,  on  the 
same  vessel  that  brought  her  future  husband. 
They  were  married  about  eighteen  months 
after  landing.  They  have  lived  and  labored 
to  build  up  a  good  home.  They  have  reared 
a  large  and  intelligent  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, two  deceased,  Carrie  and  Edward,  aged 
eight  years  and  one  month,  respectively. 


Those  living  are:  William  H.,  a  farmer  in 
Arenzville,  married  Sophia  Roegge  of  this 
county;  Bertha,  wife  of  Ed.  Krohe,  in 
Hickory  precinct;  Anna,  wife  of  Frank 
Lebknecher,  farmer  in  this  county;  Mariah, 
wife  of  Albert  Krohe  of  Hickory  precinct; 
Lizzie,  wife  of  William  Roegge,  a  farmer 
near  Arenzville;  and  Minnie,  who  is  still  at 
home  and  cares  for  her  parents.  She  is  an 
intelligent  and  accomplished  young  lady  and 
is  greatly  beloved  by  her  parents.  The  entire 
family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church,  and  Mr.  Witte  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. 

When  Mr.  Witte  was  a  young  man  he 
traveled  extensively  in  Germany,  and  was  in 
the  regular  German  army  from  1845  to  1847, 
but  was  not  in  the  Revolution  of  1848.  He 
and  his  family  are  highly  respected  by  all 
who  know  them. 


HOMAS  KNIGHT  was  born  in  Corn- 
wall county,  near  Land's  End,  England, 
August  14,  1836.  His  father,  Thomas 
Knight,  was  also  born  in  Cornwall,  of  Cor- 
nish parents,  and  followed  the  trade  of  cooper 
until  he  came  to  this  country  in  1846.  He 
first  settled  in  Meredosia  and  then  came  into 
Cass  county,  where  the  family  has  since  made 
their  home.  The  father  had  brought  a  little 
money  with  him  and  was  able  to  buy  forty 
acres  of  land.  He  became  a  farmer,  which 
business  was  entirely  new  to  him.  He  was 
very  industrious  and  had  good  judgment  and 
all  the  family  became  well  off.  The  father 
died  there,  after  having  increased  his  property 
to  264  acres.  His  wife  survived  him  some 
years,  and  died  when  past  four-score  years. 
She  was  remarkable  for  being  a  very  beautiful 
old  lady  and  a  very  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


UBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


253 


Mr.  Knight  is  one  of  a  family  of  six,  of 
which  all  are  still  living.  He  is  one  of  the 
wealthy  and  influential  ruen  of  Beardstown, 
and  is  now  living  at  the  corner  of  Eleventh 
and  Washington  streets,  where  he  recently 
purchased  a  fine  home,  and  has  lived  here 
ever  since  he  retired  from  active  life  on  his 
farm.  He  has  been  a  successful  farmer  aud 
stock-raiser  in  Hickory  precinct.  He  was  a 
progressive  farmer  and  kept  up  with  the 
times.  His  possessions  amount  to  520  acres, 
most  of  it  under  the  plow  and  suppled  with 
the  finest  improvements.  As  he  was  only 
ten  years  of  age  when  he  reached  Cass  County, 
he  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Knight  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to 
Emma  Dunn  of  Cornwall,  England,  where 
she  was  reared.  She  came  to  Illinois  with 
her  brothers  when  yet  a  young  girl  and  set- 
tled in  Cass  county,  where  she  and  her  brother 
John  still  reside.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knight 
have  six  children.  Robert,  who  married 
Delia  Thiveaght,  daughter  of  a  farmer  of 
Monroe,  Illinois;  Minnie  married  Fayette 
Post,  a  railroad  conductor  on  the  Ohio  & 
Mississippi,  living  in  Beardstown;  Myrtle 
married  L.  W.  Berry,  train  dispatcher  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  railroad;  Al- 
bert and  Eddie  are  at  home,  as  is  also  the 
youngest,  Clarence  Lloyd.  Mrs.  Knight  and 
some  of  the  children  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Knight, 
since  he  became  of  age,  has  become  a 
Democrat,  and  his  party  elected  him  to  the 
office  of  County  Commissioner.  He  is  a 
strong  local  worker  for  his  party. 


lICH  ARD  WATSON  MILLS,  one  of  the 

leading  attorneys   of   Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  Jacksonville,  Morgan 
county,  this  State,  August  3,  1844. 


18 


His  father,  Chesley  Mills,  was  born  near 
Lebanon,  Tennessee,  son  of  James  Mills,  a 
native  of  the  eastern  shores  of  Maryland, 
James  Mills  was  born  during  Revolutionary 
times,  a  son  of  John  Mills,  who  lost  his  life 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  in  Maryland  he 
was  reared.  When  a  young  man  he  went  to 
Tennessee,  married  the  daughter  of  Isaac 
Lindsey,  located  a  few  miles  from  the  Her- 
mitage, and  resided  there  until  1808.  That 
year  he  removed  to  the  Territory  of  Missouri 
and  located  three  miles  from  Hannibal,  being 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  there.  He  im- 
proved a  large  farm  and  resided  on  it  till  the 
time  of  his  death.  Isaac  Lindsey,  his  father- 
in-law,  was  a  resident  of  Eastern  Maryland  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  was  loyal  to  the  crown,  but  preferred 
not  to  fight  on  either  side;  so  he  sought  the 
furtherest  bqunds  of  civilization,  taking  up 
his  abode  in  the  wilderness  eight  miles  from 
the  Hermitage.  At  that  time  the  Indians 
were  numerous  and  often  there  was  trouble 
with  them.  For  a  long  time  the  settlers  all 
lived  in  block  houses.  He  improved  a  farm 
in  the  locality  which  is  still  known  as  Lind- 
sey's  Bluff,  and  resided  there  till  his  death. 

Chesley  Mills  learned  the  trade  of  plasterer 
and  bricklayer,  which  he  followed  till  his 
death,  in  1844.  He  married  Harriet  Cadwell> 
a  native  of  Edwardsville,  Madison  county, 
Illinois,  born  on  January  10,  1814,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  George  Cad  well.  Dr.  Cad  well  was 
born  and  reared  in  Vermont,  and  in  1799 
went  to  Kentucky  with  his  father-in-law, 
Matthew  Lyon.  He  objected  strenuously  to 
the  institution  of  slavery,  and  in  1804  came  to 
the  Territory  of  Illinois,  becoming  one  of  the 
original  settlers  of  Madison  county.  He  re- 
sided there  till  1820,  when  he  went  to  Mor- 
gan county  with  his  wife  and  children,  mak- 
ing the  journey  with  flatboats  via  the  Missis- 


254 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


sippi  and  Illinois  rivers  to  Naples.  He 
located  near  Lynnville,  being  the  first  physi- 
cian to  settle  in  Morgan  county,  and  continued 
practice  there  till  the  time  of  his  death.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife,  grandmother  of  the 
subject  of  our  sketch,  was  Parmelia  Lyon. 
She  was  born  in  Vermont.  Her  father, 
Matthew  Lyon,  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scotch 
ancestry,  and  when  a  young  man  came  to 
America  and  located  in  Vermont,  where  he 
married  the  daughter  of  Governor  Chitten- 
den,  the  first  governor  of  Vermont.  He  took 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  attained 
the  rank  of  General.  After  the  war,  he  repre- 
sented Vermont  two  terms  in  Congress.  He 
was  the  first  victim  uuder  the  Sedition  Act, 
the  charge  being  that  of  speaking  disrespect- 
fully of  John  Adams,  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  He  was  sentenced  to  six 
months'  imprisonment  and  fined  $1,000; 
served  his  time  in  jail  and  paid  his  fine.  In 
1799,  he  emigrated  to  Kentucky  and  located 
in  Lyon  county,  which  is  named  in  honor  of 
him.  He  founded  the  town  of  Eddy  ville,  the 
county  seat  of  Lyon  county,  and  became  a 
prominent  and  wealthy  man.  He  was  a  slave 
owner  and  trader,  While  residing,  there  he 
was  sent  as  a  representative  to  Congress.  He 
removed  from  Kentucky  to  the  Territory  of 
Arkansas,  was  among  the  pioneers  of  Helena, 
and  soon  after  his  arrival  there  was  sent  as 
delegate  to  Congress.  He  died  in  Arkansas 
about  1825'. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  now  resides  in 
Jacksonville.  She  reared  five  children: 
Thomas,  spent  his  last  years  in  Dakota; 
Emily,  married  Thomas  W.  Jones,  of  Ritchie, 
Will  county,  Illinois;  Martha,  married  Henry 
Demarest;  George,  resides  in  San  Francisco, 
California,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Judson 
Manufacturing  Company  of  Oakland. 


Richard  W.  Mills  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools.  He  was  in  his 
seventeenth  year  when  the  war  broke  out,  and 
he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Tenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  went  with  the  com- 
pany to  Cairo.  He  was  there  rejected  on  ac- 
count of  his  age,  and  returned  home.  He  had 
been  at  home,  however,  only  a  few  days  when 
he  again  enlisted,  this  time  in  Company  F, 
Nineteenth  Illinois  Volnnteer  Infantry,  and 
was  accepted.  He  went  South  with  his  regi- 
ment and  remained  with  it  till  after  his  term 
of  service  had  expired.  He  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Stone  River  and  Mission  Ridge,  and 
was  in  the  reserve  at  Chickamauga.  After 
his  return  home  he  received  an  academic  edu- 
cation at  Jacksonville,  after  which  he  taught 
school  four  years.  During  that  time  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  with  Judge  Cyrus 
Epler,  and  in  May,  1870,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  He  practiced  with  Judge  Epler  till 
1871,  and  January  6  of  that  year  he  came  to 
Virginia,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  a  successful  law  practice. 

February  4,  1873,  he  married  Matilda  A. 
Tate,  a  native  of  Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Harvey  Tate.  She  died 
March  26,  1884.  His  second  marriage  was 
consummated  November  29, 1889,  with  Nellie 
W.  Epler,  a  native  of  Cass  county,  her  parents 
being  William  and  Jennie  Epler. 

Mr.  Mills  is  a  member  of  Virginia  Lodge, 
No.  544,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Clark  Chapter,  No. 
29,  R.  A.M.;  Hospitaller  Commandery,  No. 
31,  K.  T.  Politically,  he  has  always  affilia- 
ted with  and  been  an  ardent  and  efficient 
worker  in  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
served  as  Master  in  Chancery. 

Mrs.  Mills'  father,  William  Epler,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  city  of  Virginia,  was  born  in  what 
is  now  Princeton  precinct,  Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, April  15,  1835.  His  father,  John  Ep 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


255 


ler,  was  born  in  that  part  of  Lancaster  now 
included  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
April  15,  1795.  His  father,  the  great-grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Mills,  Abram  Epler,  was  born 
in  the  same  locality.  His  father,  great-great- 
grandfather of  Mrs.  Mills,  John  Epler,  was 
born  in  Germany,  and  was  reared  there  to 
young  manhood,  and  in  1734,  with  his  brother 
Peter,  came  to  America.  They  located  near 
Reading,  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania.  They 
were  Lutherans  and  established  a  church  of 
that  denomination  there.  Peter's  descendants 
removed  to  Northumberland  county;  John's 
removed  to  that  part  of  Lancaster  now  in- 
cluded in  Dauplin  county  in  1768.  He  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  there,  which  he  occupied 
till  his  death  in  1782.  A  natural  bowlder 
marks  his  resting  place,  upon  which  is  in- 
scribed a  shield,  his  name  and  the  date  of  his 
death.  The  farm  which  he  owned  is  now  in 
possession  of  his  great-great-grandson.  He 
reared  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Abram  Epler  was  reared  and  married '  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  resided  there  till  1798. 
Then,  with  his  wife  arid  three  children,  he  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  making  the  journey 
across  the  mountains  with  teams,  down  the 
Ohio  river  on  flatboats  to  the  Falls  of  the 
Ohio,  landing  at  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Louisville.  He  remained  there  two  years; 
then  crossed  the  river  into  Northwest  Terri- 
tory, and  located  in  what  is  now  included  in 
Clark  county,  Indiana.  There  he  erected  a 
log  cabin  in  the  wilderness.  In  1807  he 
built  a  stone  house  there,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing, it  being  the  oldest  stone  house,  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  in  the  State  of  Indiana. 
He  resided  there  until  1832,  when  he  came 
to  Illinois.  He  died  in  Case  county  in  1837. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Anna  Old- 
weiler.  She  was  born  in  Lancaster  county> 
Pennsylvania,  October  26,  1768,  and  died  at 


the  home  of  her  son  George,  May  3,  1847. 
There  were  eleven  children  born  to  them,  all 
of  whom  reached  adult  years:  Elizabeth  Nor- 
ris,  John,  Nancy  Austin,  Abram,  Catherine, 
Blizard,  Jacob,  David,  Sarah  Weir,  Isaac, 
George,  Mary  Short. 

John  Epler,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Mills, 
was  but  three  years  old  when  his  parents 
moved  to  Kentucky,  and  five  years  old  when 
they  moved  to  the  Northwest  Territory.  There 
he  was  reared  and  married.  He  resided  in 
Clark  county  till  1831,  when  with  his  wife 
and  six  children,  he  came  to  Illinois;  made 
the  journey  with  teams,  and  after  three  weeks' 
travel  landed  in  Cass  county.  He  bought  a 
tract  of  land  on  which  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  was  very  successful  in  his  operations. 
From  time  to  time  he  purchased  other  lands 
until  he  became  the  owner  of  1.200  acres  in 
Cass  and  Morgan  counties.  He  spent  the 
last  years  of  his  life  in  Virginia  and  died 
May  25,  1876.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Sarah  Beggs.  She  was  born  in  what  is 
now  Clark  county,  Indiana,  April  28,  1800. 
Her  father,  Charles  Beggs,  was  born  in  Rock- 
ingham  county,  Virginia,  October  30,  1775, 
and  his  father,  Thomas  Beggs,  was  born  in 
the  same  county.  He  took  part  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war  and  died  in  the  service. 
Charles  Beta's  was  reared  and  married  in  Vir- 

DO 

ginia,  and  resided  there  till  1798,  when  he 
moved  to  Kentucky.  In  1799  he  removed  to 
the  Northwest  Territory  and  settled  in  that 
part  now  included  in  Clark  county,  Indiana. 
He  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  fought 
with  Harrison  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe; 
was  an  old  Whig,  and  personal  friend  of  Gen- 
eral Harrison;  served  in  both  the  Indiana 
Territorial  and  State  Legislatures;  resided  in 
Clark  county  till  1829.  In  1829  he  came  to 
Illinois  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Mor- 
gan county.  He  bought  a  tract  of  land  and 


M 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


resided  on  it  till  his  death,  October  21, 1869.  j 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Martha 
Trnmbo.  She  was  born  in  Rockingham 
county.  Virginia,  March  16,  1778,  and  died 
May  12,  1811.  Four  of  her  children  grew  to 
maturity:  Elizabeth,  Sarah,  Mary  and  George. 
The  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Mills  died  January 
11,  1882.  Twelve  of  her  children  were  reared: 
Charles,  Abram,  Cyrus,  Mary  A.  Barrett, 
Sarah  Fairbank,  Elizabeth  Hall,  John  M., 
William,  David.  Myron  L.,  Ellen  Prince,  and 
Albert  G. 

William  Epler,  father  of  Mrs.  Mills,  was 
reared  in  his  native  county,  and  received  his 
early  education  in  the  pioneer  schools  here, 
and  subsequently  attended  Illinois  College, 
Jacksonville.  He  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  business  interests  of  Virginia 
many  years.  The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Ep- 
ler, wife  of  William  Epler,  was  Jane  Abigail 
Woodman.  She  was  born  at  Paw  Paw.  Mich- 
igan, March  6,  1838.  From  a  genealogical 
record  of  the  Woodman  family,  compiled  by 
Jabez  H.  Woodman,  we  learn  that  there  were 
two  brothers.  Edward  and  Archalaus  Wood- 
man, natives  of  Christian  Malford,  a  parish  in 
Wiltshire,  England,  came  to  America  in  1635, 
and  settled  in  Newbury,  Massachusetts.  There 
descendants  are  numerous  and  are  scattered 
in  various  parts  of  the  United  States.  It 
seems  from  this  that  Mrs.  Mills  is  a  descend-  | 
ant  of  Edward.  The  second  in  line  was  his 
son  Edward,  the  third  in  line  his  son  Archa- 
lans,  the  next  in  line  Archalaus'  son  Joseph, 
born  May  4, 1714.  He  married  Bridget  Wil- 
ley  in  1762.  He  died  in  Wheelock,  Vermont, 
November,  1807.  His  son  John,  great  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Mills,  married  Sarah  Foy.  He 
died  at  Lyndon,  Vermont,  December  6,  1853, 
aged  ninety  years.  His  son.  David  Wood- 
man, grandfather  of  Mrs.  Mills,  was  born  in 
New  England,  July  27,  1793.  He  removed 


from  New  England  to  New  York  State,  thence 
to  Michigan,  and  from  there  to  Oketo,  Kan- 
sas, where  his  death  occurred  August  28, 1892, 
aged  ninety-nine  years  and  one  month.  His 
wife,  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Mills,  was  Abigail 
Gray.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Mills  died  in  the 
State  of  Nebraska,  October  2,  1863,  in  the 
twenty-sixth  year  of  her  age.  Mr.  Epler, 
father  of  Mrs.  Mills,  now  has  a  piece  copied 
from  an  English  history,  that  was  published 
in  1615,  that  gave  an  account  of  the  trial  and 
burning  at  the  stake  at  Lewis,  in  Sussex, 
England,  of  Richard  Woodman,  June  22, 
1557,  on  account  of  his  religious  convictions. 
He  was  tried  before  the  Bishops  of  Chiches- 
terand  Winchester.  He  was  very  tenacious 
of  his  opinions,  as  are  said  to  be  some  of  the 
Woodmans  of  the  present  day.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  Mil's  were  married  at  the  home  of  the 
bride's  brother-in-law,  Colonel  John  B.  Cul- 
ver, at  Dnlnth,  Minnesota,  April  12,  1859. 
At  that  time  Dnlnth  was  an  Indian  trading 
post,  and  they  were  the  first  white  settlers 
ever  married  there.  Mr.  Epler  was  there  in 
the  employ  of  the  United  States  Government 
as  a  civil  engineer. 


^.IRAM  JAQDES  was  born  in  Schoharie 
connty,  New  York,  August  17,  1814. 
He  was  the  son  of  Jesse  and  Maria 
(Boice)  Jaques.  They  both  died  in  New 
York.  They  had  twelve  children,  but  only 
one  or  two  are  living.  Hiram  remained  at 
home  with  his  parents  until  their  death,  when 
he  worked  by  the  month  nntil  the  spring  of 
1837,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  by  the  Ohio, 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  with  one  of 
his  brothers  and  two  neighbors.  They  first 
built  a  mill  race,  working  it  by  day,  month  or 
job  for  two  years,  and  then  took  an  interest 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


257 


in  a  saw  and  grist1  mill,  and  later  bought  it 
all  and  200  acres  of  land. 

Mr.  Jaques  was  married  in  1838jjr  1839, 
to  Nancy  Reeves  of  Kentucky,  where  her 
father  and  mother  were  early  settlers.  They 
had  very  few  neighbors,  but  there  was  an 
abundance  of  wild  game.  Mr.  Jaques  has 
lived  on  the  farm  he  first  purchased  ever 
since  his  marriage,  except  two  or  three  years. 
He  first  built  a  log  house  in  which  they  lived 
until  the  present  one  was  built. 

They  have  had  nine  children,  four  of  whom 
are  yet  living:  Louisa,  wife  of  Dr.  Scanland 
(see  sketch);  Alma,  married,  and  has  one 
child;  he  served  four  years  during  the  late 
war,  was  wounded  three  times,  and  now  re- 
sides at  Colorado  Springs;  Nephi  Jaques 
served  in  the  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry  two 
years  and  has  since  died,  leaving  two  children  ; 
Rachel,  who  married  Mr.  Scanland,  and 
has  three  children  living;  George,  married, 
and  has  two  children  ;Walace  W.,  married. 

Mr.  Jaques  has  always  been  an  Andrew 
Jackson  Democrat,  and  now  votes  the  People's 
ticket,  as  he  is  now  a  member  of  that  party, 
although  he  voted  for  Andrew  Jackson.  He 
has  been  engaged  in  general  farming  all  his 
life,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  greatly  respected 
by  all  who  know  them. 


(EORGE  D.  UTTER,  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  of  Frederick,  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  was  born  in  that  place 
on  November  13,  1846,  the  youngest  child  of 
John  and  Charlotte  (Brines)  Utter.  Both  of 
his  parents  were  natives  of  Allegany  county, 
New  York,  where  the  father  was  born  No- 
vember 11,  1810,  and  the  mother  April  11, 
1807.  In  1815,  when  five  years  of  age,  his 
father  came  to  Palmyra,  Illinois,  where  his 


youth  and  earl}'  manhood  were  spent.  He 
was  there  married  to  Charlotte  Brines,  De- 
cember 5,  1834,  and  in  1839  removed  with 
his  wife  and  family  to  Schuyler  county,  same 
State,  settling  on  the  Rushville  road,  near 
1  'leasant  View.  There  he  and  his  worthy  wife 
spent  their  remaining  days,  rearing  six  chil- 
dren, two  boys  and  four  girls,  of  whom  two 
boys  and  one  girl  now  survive.  October  15, 
1887,  the  family  were  called  'upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  the  devoted  wife  and  mother,  who 
had  unselfishly  watched  over  their  interests 
for  so  many  years.  On  February  14,  of  the 
following  year,  the  honest,  hard-working 
father  also  departed  this  life,  as  if  unable  to 
endure  separation  from  his  beloved  com- 
panion. Both  of  these  worthy  people  enjoyed 
the  esteem  of  their  entire  community. 

George,  whose  name  heads  this  biography, 
was  the  baby  of  the  family,  and  now  weighs 
240  pounds,  which  shows  what  Illinois  can 
produce  under  favorable  circumstances.  He 
was  trained  to  farm  life  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  now 
resides  within  one  mile  of  his  birthplace. 
By  industry,  economy  and  careful  manage- 
ment, he  has  accumulated  a  competence  for 
himself  and  family.  He  owns  an  excellent 
farm  of  240  acres,  which  was  originally  pur- 
chased by  his  father,  and  is  numbered  among 
the  successful  farmers  of  Schuyler  county. 

March  14,  1867,  he  was  married  in  Schuy- 
ler county,  to  Miss  Priscilla  J.  Ward,  who 
was  born  in  Bainbridge,  that  county,  April 
10,  1848.  Her  parents,  Apollos  and  Jane 
(Bramble)  Ward,  were  among  the  first  settlers 
of  Schuyler  county.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born 
July  29,  1805.  Her  mother  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1815,  and  their  marriage  occurred 
June  23,  1835.  Her  mother  still  survives, 
and  is  universally  respected. 


258 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GA88, 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Utter  have  seven  children: 
Arthur  Frank,  born  January  9,  1868,  married 
Clara  Bradman  February  27,  1889,  and  lives 
on  a  farm  near  by;  Albert  Marion,  born  Oc- 
tober 29,  1870;  Alice  May,  born  September 
4,  1873;  Pnlaski,  born  November  30,  1876; 
Amy  Florence,  born  January  10,  1880;  Mary 
Viola,  born  October  21,  1883;  and  Cora 
Minnie,  born  October  30,  1889.  All  of  these 
are  under  the  parental  roof,  and  form  a  typi- 
cal happy  family. 

Politically,  Mr.  Utter  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party.  Religiously,  he  and  his 
wife  are  prominent  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  South. 

Mr.  Utter's  prosperity  is  due  to  his  per- 
sistent efforts  and  honorable  dealings  in  all 
the  walks  of  life.  He  is  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  his  county,  and  deservedly 
enjoys  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 


f  RAN  KLIN  L.  A  NGIER,  chief  clerk  of 
the  Locomotive  and  Car  Department  of 
the  St.  Louis  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad,  was  born  in 
Vermont  at  Waterbury,  where  he  was  reared 
until  twelve  years  of  age.  He  was  the  son 
of  Aaron  Angier  of  New  Hampshire.  His 
father  was  American  of  French  ancestry. 
Aaron  was  a  Baptist  clergyman  and  married 
in  Vermont,  Miss  Eliza  Luther.  She  came 
of  good  family  of  Scotch  descent.  After 
marrying,  Rev.  Mr.  Angier  continued  his 
work  in  the  church  of  his  faith  until  1850, 
when  he  moved  to  New  York  State,  and  after 
four  years  moved  to  Illinois  in  1854.  He 
died  a  few  months  after  his  arrival  in  this 
State,  in  Bureau  county,  while  yet  in  active 
work,  being  then  only  forty-seven.  He  was 


a  hard-working,  logical  preacher,  fluent  talker 
and  a  worthy  citizen.  His  wife  survived  him 
until  1863,  and  then  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four.  They  had  ten  children. 

When  Franklin  Angier  was  twelve  they 
removed  to  Elbridge,  New  York,  and  here  he 
was  educated  until  he  was  sixteen,  when  the 
family  removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  Except  three  years  in  the 
army,  he  has  been  engaged  in  clerical  work. 
He  enlisted  from  Geneva,  Illinois,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1861,  in  Company  B,  Fifty-second 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Captain  E.  A. 
Bowen  and  Colonel  Wilson  in  command. 
The  latter  named  official  did  not  retain  his 
command  very  long,  but  was  succeeded  by 
Colonel  T.  W.  Sweeny.  The  regiment  was  in 
the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps  of  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee.  They  fought  their  first  battles 
at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh  and  siege  of  Cor- 
inth and  battle  of  Corinth  under  General 
Rosecrans,  and  in  October,  1863,  Mr.  Angier 
was  discharged,  and  in  May,  1864,  re-enlisted 
and  joined  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
remaining  until  expiration  of  service,  Octo- 
ber 28,  1864.  They  were  garrisoned  at  Cairo, 
Illinois.  He  served  in  the  capacity  of 
First  Lieutenant  all  the  time  he  was  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-ninth  Regiment. 

After  coming  to  this  State  Mr.  Angier 
lived  in  Bureau  county  for  a  short  time,  and 
was  married  there  to  Adaline  Smith,  born  in 
Rochester,  New  York,  in  1838,  but  was  reared 
in  Illinois,  where  her  parents  had  moved  when 
she  was  young.  Her  father,  Alonzo  Smith, 
was  a  farmer  and  died  in  Bureau  county  in 
1865,  when  in  middle  life.  His  wife  is  still 
living  and  resides  with  her  daughter  Mrs. 
Angier.  She  is  eighty-four.  She  has  been 
a  worthy  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  for 
years. 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


?59 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Angler  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Angier  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  a  Master  Mason,  being  a 
member  of  Cass  Lodge,  No.  23,  and  Clarke 
Chapter,  No.  29,  of  Beardstown.  He  has  been 
Master  and  is  now  Secretary  of  the  lodge. 
Is  a  member  of  McLane  Post,  No.  97,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

They  have  seven  children:  Mary,  wife  of 
C.  E.  Sperry,  a  painter  of  Aurora,  Illinois; 
Frank  is  a  clerk  under  his  father  and  married 
Maude  Foster;  Florence  is  at  home;  Carl  and 
Earl  (twins),  and  Charles  and  Dana  are  all 
four  at  home.  They  all  have  received  the 
advantage  of  a  good  education  and  are  refined, 
intelligent  young  people. 


JRED  KROHE  was  born  in  Cass  county, 
September  30,  1849,  and  was  reared  in 
Beardstown,  which  has  been  his  home. 
He  is  the  son  of  Fred  Krohe,  Sr.,  who  was 
born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  May  8,  1809,  and 
who  died  November,  1880,  in  Beardstown. 
He  was  a  young  man  when  with  his  parents 
he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  married 
in  Cincinnati,  Sophia  Hoverkluf,  who  was 
born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  in  1816,  and  died 
March  20,  1888.  She  had  come  with  her 
parents  to  the  United  States  to  Cass  county, 
both  dying  there.  She  had  a  family  of  six 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living. 

Mr.  Krohe  is  a  man  who  has  devoted  his 
time  to  his  business  and  the  amassing  of  a 
fortune.  He  has  now  retired  and  is  living  in 
Beardstown,  and  is  living  on  the  corner  of 
Washington  and  Third  streets.  He  has  made 
a  fortune  and  owns  some  very  valuable  prop- 
erty, and  is  owner  of  the  opera-house  block 
and  some  fine  property  in  the  county.  He 
has  lived  in  this  county  all  his  life,  except 


three  years  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he 
has  some  property  interests. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to  Elizabeth 
Stock  of  Cass  county,  a  native  of  the  same 
ounty.  She  was  born  February,  1846.  She 
cwas  reared  and  educated  in  this  county  and 
is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Stock, 
natives  of  Prussia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stock,  were 
wealthy  and  well-known  members  of  the  county, 
and  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mrs.  Krohe  died  at  St.  Louis,  May  9,  1892; 
she  was  a  good  and  worthy  woman,  who  had 
always  lived  in  Cass  county  and  was  associ- 
ated with  its  history.  Since  her  death  Mr. 
Krbhe  has  lived  in  his  home  at  Beardstown. 


HOMAS  H.  CARTER  was  born  in 
Little  York,  York  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  11,  1823.  His-father, 
Bushnell  Carter,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
came  when  a  young  man  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  married  Julia  L.  Barber,  an  esti- 
mable lady.  He  was  an  educated  man,  a  suc- 
cessful lawyer,  and  died  in  early  manhood. 
After  the  death  of  his  mother  our  subject  was 
taken  by  his  father  to  an  uncle  in  Connecti- 
cut, and  there  he  grew  to  manhood.  When 
twenty  years  of  age  he  became  a  school 
teacher,  and  so  continued  until  1847,  when 
he  went  to  Canfield,  Ohio,  where  he  began 
the  study  of  law  under  Judge  Newton.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852,  after  grad- 
uating from  Ballston,  New  York.  About 
this  time,  with  a  young  wife,  he  made  his  way 
to  Beardstown,  and  engaged  in  partnership 
in  a  general  law  business  with  a  cousin,  Car- 
ter Van  Vleck,  who  had  come  here  some  years 
before.  In  later  years  he  was  connected  in  a 
legal  way  with  Henry  Philips,  of  Virginia,  Illi- 
nois, but  after  some  years  he  had  sole  charge 


260 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GASH, 


of  the  business  himself.  He  became  well- 
known  through  the  State  as  one  of  the  legal 
lights  of  the  day,  and  has  figured  in  it  promi- 
nently. He  has  amassed  a  good  farm  prop- 
erty in  Missouri,  which  is  still  in  the  family. 
He  was  not  a  politician,  but  he  had  been  City 
Attorney  of  Beardstown,  and  from  1858  to 
1861  he  was  Postmaster  of  the  place.  He 
was  held  in  high  esteem  for  his  upright  char- 
acter and  good  qualities.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat, a  Master  Mason,  a  good  moral  man  and 
a  great  lover  of  home. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  L.  Peck, 
in  Warren,  Litchfield  county,  Connecticut, 
where  he  was  reared.  She  was  born  in  the 
same  place  December  13,  1825,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Phineas  and  Phoebe  (Taylor) 
Peck,  both  of  Litchfield.  Mr.  Peck  was  a 
farmer  and  purchased  the  old  Peck  home- 
stead, which  is  yet  in  the  family.  His  death 
occurred  July  11, 1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven.  He  was  a  strong,  active  man,  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  as  are  also  their  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  had  one  son,  Augustine 
P.,  now  chief  clerk  of  Superintendent  John- 
son of  the  Montana  Central  Railroad  of 
Helena,  Montana.  He  married  Miss  Frances 
B.  Henderson,  of  Monmouth,  a  daughter  of 
Colonel  Henderson,  a  prominent  man  of 
Warren  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Augustine 
Carter  and  wife  have  one  bright  daughter, 
Marcia  P.,  named  for  her  grandmother. 

Mr.  Carter  died  while  in  Peoria,  Illinois, 
for  treatment,  on  March  19,  1886,  leaving  to 
his  many  friends  a  memory  most  pleasing  to 
cherish. 


IEORGE  HENRY  EIFERT  settled    in 
Schuyler    county,    January    13,    1857. 
He  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Ger- 
many, February  11, 1823.    He  had  five  broth- 


ers and  two  sisters;  the  former  all  came  to 
the  United  States,  where  the  brother,  John, 
died  in  Schuyler  county;  George  also  died 
there,  while  Ludwig  died  in  this  county; 
Valentine  went  away  during  the  civil  war, 
and  was  never  heard  from  again. 

George  was  the  youngest,  but  his  father 
died  when  only  forty-one  years  old,  so  he  had 
to  work  very  hard,  as  there  were  nine  small 
children  left.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
and  first  stopped  in  Maryland  with  a  Dunkard 
preacher  two  years,  when  the  minister  sent 
him  to  Ohio.  He  went  to  Preble  county, 
Ohio,  and  in  1854  he  sent  to  Germany  for 
Margaret  Roth.  She  came  to  America  from 
Hesse- Darmstadt  in  1826,  June  21,  all  by 
herself.  When  she  arrived  in  Ohio  she  and 
Mr.  Eifert  were  married.  In  1855  they  came 
to  Illinois  and  rented  land  in  Schuyler  county, 
which  was  but  little  improved.  Here  he 
passed  his  remaining  years.  Before  his 
death  he  became  the  owner  of  417  acres  of 
land  and  put  up  tine  buildings  on  the  land, 
and  he  also  raised  stock.  His  death  oc- 
curred November  17,  1884.  His  wife  is  still 
living  on  the  homestead.  They  had  four 
children:  George,  Charles  W.  and  two  who 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Eifert  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  a  Methodist  in  religion,  and  was 
an  earnest,  good  man,  dying  happy  and 
satisfied. 

When  he  was  married  he  borrowed  $50, 
and  that  was  all  he  had.  When  he  came  to 
Illinois  he  was  worse  off  yet,  as  he  then  had 
only  $20.  He  purchased  a  stove  and  wash- 
tub,  and  they  began  housekeeping  without  a 
chair,  table,  knife  or  fork,  and  slept  on  the 
floor  a  whole  month  before  they  could  afford 
to  buy  a  bedstead,  but  they  worked  hard 
and  prospered. 

George  Eifert  is  the  elder  son  of  George  and 
Margaret  Eifert.  He  was  born  in  Preble 


8CHUTLKR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


261 


county,  Ohio,  August  6,  1856.  The  family 
came  to  Illinois,  and  he  has  since  resided  here, 
where  he  has  followed  farming. 

He  was  married,  November  17,  1878,  to 
Sarah  Hale,  daughter  of  William  and  Mar- 
garet Hale  (see  sketch).  She  was  born  in 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  in  1858.  They 
have  two  children:  Carl  and  Warren.  Mr. 
Eifert  has  part  of  the  old  homestead,  where 
he  follows  stock-raising.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  South.  He  and  his  wife  are  highly 
respected  citizens  of  their  section,  and  are 
admired  by  every  one  who  knows  them. 


|  APTAIN  SYLVESTER  D.  NOKES  was 
born  in  Franklin  county,  New  York, 
February  11,  1835.  His  father  was 
John  Nokes,  born  March  20,  1809,  and  his 
grandfather  was  Jacob  Nokes,  of  New  Eng- 
land. He  was  a  farmer  who  died  at  an  ad- 
vanced age  in  Brown  county,  Illinois,  and  his 
wife's  name  was  Mary  — ,  who  bore  him 
seven  children.  She  died  in  Brown  county 
about  ten  years  after  her  husband,  aged 
eighty  years.  John  Nokes  came  West  from 
New  York  in  1842,  and  settled  in  Brown 
county  on  160  acres  of  new  land,  it  being 
part  of  his  present  farm.  He  brought  his 
wife  and  six  children  with  him  in  a  covered 
wagon.  He  rented  for  several  years  and  then 
built  a  hewed-log  house.  Much  of  his  land 
was  prairie  of  the  most  productive  kind.  He 
resided  on  this  farm  about  twenty  years. 

The  Captain  was  a  volunteer  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Illinois  Infantry, 
Company  E,  enlisting  August  9,  1862.  He 
went  as  Second  Lieutenant,  and  was  mustered 
out  as  Captain,  to  which  post  he  was  pro- 
moted in  1864,  in  the  place  of  Captain  Mun- 


ford,  resigned.  He  was  absent  from  his  com- 
mand on  account  of  a  gunshot  wound  in  the 
thigh  received  on  the  Red  river.  He  was  all 
through  that  campaign,  was  in  the  two  days' 
tight  before  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  in  the 
charge  on  Fort  Blakely.  He  has  sixty  acres 
of  orchard  land,  apples,  peaches  and  grapes. 
He  keeps  ten  to  twelve  horses,  fifteen  to 
twenty  head  of  cattle  and  fattens  about  fifty 
hogs  per  year.  His  orchards  return  him  the 
best  interest  on  his  money.  He  built  their 
fine  brick  farm  house  in  1881.  The  school- 
ing of  the  Captain  is  limited,  but  he  is  well 
informed  and  a  great  reader. 

He  was  married  about  the  age  of  twenty, 
to  Anna  J.  Dodd,  who  was  nearly  sixteen. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  William  and  Julia 
Ann  Richardson  Dodd.  Her  father  was  of 
Green  county,  Illinois,  and  her  mother  of 
Bradenburg,  Kentucky. 

The  living  children  of  Captain  and  Mrs. 
JS'okesare:  Mrs.  Carrie  Bradney,  living  in 
Missouri;  Mrs.  Mary  V.  Wright,  at  home; 
Oscar  E.,  living  at  the  Mounds;  Birdie  May, 
a  young  lady  at  home;  Irwin  Grant;  and 
Jessie. 

The  Captain  has  been  a  Republican,  but 
now  is  an  Alliance  man.  He  is  justly  proud 
of  his  war  record. 


R.  SIDNEY  W.  SCANLAND  was 
born  in  Carroll  county,  Kentucky, 
October  13,  1834.  He  was  the  son  of 
Thomas  B.  and  Agnes  W.  (Searcy)  Scanland, 
who  were  also  born  in  Kentucky.  Thomas 
followed  the  trade  of  cooper  when  a  young 
man,  and  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
six,  in  Kentucky.  In  1840  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois. He  settled  first  in  Elkhorn  township, 
and  lived  there  two  years  on  his  first  farm. 


262 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


He  built  a  frame  house,  but  in  1842  he 
bought  in  section  16  120  acres,  and  still 
later  bought  more  land,  until  he  had  acquired 
nearly  400  acres.  He  improved  his  farm, 
built  several  houses  and  barns,  and  died  Octo- 
ber 14,  1885,  aged  seventy-seven  years,  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  the 
son  of  William  Scanland,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. William  had  come  to  Illinois  in  1846, 
and  settled  in  Pike  county,  where  he  and  his 
wife  lived  and  died  very  old  people.  They 
spent  their  last  days  in  Pittsfield,  Illinois. 
Our  subject's  mother  was  born  in  Carroll 
county,  Kentucky,  May  3,  1812,  and  died  in 
Versailles,  January  20,  1888,  at  the  home  of 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Susan  McCoy.  Her  par- 
ents died  when  very  old  people  in  Kentucky. 

Sidney  was  one  of  six  children:  four  are 
yet  living.  One  brother,  George,  was  taken 
prisoner  in  the  late  war,  and  died  five  months 
later  at  Macon,  Georgia.  Our  subject  is  the 
only  professional  man  in  the  family  now  liv- 
ing, but  some  of  his  father's  brothers  were 
prominent  physicians.  He  remained  at  home 
until  eighteen  years  of  age,  attending  school, 
and  after  that  taught  school  for  some  time, 
and  during  this  time  was  obliged  to  board 
around  among  the  neighbors,  as  they  did  in 
those  times.  During  the  years  of  his  teaching 
he  was  educating  himself,  and  when  about 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  began  to  study  medi- 
cine. After  marriage,  in  1860,  he  settled  on 
the  old  farm  where  he  had  always  lived,  and 
in  December,  1863,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
K,  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  and  remained  in  the 
service  until  January,  1866. 

Before  this  time  he  had  attended  lectures  at 
Rush  Medical  College.  After  the  war  he  set- 
tled in  Chambersburg,  Pike  county,  and  prac- 
ticed for  seven  years.  He  then  came  to  this 
county,  taught  school  one  winter,  then  bought 
a  little  farm  in  1875,  and  has  practiced  medi- 


cine ever  since.  He  has  100  acres  of  the  old 
homestead  and  takes  life  very  easy.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  everything  that  has 
taken  place  in  the  county,  and  has  contributed 
time  and  money  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
People's  party.  He  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  G.  A.  E.  in  Isaac  McNeil  Post,  also 
a  lecturer  in  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  and  Presi- 
dent of  an  Anti-horse-thief  Association. 

He  was  married  to  Louisa  L.  Jaques  of 
this  county  (seesketch  of  Hiram  and  Nancy 
Jaques).  They  have  four  children:  Sidney 
H.,  George  A.  and  Birdie  C.  are  in  Califor- 
nia; and  Florence  Z.  is  the  wife  of  Oscar 
McCoy  still  living  at  home. 

Dr.  Sidney  W.  Scanland  has  always  been  a 
representative  man  of  Elkhorn  township;  has 
twice  been  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  is 
at  present  acting  as  Notary  Public. 


EV.  JAMES  DE  WITT  was  born  at 
Hope,  Warren  county,  New  Jersey,  No- 
vember 5,  1817,  a  son  of  James  and 
Anna  (Coates)  De  Witt;  the  father  was  born 
in  Sussex  county,  New  Jersey,  and  about  the 
year  1842  emigrated  to  Michigan;  he  located 
on  a  farm  in  Oakland  county,  and  there  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  days;  he  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-six  years;  the  mother  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  New  Jersey,  and  died  in  Michigan, 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  They  reared  a 
family  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living:  one  son  was  a  merchant,  another  a 
tanner,  and  a  third  was  a  millwright,  but 
they  are  now  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
James  De  Witt,  Jr.,  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of 
age,  and  then  began  clerking  for  an  older 
brother;  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  secured  a 
position  as  clerk  in  a  general  store,  and  three 


SCIIUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


years  later  he  went  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  by  his  brother. 
In  the  spring  of  1838,  he  left  the  Keystone 
State,  and  came  by  rail,  canal  and  river,  to 
St.  Louis;  the  journey  was  continued  by 
water  to  Warsaw,  where  he  disembarked,  and 
from  that  point  he  walked  to  Schuyler  county. 
The  first  summer  of  his  residence  here  he 
clerked  for  Dr.  Benjamin  V.  Teel,  and  then 
returned  to  New  Jersey,  where  he  spent  the 
summer  of  1839,  and  in  the  fall  of  1839  he 
came  again  to  this  county  and  secured  a  po- 
sition with  the  firm  of  Wilson  &  Greer,  which 
he  held  until  1842. 

Mr.  De  Witt  was  united  in  marriage,  Jan- 
nary  25,  1842,  to  Miss  Ellen  Little,  a  native 
of  Columbia,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania; 
she  died  in  this  county  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
one  years;  seven  children  were  born  of  this 
union,  six  of  whom  are  living:  James  L.  is 
married  and  has  three  children ;  John  M.  is 
married  and  has  three  children ;  George  W. ; 
Elizabeth  is  married  and  the  mother  of  four 
children;  Cyrus  L.  is  married;  William  A.  is 
the  youngest.  Mrs.  De  Witt  was  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Rebecca  Little,  natives  of  Ire- 
land, who  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1801,  and  died  in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois, 
the  father,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  the 
mother  at  eighty-four  years  of  age.  Mr. 
De  Witt  was  married  a  second  time,  October 
3,  1883,  to  Mrs.  Catharine  H.  (Pittinger) 
Waddell.  She  was  born  in  Hancock  county. 
West  Virginia,  April  30, 1837,  a  daughter  of 
Nicholas  and  Elizabeth  (Matthewson)  Pit- 
tinger, natives  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  re- 
spectively; the  father  died  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years,  and  the  mother  at  eighty-five; 
they  removed  to  Illinois  in  1838,  and  settled 
in  Fulton  county,  where  they  resided  two 
years,  thence  they  came  to  Schuyler  county, 
and  here  passed  the  last  days  of  their  life; 


the  Matthewson  family  is  of  Irish  descent. 
Mrs.  De  Witt's  first  marriage  was  to  Will- 
iam Waddell,  and  of  this  union  was  born  one 
child,  Clementine.  Mr.  Waddell  died  in 
Fulton  county,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
three  years. 

After  his  first  marriage,  Mr.  De  Witt  set- 
tled in  Rushville,  and  clerked  for  his  father- 
in-law  until  1844,  when  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  himself,  his  partner  being  Mr. 
Greer;  he  conducted  the  business  with  differ- 
ent partners  until  1850,  when  he  sold  out  and 
removed  to  Littleton  township,  where  he 
and  his  brother-in-law  conducted  a  general 
store  for  four  years;  the  firm  was  then 
changed,  Mr.  De  Witt  retaining  his  interest 
for  another  period  of  four  years;  the  old 
firm  then  resumed  business,  and  in  1862  he 
sold  out.  He  now  resides  on  the  farm  which 
was  given  his  wife  by  her  father,  and  devotes 
much  of  his  time  to  agriculture;  he  has  added 
to  the  original  tract,  and  built  the  residence 
they  now  occupy. 

Mr.  DeWitt  received  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  school,  but  it  was 
through  his  own  efforts  that  his  advanced 
studies  were  carried  on;  he  was  under  theo- 
logical instruction  only  one  year,  but  during 
that  time  made  great  attainment.  For  more 
than  fifty  years  he  has  been  a  local  minister 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
during  that  half  century  he  has  accomplished 
much  work  for  the  Master.  He  has  per- 
formed the  marriage  ceremony  130  times, 
and  has  as  often  been  called  to  administer 
the  last  sad  rites  of  burial.  In  the  affairs 
of  the  State,  as  well  as  of  the  church,  he  has 
taken  a  prominent  part;  he  has  been  Post- 
master, Collector,  and  Deputy  Marshal,  to 
take  the  census  of  one-half  of  the  county,  in 
1870;  and  in  1874-'75,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature  from  Schuyler  county, 


264 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


representing  the  people  with  great  credit  to 
himself  and  to  their  best  and  highest  inter- 
ests. Politically,  he  adheres  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party.  In  all  the 
walks  of  life  he  has  borne  himself  with  that 
dignity  and  rectitude  worthy  of  his  calling, 
and  has  made  a  record  that  will  bear  the 
scrutiny  of  ages. 


&ANCY  P.  SECKMAN  was  born  in 
Harrison  county,  Kentucky,  August  18, 
1814.  Her  father,  James  Taylor,  and 
her  mother,  Katie  Bishop,  were  both  born  in 
Maryland,  near  Snow  Hill.  They  went  to 
Kentucky,  when  young,  were  married  there, 
and  were  well-to-do  farmers.  They  moved 
to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1832,  when  this 
daughter  was  nineteen  years  old.  They 
brought  ten  children  with  them  in  a  prairie 
schooner,  being  twenty-one  days  on  the  route. 
They  hired  a  man  to  bring  them  with  his 
five-horse  team,  and  they  brought  three 
horses  and  saddles  of  their  own.  They  had 
a  most  delightful  time,  a  continual  picnic  of 
twenty-one  days,  from  the  time  they  left  the 
old  Kentucky  home  until  they  arrived  at 
grandfather  Taylor's  in  Morgan  county.  They 
bought  160  acres  in  what  is  now  Scott  county, 
and  this  they  made  their  permanent  home. 
They  had  two  more  children  in  Illinois, 
making  twelve  in  all,  and  all  but  two  grew 
to  adult  age,  Mrs.  Seckman  being  the  eldest. 
The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- five,  on 
the  farm  in  Scott  county;  the  father  lived 
many  years  after,  but  finally  passed  away  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-five  years,  leaving 
a  tine  estate  to  the  ten  remaining  children. 

Mrs.  Seckman  had  very  little  schooling  in 
the  every-day  school,  as  they  were  then 
termed.  She  was  married  in  her  twenty- 


second  year  to  Jonathan  W.  Seckman,  born 
near  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  in  1810.  His  father 
was  William  Seckman.  and  his  mother,  Su- 
san Wright,  both  from  farmer  families  of 
Ohio.  They  came  to  Illinois  after  this  son 
came.  Jonathan  came  here  a  poor  young 
man,  and  began  working  for  the  low  wages 
of  those  times.  He  drove  teams  and  bioke 
prairie,  and  worked  and  earned  and  saved, 
until  in  his  thirtieth  year  he  had  two  horses, 
six  oxen,  and  several  head  of  horned  cattle, 
and  some  hogs.  He  was  married  to  our  sub- 
ject, March  31,  1844,  and  began  domestic 
life  on  an  island  in  Menard  county,  on  lands 
his  father  owned.  They  purchased  forty 
acres  in  1842,  in  Cooperstown  township,  near 
the  present  home  of  Mrs.  Seckman.  He 
traded  a  good  house  and  his  l&st  horse  for  it. 
He  worked  out  by  the  day  and  paid  for  the 
use  of  a  six-horse  team,  with  which  he  tilled 
the  land  for  the  first  crop.  Their  life  on  the 
island  for  the  three  years  they  were  there, 
was  a  living  death  from  fever  and  ague,  and 
when  they  left  for  Brown  county  they  were 
reduced  in  means,  having  but  $40.  They 
bought  a  log  house  on  an  adjoining  claim, 
which  they  moved  on  their  small  farm.  The 
timber  was  large  and  dense  on  this  land,  and 
he  built  his  old  house  on  and  over  several 
large  stumps.  They  moved  into  this  abode, 
January  1,  1842,  and  in  about  two  years  he 
bought  eighty  acres  adjoining.  In  1865,  they 
built  the  present  commodious  frame  house 
in  which  Mrs.  Seckman  now  resides.  Here 
he  died,  August  8,  1885,  aged  seventy- five, 
leaving  his  widow  with  seven  living  chil- 
dren. They  had  buried  one  daughter  when 
an  infant,  and  one  son,  John  William,  aged 
twenty-eight.  He  left  a  wife  and  son.  Mr. 
Seckman  owned  at  hie  death  720  acres  of 
land,  and  several  lots  in  Mount  Sterling. 
These  lands  are  well-stocked  and  well- 


SCHUTLSB    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


265 


improved.  He  was  well  and  favorably  known 
in  this  section.  His  life  of  toil  was  not  only 
successful  financially,  but  he  left  a  good 
record  to  his  devoted  wife.  His  father  had 
been  a  preacher  among  the  United  Brethren, 
and  he  also  left  a  large  estate  to  a  large  and 
honorable  posterity. 

The  names  of  Mrs.  Seckman's  living  chil- 
dren are:  James  R.,  a  farmer  of  Nebraska, 
has  five  children;  Kittie  J.,  wife  of  William 
Shultz,  of  Nebraska,  has  twelve  children; 
Charles  H.,  farmer  on  part  of  the  old  home- 
stead, has  six  children;  George  D.,  also  a 
farmer  on  the  homestead,  ten  children;  Jon- 
athan, farmer  in  Brown  county,  eight  chil- 
dren ;  Joseph  L.,  also  on  the  homestead,  seven 
children;  Archie,  also  on  the  homestead,  in 
the  house  with  his  mother,  four  children. 

Mrs.  Seckman  says  that  she  is  a  monu- 
ment of  God's  mercy  and  love.  She  has  had 
great  health  and  strength  during  life,  has 
worked  hard  in  the  house  and  field,  has  helped 
make  fence,  stack  grain,  and  has  done  every- 
thing in  the  house  from  rocking  the  cradle 
to  spinning  and  weaving.  She  is  now  as 
strong  and  vigorous  as  ever,  and  her  mind  is 
as  strong  as  ever,  and  in  every  respect  she  is 
a  remarkable  old  lady. 


iARIUS  N.  WALKER,  ex-Judge  of 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  a  resident  of 
Virginia,  is  a  native  of  the  Old  Do- 
minion, born  in  Fauquier  county,  February 
16,  1834.  Of  his  life  and  ancestry  we  re- 
cord the  following  facts: 

Solomon  Walker,  junior  and  senior,  father 
and  grandfather  of  the  Judge,  were  also  Vir- 
ginians by  birth,  and  the  former  was  a  na- 
tive of  Fauquier  county.  The  latter  suffered 


privations  and  hardships  in  the  various  cam- 
paigns of  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  in 
the  service  seven  years,  and  never  fully  re- 
covered his  health  afterward.  He  spent  his 
last  years  in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia. 
The  maiden  name  of  Grandmother  Walker 
was  Frances  Taylor.  Her  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  England,  and  when  but  a  small 
boy  was  kidnaped  by  sailors,  brought  to 
America  and  bound  out  until  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  He  spent  his  last  years  in  the 
State  of  Virginia.  Solomon  Walker,  Jr., 
learned  the  trade  of  tanner,  and  followed  his 
trade  in  connection  with  farming  in  Fau- 
qnier  county,  remaining  a  resident  of  that 
place  until  1855.  Then  he  sold  his  inter- 
ests there  and  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in 
Virginia  precinct,  Cass  county,  on  a  farm  he 
purchased  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  present 
courthouse  site.  He  engaged  in  agricult- 
ure and  remained  a  resident  there  till 
after  the  death  of  his  wife.  He  spent  his 
last  years  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Judge 
Walker,  where  he  died,  in  1889,  in  the 
eighty -sixth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife, 
Emma  Wilkins,  was  born  in  Prince  William 
county,  Virginia,  daughter  of  Thomas  Wil- 
kins. She  died  on  the  home  farm  in  1879. 
Nine  of  her  children  reached  adult  years. 

Judge  Walker  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  State,  and  when  a  mere  boy  he 
commenced  to  assist  his  father  in  the  tanyard 
and  on  the  farm.  He  is  a  natural  mechanic, 
and  while  a  resident  of  Virginia  worked  a 
portion  of  the  time  at  the  millwright  trade. 
He  came  to  Cass  county  with  his  parents  in 
1855,  and  lived  at  home  until  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  old;  was  then  employed  at  farm- 
ing and  carpenter  work.  April  15, 1862,  he 
started  with  others  for  Oregon.  They  went 
by  rail  to  St.  Joseph,  at  that  time  the  ter- 
minus of  the  railroad,  and  thence  by  boat  to 


26G 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


Sonora,  '  Missouri.  There  they  equipped 
themselves  with  ox  -teams  and  provisions, 
and  on  the  12th  of  May  started  on  their 
journey  across  the  plains,  arriving  at  the 
present  site  of  Baker  City,  Oregon,  August 
23.  He  remained  at  Auburn,  near  Baker 
City,  till  February,  when  he  went  to  Placer- 
ville,  Idaho  Territory,  and  engaged  in  min- 
ing, remaining  there  until  the  fall  of  1864. 
Then  he  went  to  San  Francisco,  and  from 
there  went  to  New  York,  via  Panama; 
thence  to  Cass  county,  Illinois.  Soon  after- 
ward he  bought  a  farm  in  Virginia  precinct, 
which  he  sold  the  following  fall,  came  to  Vir- 
ginia and  engaged  in  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade.  In  the  fall  of  1868  he  purchased  a  tin 
and  stove  store,  and  carried  on  that  business 
until  1873,  when  he  was  elected  Police 
Magistrate  of  Virginia,  and  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  the  duties  of  that  office.  In  1880 
he  visited  the  Rocky  mountains.  He  went 
as  far  as  Western  on  the  railroad  and  thence 
by  stage  to  Leadville,  Colorado.  Five  months 
later  he  returned  to  Virginia  and  has  since 
resided  there. 

Judge  Walker  was  married  in  the  fall  of 
1861,  to  Elizabeth  Adams,  who  was  born  in 
Morgan  county,  Illinois,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Mildred  (Bryant)  Adams.  She  died 
in  1873.  In  January,  1876,  he  married 
Martha  E.  Clark,  a  native  of  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  her  parents  being  Thomas 
and  Annie  Clark.  He  has  two  children  liv- 
ing by  his  first  marriage:  Emma  E.  and 
John  L. 

Politically,  the  Judge  has  always  affiliated 
with  the  Democratic  party.  He  served  as 
Police  Magistrate  from  1873  to  1882;  has 
also  served  as  Alderman  and  Mayor.  In 
1882  he  was  elected  County  Judge,  was  re- 
elected  in  1886,  and  served  two  full  terms. 
He  is  a  member  of  Saxon  Lodge,  No.  68,  I. 


O.  O.  F.,  and  Washington  Lodge  of  Mutual 
Aid.  Mrs.  Walker  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  while  the  Judge  is  a 
Baptist. 


ILLIAM  T.  TYSON,  a  widely  and 
favorably  known  citizen  of  Bain- 
bridge  township,  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  an  honored  veteran  of  the  late  war, 
and  one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  of 
the  State,  is  a  worthy  representative  of  a 
prominent  family  of  distinguished  patriots, 
who  sealed  their  devotion  to  their  country 
long  before  she  became  a  distinct  nation,  and 
who,  by  their  united  and  continued  efforts, 
have  contributed  in  no  small  measure  to  her 
steady  advancement  to  her  present  glorious 
position  among  the  countries  of  the  world. 
Zephaniah  Tyson,  the  distinguished  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  1771,  and  was  thus  by  birth 
placed  on  the  arena  of  the  most  stirring 
events  of  that  age.  It  is  not  surprising, 
therefore,  that  he  should  have  developed  that 
surprising  precocity  which  the  time  itself 
tended  to  foster.  Born  of  patriots,  breathing 
the  air  of  patriotism,  and  drinking  in  those 
noble  sentiments  which  have  filled  the  hearts 
of  heroes  since  the  world  began,  he  early  put 
by  the  pastimes  of  youth,  assuming  with  ease 
and  pleasure  the  responsibilities  and  cares  of 
a  man  and  a  soldier.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
years  he  enlisted  in  the  Indian  war.  and 
served  under  that  able  and  celebrated  patriot, 
General  Wayne.  Again,  in  the  war  of  1812, 
he  was  still  found  fighting  under  the  starry 
flag;  and  later  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Tippecanoe,  under  General  Harrison.  Amidst 
all  these  warlike  engagements,  he  found  time 
to  cultivate  the  friendship,  of  the  little  god  of 


SCRUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


267 


love,  who  directed  his  shafts  from  behind  the 
bright  glances  of  Miss  Margaret  De  Long,  an 
amiable  and  intelligent  Virginian,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  an  old  and  esteemed  family  of  that 
State.  In  1830,  he  removed  to  Illinois,  which 
was  then  a  new  and  sparsely  settled  country, 
where  he  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  3,  township  1  north,  range 
1  west  of  the  fourth  principal  meridian, 
where  he  continued  to  live  until  his  death  in 
1849,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  uni- 
versally and  sincerely  lamented. 

George  Tj'son,  an  able  son  of  a  great 
father,  was  born  in  1807,  on  the  Muskingum 
river,  in  Ohio.  In  those  times,  the  young 
apparently  matured  much  earlier  than  in  our 
present  indolent  age,  for  we  find  this  youth 
leaving  home  and  starting  in  pursuit  of  his 
fortune  long  before  he  was  fully  grown.  He 
went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  found  work,  and 
where  he  soon  afterward  purchased  a  flat-boat, 
with  which  he  commenced  trading  and  traf- 
ficking with  the  natives  on  the  Ohio  river. 
In  1829,  he  married  Miss  Lucinda  Bellamy, 
a  native  of  Culpeper  county,  Virginia.  Soon 
afterward  he  sold  his  flat-boat,  and  with  the 
proceeds  purchased  a  team,  with  which  the 
young  couple  made  the  trip  overland  from  a 
point  on  the  Ohio  river  to  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  where  they  settled  on  a  farm  in  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  11,  township  1 
north,  range  1  west.  Fortune  smiled  on  their 
industrious  efforts,  and  in  time  Mr.  Tyson 
accumulated  considerable  property,  having 
480  acres  of  choice  agricultural  land,  besides 
owning  a  steam  saw  and  grist  mill.  In  1866, 
he  went  West  and  has  never  been  heard  from 
since.  The  faithful  wife  and  devoted  mother 
survived  her  husband's  probable  death  ten 
years,  expiring  September  10,  1876,  in  her 
sixty-seventh  year,  leaving  a  bereaved  family 
and  many  friends  to  mourn  her  loss. 


William  T.  Tyson,  the  subject  of  this  no- 
tice, was  born  April  2,  1841,  in  a  log  house, 
situated  forty  rods  from  his  present  large  and 
comfortable  residence.  His  early  life  was 
spent  on  the  home  farm,  and  he  attended  the 
country  schools  of  his  vicinity,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  good  common-school  education, 
sufficient  to  enable  him  to  teach  several 
schools  in  his  township.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen, he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Moniteau 
county,  Missouri,  where  his  father  bought  a 
farm  of  160  acres  on  the  Pacific  railroad, 
and  ran  a  woodyard  in  connection  with  his 
farm,  there  being  an  abundance  of  excellent 
timber  on  the  land.  In  the  fall  of  1858, 
young  William  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Henry  county,  Missouri,  where  his  father 
bought  300  acres  of  excellent  prairie  land,  on 
the  west  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  21,  in  township 
43,  of  range  28.  Here  the  family  continued 
to  reside  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war,  when  the  mother  and  younger  children 
returned  to  the  old  homestead  in  Illinois.  It 
was  then  that  young  William  displayed  that 
patriotism  for  which  his  family  was  famous, 
by  raising  the  first  flag  ever  hoisted  in  the 
county  after  the  nomination  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He  raised  a  pole  fifty  feet  high,  to 
which  was  attached  a  flag  fourteen  by  twenty- 
one  feet,  with  a  rail  resting  on  the  top  of  the 
pole.  He  was  several  times  ordered  to  take  it 
down,  but  as  often  refused  to  do  so. 

This  sentiment  of  love  for  his  country  cul- 
minated in  his  enlistment  in  the  United 
States  service  as  a  private  in  Company  D, 
Cass  County  Regiment  of  Cavalry,  Missouri 
Home  Guards,  on  June  27,  1861,  to  serve 
three  years,  or  during  the  war;  and  was  dis- 
charged at  Harrisonville,  Missouri,  February 
28,  1862,  by  reason  of  General  Order  No. 
25,  paragraph  three,  Headquarters  Depart- 


268 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


ment  of  Missouri,  December  14,  1861.  He 
participated  in  several  engagements,  the  most 
important  of  which  were  Farkersville  and 
Harrisonville,  Missouri,  July  18  and  19, 
1861.  He  was  selected  for  Second  Lieuten- 
ant of  the  company,  and  lacked  but  a  few 
votes  of  being  elected.  He  was  one  of  the 
soldiers  who  helped  to  guard  the  first  wagon 
train  of  provisions  to  Lyon's  army,  after  the 
battle  ot  Wilson's  creek,  Missouri.  Soon 
after  his  discharge,  he  started  for  Illinois, 
and  was  obliged  to  cross  the  entire  State  of 
Missouri  from  west  to  east  at  a  very  danger- 
ous time  of  the  war. 

On  August  12,  1862,  Mr.  Tyson  re-en- 
listed in  the  army  as  a  private  in  Company 
D,  115th  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteers,  for 
three  years'or  during  the  war.  During  his 
service  he  did  his  full  share  of  marching, 
fighting,  scouting,  picketing,  digging  and 
suffering,  as  well  as  participating  in  the  for- 
aging and  picnicking,  of  which  Uncle  Sam's 
boys  are  generally  believed  to  have  had  a  large 
amount.  During  this  term  of  service  he  took 
part  in  a  number  of  prominent  engagements. 
He  was  in  the  battle  of  Franklin  and  Harpeth 
river,  April  10,  1863.  He  was  in  Rosecrans' 
campaign  from  Murfreesboro  to  Tullahoma, 
Tennessee,  from  June  23  to  30,  1863.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
September  18,  19 and  20,  1863;  and  was  in 
the  Dalton  raid,  under  General  Palmer,  from 
February  21  to  27,  1864.  He  was  also  in 
the  charge  on  Tunnel  Hill,  Georgia,  May  7, 
1864,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Resaca, 
May  15  and  16,  1864. 

He  was  one  of  that  brave  little  band  of 
forty-two  men  who  formed  Company  D, 
under  Captain  Hymer's  command,  who  held 
their  own  against  such  fearful  odds  at  Buz- 
zard's Roost  gap,  Georgia.  They  were  sta- 
tioned at  the  block  house  at  that  point,  in 


. I  uly,  1864,  where  on  August  15,  they  were 
attackedjby  Wheeler's  cavalry;  but  Company 
D  opened  such  a  fire  of  shot  on  the  attacking 
party  that  the  cavalry  were  obliged  to  retire. 
Again,  on  October  13,  Hood's  army  of  40,- 
000  came  to  the  block  house  and  opened  tire 
on  the  inmates  with  musketry  and  artillery, 
133  cannon  balls  being  fired  at  the  fort.  This 
little  band  of  Spartans,  however,  held  the  at- 
tacking party  in  check  for  ten  hours,  when 
they  were  finally  forced  to  surrender.  In 
this  engagement,  five  were  killed,  six  wounded 
and  thirty-seven  taken  prisoners.  The  pris- 
oners, among  whom  was  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  were  marched  to  Cahaba,  Alabama, 
where  they  were  confined  for  ten  days  in 
Castle  Morgan,  which  was  named  in  honor  of 
the  daring  Confederate  raider,  John  Morgan. 
Owing  to  the  crowded  condition  of  the  pris- 
on, they  were  sent  to  Millen,  Georgia, 
where  they  were  when  General  Sherman  sent 
General  Kilpatrick's  Cavalry,  on  November 
22,  to  rescue  them  if  possible.  The  preced- 
ing evening,  however,  they  were  loaded  on 
the  cars  and  sent  to  Savannah,  and  thence  on 
down  the  coast  to  Thomasville,  Georgia,  and 
from  there  across  the  country  to  Anderson- 
ville.  In  this  famous,  or  rather  infamous, 
prison,  Mr.  Tyson  was  confined  for  three 
months:  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  sent 
to  Vicksburg,  where  he  was  paroled,  ex- 
changed, and  loaded  on  the  Henry  Ames,  one 
of  those  magnificent  floating  palaces  for 
which  the  lower  Mississippi  was  famous  in 
ante-bellum  days.  He  was  in  this  way  trans- 
ferred to  St.  Louis,  and  there  paid  off,  and 
given  a  thirty  days'  furlough  to  go  home.  At 
the  expiration  of  this  time  he  returned  to 
Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  received  his 
final  pay  and  discharge,  on  June  14,  1865. 
As  typical  of  the  appreciation  in  which  Mr. 
Tyson  was  held  by  his  commanders,  may  be 


SG SUTLER    AND    BHOWN    COUNTIES. 


26» 


mentioned  the  remark  of  Captain  Hjnner, 
who  said  to  him:  "  1  know  you  were  one  of 
my  best  soldiers,  and  were  always  in  the  line 
of  duty."  Mr.  Tyson  was  on  detached  ser- 
vice in  the  Signal  Corps,  at  "Wartrace,  Ten- 
nessee; and  while  stationed  at  Tullahoma, 
that  State,  was  headquarter  clerk  for  General 
Jesse  H.  Moore.  While  in  Kentucky,  Mr. 
Tyson  was  a  guest  of  the  great  Kentucky 
statesman,  Cassius  M.  Clay,  at  that  time  ab- 
sent in  Russia,  but  whose  absence  was  amply 
compensated  for  by  the  cordiality  and  hos- 
pitality of  Mrs.  Clay,  her  daughter  and 
daughter-in-law,  with  whom  he  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  dining. 

By  the  spring  of  1867,  Mr.  Tyson  had 
saved  up  $500,  with  which  he  purchased  160 
acres  of  land  in  section  11,  township  1  north, 
range  1  west.  This  event  foreshadowed  an- 
other, which  transpired  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year,  and  which  was  but  the  fulfilling  of  the 
saw,  to  provide  a  cage  before  getting  the 
bird.  He  was  married  November  10,  1867, 
to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Scott,  an  estimable  lady,  and 
a  resident  of  Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  Their 
happy  married  life,  however,  was  destined  to 
be  of  short  duration,  for  on  February  22, 
1878,  the  faithful  wife  and  mother  expired 
at  home,  in  the  midst  of  her  family  and 
friends.  She  was  widely  known  and  greatly 
beloved  on  account  of  her  practical  Christian 
virtues  and  kind  heart.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren: Jesse  C.,  Laura,  Leora  and  Stella,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  there  are 
now  two  grandchildren. 

In  1880,  Mr.  Tyson  was  appointed  Census 
Enumerator  forBainbridgetownship,to  which 
position  he  was  reappointed  on  May  20, 1890. 
He  is  in  very  comfortable  circumstances,  and 
owns  as  fine  a  farm  as  there  is  in  the  country, 
which  is  provided  with  good  improvements 
and  is  moderately  and  well  stocked. 

18 


In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republi- 
can, and  is  opposed  to  oppression  in  any 
form. 

A  duty  done  is  always  a  source  of  pleasure 
and  pride  to  the  one  performing  it.  This  is 
essentially  true  at  all  times  and  at  all  places, 
but  how  much  more  so  must  it  be  when  the 
performance  involves  danger  and  perhaps 
death;  when,  as  in  the  late  war,  the  cham- 
pions of  justice  and  freedom  were  baptized 
with  fire  and  with  blood.  It  is  then  that 
duty  assumes  her  heaven-born  spirit,  and 
pours  into  the  heart  the  balm  of  unspeakable 
joy  and  that  peace  which  passetk  under- 
standing. 


DWARD  N.  TREADWAY,  a  farmer 
of  Beardstown,  was  born  in  Hamilton 
county,  Ohio,  February  23,  1825.  His 
father  was  Edward  Treadway,  a  native  of 
Maryland,  of  English  stock.  He  grew  up  as 
a  farmer  in  Maryland,  and  married  Elizabeth 
Anderson,  who  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Hartford  county,  Maryland.  She  came  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  He  and  his  wife  moved  to, 
Hamilton  county  in  1816,  and  later  came  to 
Illinois,  into  Cass  county,  and  settled  in  what 
is  known  as  the  Monroe  precinct.  This  was  in 
182,9.  The  wife  died  about  two  years  after 
the  family  settled  in  this  county,  being  then 
only  in  middle  life.  Her  husband  spent  his 
last  days  with  his  children,  and  died  in  1859, 
being  then  about  seventy-five  years  of  age. 
He  and  his  wife  were  recognized  as  very  early 
pioneers  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Treadway  has  lived  in  this  precinct 
since  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  and  has  become 
known  as  one  of  the  old  settlers.  He  is  a 
farmer  on  the  same  land  which  he  went  upon 
when  he  became  of  age.  It  is  in  sections  29 


270 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


and  30,  and  consists  of  160  acres,  and  is  known 
as  the  Sangatnon  bottoms.  It  is  all  improved 
He  also  owns  120  acres  of  timber  land  which 
is  very  valuable. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  to  Sarah 
Phelps,  of  North  Carolina,  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Margaret  (Measles)  Phelps,  who 
were  born,  reared  and  married  in  North  Car- 
olina. They  came  North  with  their  family 
and  settled  in  the  precinct  of  Beardstown. 
Mr.  Phelps  is  yet  living,  a  hale,  hearty  old 
gentleman,  but  Mrs.  Phelps  died  some  years 
ago. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Treadway  attend  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  in  this  city,  and  are 
worthy,  good  citizens  with  a  host  of  friends. 
They  are  the  parents  of  five  living  children: 
Martha  Predshaw,  now  living  on  a  farm  in 
this  county;  William,  at  home  assisting  his 
father;  Hans,  living  in  McDonough  county,; 
Anna  and  Bertha  at  home.  Mr.  Treadway  is 
a  consistent  Democrat. 


[ILLIAM  H.  COLE  MAN,  general 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  running  the 
large  cattle  farm  of  320  acres,  and 
also  owner  of  nearly  600  acres  in  the  precinct 
of  Philadelphia,  all  in  Cass  county,  has  lived 
in  the  county  for  thirty-two  years,  has  always 
been  engaged  as  a  farmer  and  has  always  been 
quite  successful.  He  began  here  as  a  poor 


man,  and  worked  for 


a  month   for   the 


first  four  years,  and  after  that  began  to  farm 
on  the  Calef  farm,  which  he  has  since  run  as 
a  renter,  and  out  of  his  savings  he  has  pur- 
chased the  large  farm  of  600  acres  which  he 
also  runs  on  his  own  account,  in  connection 
•with  his  rented  farm,  making  nearly  1,000 
acres  that  are  under  his  control.  He  has  been 
a  hard-working  man  and  has  made  all  he  has 
since  he  came  to  this  county  in  1860. 


He  was  born  in  Westphalia  at  Menden,  in 
Prussia,  Germany,  in  1840.  He  was  reared  in 
his  native  country,  and  after  he  came  to  this 
county  he  attended  the  public  schools  through 
the  kindness  of  his  benefactor,  S.  L.  Calef, 
whose  place  he  has  worked  on  since  1860. 
He  reveres  this  kind  gentleman  and  his  wife 
as  he  would  his  parents,  and  his  long  resi- 
dence on  their  farm  show  what  their  opinion 
is  of  his  honesty  and  faithfulness. 

Mr.  Coleman  is  the  son  of  Gotlieb  Coleman 
(spelled  in  the  German  Kuhlmanu),  and  the 
latter  came  to  the  United  States  in  1870. 
He  made  his  home  with  his  son,  William,  un- 
til his  death  in  1886.  He  was  then  eighty-two 
years  of  age.  He  was  a  good  old  man  and  a,n 
active  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
had  married  a  German  lady  who  lived  and 
died  in  her  native  country,  being  only  thirty- 
two  years  of  age.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Markman.  She  left  six  children  at  her 
death,  of  which  William  and  a  brother  Henry, 
now  a  married  farmer  in  Virginia  precinct, 
this  county,  are  all  that  are  now  living.  Will- 
iam and  his  brother  Henry  came  to  the 
United  States  when  young  and  single,  coming 
in  the  spring  of  1860  from  Bremen,  Germany, 
to  New  Orleans  in  a  sailing  vessel,  Mary 
Margaret,  with  636  passengers  on  board. 
After  a  thirty-nine  days'  voyage,  they  landed 
in  New  Orleans  and  came  up  the  Mississippi 
river  on  a  steamer  to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there 
to  Beardstown,  where  they  have  both  ;vince 
lived,  and  have  become  good  and  successful 
farmers  and  reliable  German  citizens. 

William  was  married  in  this  county  to 
Nancy  McLin,  born  in  Morgan  county,  where 
she  was  reared  and  educated.  She  has  lost 
her  parents,  the  mother  dying  in  Morgan 
county,  at  the  age  of  forty,  the  father  in  Cass 
county,  aged  sixty  years,  having  always  been 
a  farmer  by  occupation. 


SCIIDTLSR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


271 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coleman  are  the  parents  of 
five  children,  yet  living;  four  are  deceased; 
those  living  are:  Ellen  M.,  wife  of  Perry 
Davis,  a  farmer  of  Virginia;  Charles  E.,  at 
home  helping  on  the  farm;  Edgar,  John  and 
Arthur,  all  at  home  on  the  farm. 

Mrs.  Coleman  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  Coleman  is  a 
sound  Republican.  He  has  been  very  active  in 
local  politics,  and  once  run  for  County  Com- 
missioner, running  ahead  of  his  ticket  several 
hundred  votes.  He  and  his  wife  are  good, 
hard-working  people  and  are  justly  entitled 
to  the  success  they  have  attained. 


[IDNEY  J.  HOOD,  of  the  firm  of  Al- 
lard  &  Hood,  publishers  and  editors  of 
The  Evening  Star  and  The  Star  of  the 
West  of  Beardstown,  was  born  in  Spring 
Green,  Sauk  county,  Wisconsin,  October  10, 
1864.  He  was  reared  and  educated  at  that 
place  and  acquired  aknowledgeof  the  carpenter 
and  mason  trades,  but  later  went  into  the 
newspaper  business.  His  father,  Captain 
Thomas  R.  Hood,  came  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Wisconsin  when  a  small  child  with  his  par- 
ents, Moses  and  Sarah  Hood,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, but  who  died  in  Wisconsin. 
Thomas  R.  Hood  grew  up  as  a  farmer  and 
carpenter,  and  when  the  war  broke  out  heen- 
liste'l  in  the  Sixth  Wisconsin  Regiment  Light 
Artillery  as  a  volunteer  and  served  three  and 
one  half  years,  and  was  honqrably  discharged 
as  Captain  of  his  company.  He  had  led  his 
men  through  the  battles  of  Corinth,  Shiloh 
and  other  active  engagements,  and  was  much 
beloved  by  the  members  of  his  company.  He 
had  married  Eliza  A.  Seiders,  daughter  o 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Keifer)  Seiders.  They 
had  come  West  at  a  very  early  day,  settling 


in  Sauk  county  on  Government  land,  and  the 
same  on  which  Joseph  Seiders  and  wife  lived 
and  where  Mr.  Seiders  died,  a  very  old  man, 
in  the  spring  of  1888.  His  wife,  who  is  yet 
living,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  is  yet  very  active 
and  interested  in  her  surroundings.  She  and 
her  husband  were  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church. 

Our  subject  is  the  second  of  three  children, 
and  since  his  thirteenth  year  he  has  supported 
himself.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he 
began  work  at  his  native  home  at  Spring 
Green  on  a  paper  known  as  the  Weekly 
Home  News.  He  has  always  regarded  these 
early  days  in  Spring  Green  as  the  palmy  days 
of  his  life  as  well  as  of  his  newspaper  work. 
In  1889  he  came  to  Arenzville,  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  and  started  the  Aremville  Argus,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  Chapin  Boomerang,  and 
ran  the  papers  for  about  sixteen  months,  when 
he  sold  out  and  came  to  Beardstown,  where  he 
has  since  lived.  For  some  time,  also,  he  was 
a  worker  on  the  Laramie  (Wyoming)  Sen- 
tinel, Bill  Nye's  old  "first  love."  The  first 
issue  of  the  Daily  Star  took  place  March  7, 
1892;  present  firm  was  started  February  24, 
1892.  Both  the  daily  and  weekly  papers  are 
very  prosperous.  Mr.  Hood  is  a  very  ener- 
getic man,  and  being  a  practical  printer  under- 
stands thoroughly  the  management  of  a  news- 
paper. 

Mr.  Hood  is  still  unmarried.  He  is  an 
ardent  Republican. 


AD  ALLARD,  the  present  Postmaster  of 
Beardstown,  and  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  Star  of  the  West,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  Illinois,  August  31,  1854.  His 
father  was  Dr.  L.  S.  Allard,  one  of  the  pioneer 
physicians  and  druggists  of  Cass  county,  and 


272 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


was  one  of  the  most  forcible  political  writers 
of  Central  Illinois.  He  started  and  conducted 
for  many  years  the  Cass  County  Courier  and 
was  an  active  worker  in  politics.  He  served 
his  country  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  enter- 
ing it  as  a  Captain  and  corning  out  a  Colonel; 
also  in  the  Mexican  war  as  a  Lieutenant.  He 
is  a  Republican  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Hot 
Springs,  Arkansas.  His  mother  was  a  Miss 
Sarah  F.  Payne,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and 
is  yet  living.  The  complete  history  of  Beards- 
town  could  not  be  given  without  a  brief  men- 
tion of  the  paper  known  as  the  Weekly  Star  of 
the  West,  a  strong  Republican  paper,  and  the 
Evening  Star,  which  is  neutral.  The  ener- 
getic editor  and  proprietor,  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of  making 
a  success  of  a  daily  in  so  small  a  city  and  a 
weekly  paper  which  is  read  by  an  intelligent 
public  throughout  a  wide  territory.  The 
daily  Star  is  but  one  year  old,  but  has  already 
won  the  confidence  of  the  people.  The 
Weekly  Star  has  had  an  existence  since  1888, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  Republican 
sheets  of  the  West.  It  has  just  moved  into 
elegant  new  quarters  on  Main  street,  with 
editorial  and  counting  room  on  the  ground 
floor.  The  editor  handles  every  subject  ably 
and  without  fear  or  favor;  he  is  a  practical 
newspaper  man,  a  strong  and  forcible  writer; 
and  his  life  from  the  time  he  was  fourteen  has 
been  spent  in  newspaper  work.  He  began  work 
in  his  father's  office  in  Virginia,  Illinois, 
from  whom  in  1872  he  leased  it.  Young 
Allard  ran  this  paper  for  some  time  and  then 
took  a  partner  named  Mat.  Summers,  chang- 
ing the  name  of  the  paper  to  the  Virginia 
Gazette.  His  health  failing  he  went  to  Ar- 
kansas and  took  charge  of  the  Fort  Smith 
New  J?ra,  then  the  property  of  the  United 
States  Marshal  of  Western  Arkansas  and  the 
Indian  Territory,  which  was  the  oldest  and 


first  Republican  paper  of  the  State.  Two 
years  after  he  went  to  Hot  Springs,  where 
for  six  years  he  ran  a  paper  called  the  Daily 
News.  There  he  lost  his  wife  and  soon  after 
closed  out  his  interests  and  went  to  Kansas 
thence  he  returned  to  Cass  county,  where  he 
has  made  some  grand  strides  forward,  not  only 
as  a  newpsaper  man  but  as  a  local  politician. 
His  mode  of  handling  the  tariff  question  has  at- 
tracted attention,  and  at  the  late  State  Con- 
vention, at  which  he  was  a  delegate,  he  was 
one  of  the  committee  selected  to  draft  the 
platform,  which  was  accepted  without  a 
change  or  objection.  He  is  the  present 
treasurer  of  the  Illinois  Republican  Press  As- 
sociation, and  is  a  leading  member  of  the  K.of 
P.,  Beardstown  Lodge,  No.  207.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  he  is  a  newspaper  man  who 
neither  drinks,  smokes  nor  chews. 

He  was  first  married  to  Libbie  Peak,  who 
died  at  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas.  He  was 
married  a  second  time  May  20,  1890,  to  Miss 
Annie  Jockisch,  a  well  known  young  lady  of 
Beardstown,  who  was  reared  and  educated  in 
this  city,  and  is  especially  skilled  in  music. 
Her  father  is  William  Jockisch,  a  retired 
farmer  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Fourth 
National  Bank.  Beardstown  society  would 
not  be  complete  without  them. 


'OSEPH  BRIAR,  one  of  the  old  settlers 
of  Hickory  precinct,  Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, February  3,  1823,  son  of  James  Briar, 
a  native  of  Ireland.  His  grandparents  were 
born  in  Ireland,  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  their  native  land.  James 
Briar  was  reared  and  married  in  Ireland  and 
came  to  America  about  1815.  He  first  lived 
in  New  York  city  and  afterward  in  Phila- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


273 


delphia,  Baltimore  and  Pittsburg.  He  was  a 
contractor  on  Government  works,  and  while 
in  New  York  city  was  engaged  in  building 
lighthouses  in  New  York  harbor.  Subse- 
quently he  was  one  of  the  contractors  on  the 
building  of  the  State  prison  at  Alleghany.  In 
the  fall  of  1836  he  came  to  Illinois.  He 
spent  the  winter  at  Beardstown,  during  which 
time  he  looked  around  fora  location  suitable 
for  a  home,  and  in  the  spring  entered  a  tract 
of  Government  land  in  the  Sangamon  river 
bottoms.  As  there  were  no  improvements 
on  his  land,  he  rented  an  improved  farm  east 
of  Virginia,  and  a  part  of  the  family  settled 
on  that  farm  while  the  rest  took  up  their 
abode  on  the  land  he  had  entered,  and  at  once 
began  its  improvement.  He  resided  on  this 
place  until  his  death,  February  22,  1844. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary 
Davis.  She  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  died  on 
the  home  farm.  They  reared  nine  children. 

Joseph  Briar  was  thirteen  years  old  when 
he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents.  There 
were  no  railroads  in  this  State  at  that  time) 
and  their  removal  was  made  via  the  Ohio, 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  landing  at 
Beardstown  November  19.  Beardstown  was 
then  a  small  place,  but  was  the  market  and 
depot  for  supplies  for  many  miles  around. 
Central  Illinois  was  sparsely  settled  and 
much  of  the  land  still  owned  by  the  Govern- 
ment, while  in  the  northern  part  the  surveys 
were  yet  incomplete.  Deer,  wild  turkeys, 
prairie  chickens,  and  other  game  abounded. 
He  resided  with  his  parents  till  attaining  his 
majority,  when  he  settled  on  the  farm  he  now 
owns  and  occupies.  This  place  is  located  on 
section  4,  township  18,  range  10,  and  includes 
122^  acres  of  the  best  of  Sangamon  river 
bottom  land.  He  has  erected  a  nice  set  of 
frame  buildings  and  enjoys  all  the  comforts 
of  a  pleasant  home. 


In  1847  Mr.  Briar  married  Mary  A.  Harris, 
a  native  of  England,  who  came  with  her 
parents  to  Cass  county  when  she  was  a  girl. 
She  died  in  1853,  and  the  following  year  he 
married  Eliza  Smith,  a  native  of  New  York 
State.  There  are  two  children  living  by  the 
first  marriage:  Martha  J.  and  Emily  D.  Of 
the  seven  children  born  by  his  present  wife, 
four  are  living;  Joseph,  Harry,  Frank  and 
Annie.  Lillie,  Bertie  and  Effie  are  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Briar  are  members  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 


,ENRY  C.  KORTE,  general  farmer  of 
section  4>  township  17,  range  11,  was 
born  in  Kurhessen,  Germany,  January 
2,  1840.  He  grew  up  at  home,  and  in  1855 
came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  and 
three  children.  They  set  sail  from  Bremen, 
Hanover,  on  a  sailing  vessel,  landing  after  an 
eight  weeks'  voyage  on  the  vessel  Oldenburg 
in  Baltimore,  and  from  there  by  railroad  to 
Springfield,  Illinois,  and  from  there  by 
wagon  to  Beardstown,  Cass  county.  The 
father,  Conrad,  started  a  blacksmith  shop, 
that  being  the  trade  he  learned  in  Germany 
and  carried  it  on  for  twenty  years,  dying  at 
the  age  of  seventy-six.  He  was  a  good  worthy 
citizen  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
H6  was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  His  wife 
survived  him  about  ten  years  and  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-two.  She  was  also  a  Lutheran. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Christina  Meyer. 
Henry,  a  sister,  Mrs.  Sophia  Krohe,  and  a 
half  sister,  Mrs.  Catherine  Fischer,  are  the 
surviving  members  of  the  family. 

Mr.  Henry  Korte  began  here  as  a  poor 
man  and  worked  as  a  farm  laborer,  beginning 
for  himself  in  1863,  having  been  in  the 
county  since  1856.  He  purchased  his  first 


274 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    C'ASS, 


land  in  1889.  He  lias  a  fine  farm  in  the'  sec- 
tion where  he  lives. 

He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Wilhel- 
inina  Krohe,  born,  reared  and  educated  in 
Cass  county,  near  the  farm  where  she  now 
lives.  She  is  the  daughter  of  August  and 
Christine  (Jokisch)  Krohe,  natives  of  Ger- 
many who  had  come  to  America  when  young 
and  single,  and  were  married  in  Cass  county, 
where  they  made  their  home,  the  mother  dy- 
ing in  1889,  aged  over  seventy.  Mr.  Krohe 
is  still  living  in  this  county  and  is  eighty 
years  old.  He  and  his  family  were  always 
Lutherans  and  Mr.  Krohe  continues  in  the 
faith  of  his  youth. 

Mrs.  Korte  is  one  of  seven  children,  being 
the  third,  and  has  been  a  good  and  faithful 
wife  and  mother.  She  has  borne  her  hus- 
band four  children:  Albert  H.,  married  Mary 
Hessler  of  this  county,  and  they  live  on  Mr. 
Henry  Korte's  farm;  Arthur  G.,  single  and 
a  farmer  on  his  own  account,  living  at  home; 
Edward,  at  home  assisting  his  father;  and 
Amelia,  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Korte,  with  their  family,  are 
Lutherans,  and  Mr.  Korte  and  his  sons  are  all 
Democrats.  They  are  worthy  good  people. 


i^ENRY  W.  MEYER,  a  successful  farm- 
er and  stock  raiser  of  section  7,  town- 
ship 18,  range  11,  was  born  near  Arenz- 
ville,  this  county,  in  1853,  December  26. 
He  is  the  younger  of  the  children,  Fred  and 
Catherine  Meyer,  the  latter  now  deceased 
and  the  former  yet  living  (see  biography). 
Henry  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  was 
born  in  the  county.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  county.  He  has  a 
farm  of  133  acres,  all  well  stocked.  He  has 
farmed  it  on  his  own  account  for  thir- 


teen years.  He  has  spent  his  entire  life 
in  this  county,  as  a  farmer  on  his  lather's 
homestead.  He  also  has  sixty  acres  in 
another  part  of  the  county,  of  which  part 
is  under  the  plow. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  near  where 
he  now  lives,  to  Minnie  Kloker,  of  Cass 
county,  born  March  6,  1858.  She  was 
reared  and  educated  in  her  native  county, 
where  she  spent  the  remainder  of  her  short 
life,  dying  atherhomeatthe  age  of  thirty-four, 
June  28,  1891.  She  was  a  good  wife  and 
mother,  and  her  loss  was  deeply  felt  not  only 
by  her  sorrowing  family,  but  by  all  who 
knew  her.  She  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  since  early  girlhood.  She 
was  the  mother  of  four  children:  Irvin  E., 
Fred  W.,  Lewis  W.,  Rudolph  J.;  and  they  are 
all  deceased  excepting  the  youngest.  Be- 
sides, the  parents  have  adopted  a  girl,  named 
Nora  M.  Mr.  Meyer  has  reason  to  be 
proud  of  his  children  and  his  record  here  in 
the  county,  where  he  has  always  been  a  good, 
true  citizen,  a  faithful  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church  and  a  staunch  Republican. 


ENRY  J.  SCHROEDER,  one  of  the 
old  and  well  known  contractors  and 
builders  of  Beardstown,  was  born  in 
the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  in  1833. 
His  father,  Fred  Schroeder,  had  always  been 
a  farmer,  and  he  died  when  about  74  years  of 
age,  at  Beardstown,  and  his  wife  died  some 
time  later,  aged  seventy-eight.  The  family 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1844,  and  came 
straight  to  Beardstown  upon  landing  in  New 
Orleans.  They  came  by  the  usual  route  up 
the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis,  and  from 
there  up  the  Illinois  river  to  their  destina- 
tion. Henry  was  a  boy  of  eleven  when  he 


SGHUYLEB    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


275 


came  to  this  city,  and  has  since  made  it  his 
home.     He  grew  up,  learning  the    trade  of 
carpenter,  and  worked  as  journeyman  for  a 
time,  and  later  was   with    his  father-in-law, 
Henry  Mohlman,  in  his  substantial  planing 
mill  for  some   years.     It  was  the  first  busi- 
ness of  the  kind  in  the  city,  and  the  firm  was 
successful  in  doing  work  for  a  large  territory 
and  for  all  the  lumber  yards    of    the    city. 
The  railroads    that  came  into   the  city   inter- 
fered with  the  business,  and  Mr.  Schroeder 
sold   out  his  interest  and  launched  into  the 
flour-mill  business;  but  a  change  in  the  mak- 
ing of  flour  came  about,  and  to  change  from 
buhr  to  roller  process  required  large  outlays: 
so    Mr.  Schroeder  traded   his    mill  off  for  a 
farm  and  went  back  to  his  trade  as  a  carpen- 
ter and  a  contractor.     He  has  since  followed 
his  trade»and  has  built   many  of  the  houses 
and      public      buildings      of       Beardstown. 
Among  some   of  the  buildings    that  he  has 
constructed    are    the    Park    house,    leading 
hotel  of  the  city,  opera  house  and  many  oth- 
ers that  all  bear  testimony  to  the  skill  of  the 
contractor   and   builder.     He  has  dealt    ex- 
tensively in  real  estate,  and  has  an  interest  in 
the  Mohlmau  and  Schroeder  block,  one  of  the 
best  in  the  city.     He  also  owns  one  of  the 
argest  and  best  two-and-one-half-story   brick 
houses  in  the  city.     He  has  been  a  leading 
worker  in  local  matters  and  a  truly  good  citi- 
zen.    For  many  years  he  has  been  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  his  party  once  made  him 
Alderman  of  the  city.     He  has  retired,  to  a 
certain  extent,  from  active  business  and  now 
enjoys  the    fruit  of    his  labors.     His    sons 
succeed  him:  so  there  is  no  necessity  for  him 
to  exert  himself    in   regard  to  his  business 
interests. 

Mr.  Schroeder  was  the  first  child  that  his 
parents  had.  He  was  followed  by  four  sis- 
ters, but  no  brothers.  The  family  were 


Lutherans,  as  are  most  of  the  German  fami- 
lies, and  were  noted  for  their  thrift  and  hon- 
esty. He  has  only  one  sister  living,  Jeanie 
"Walch,  of  Leavenworth.  Kansas. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to  Miss 
Anna  Mohlman,  born  in  one  of  the  .Rhine 
provinces,  Germany,  in  1841,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Mohlman,  and  when  young  she  came 
to  this  country  with  her  parents,  and  has 
since  resided  here.  She  is  an  intelligent 
woman,  a  good,  kind  wife,  mother  and  neigh- 
bor. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schroeder  have  seven 
children,  namely:  Edward,  a  contractor  of 
Beardstown,  married  to  Mrs.  Annie  Balse- 
mier;  Dilla,  wife  of  Charles  Heinzes,  of 
Beardstown ;  Henry  G.,  a  trimmer  by  trade, 
with  Mr.  Henry  Keil,  a  hardware  merchant 
of  this  city,  and  married  to  Miss  Mene  Wip- 
ker;  George,  at  home,  a  carpenter;  Rhoda, 
Walter  and  Edith:  the  last  three  named  are 
all  at  home.  Mr.  Schroeder  has  a  married 
daughter,  Sarah,  wife  of  Charles  Kreke,  a 
furniture  dealer  of  this  city.  She  is  a  child 
by  a  former  marriage  to  Miss  Dora  Chris- 
tiana, now  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schroeder  are  members  of 
the  Fourth  Street  Lutheran  Church,  and  are 
liberal  supporters  of  the  same,  of  which  Mr. 
Schroeder  used  to  be  a  Trustee. 


NDREW  SCHAAD,  who  for  many 
years  has  been  identified  with  the  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  who  is  a  resident  of  Hickory  pre- 
cinct, was  born  in  Hesse- Darmstadt,  January 
4,  1836. 

John  Schaad,  his  father,  was  a  son  of  John 
Schaad,  and  both  passed  their  lives  and  died 
in  Germany,  the  former  in  1852.  Grand- 
father Schaad  was  all  his  life  engaged  in  agri- 


276 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    CASS, 


cultural  pursuits.  His  son,  John,  became  a 
civil  engineer,  and  was  engaged  in  surveying 
for  canals,  railroads  and  turnpikes.  His  wife, 
nee  Katherine  Hamel.  was  born  in  the  same 
locality  as  her  husband,  she  being  the  daugh- 
ter of  Christian  Hamel.  She  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1853,  the  year  following  Mr.  Schaad's 
death,  and  spent  her  last  years  in  Cass  county, 
Illinois.  She  reared  four  children:  Thomas, 
Charles,  Andrew  and  Mary.  Thomas  and 
Charles  both  married  and  reared  families,  and 
spent  their  last  years  in  Cass  county.  Mary 
is  the  wife  of  Henry  Walter,  and  lives  in 
Arenzville. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  attended  school 
in  Hesse- Darmstadt  until  1853,  when  he 
accompanied  other  members  of  the  family  to 
America.  They  set  sail  from  Havre  de  Grace 
September  15,  1853,  on  the  sailing  vessel 
Farera,  and  landed  at  New  Orleans  after  a 
voyage  of  forty-five  days.  There  was  cholera 
on  board  the  vessel,  which  rendered  the  voyage 
an  unpleasant  one.  From  New  Orleans  they 
came  north  by  river  to  Beardstown.  Andrew 
and  his  brothers  rented  land  and  farmed  to- 
gether, being  successful  in  their  operations. 
Subsequently  Andrew  and  Charles  bought  a 
tract  of  land  on  sections  6  arid  7,  township  18, 
range  10,  and  farmed  together  a  few  years. 
The  former  has  been  a  resident  of  what  is 
now  Hickory  precinct  since  1858,  and  is  now 
the  owner  of  320  acres  of  land,  177  acres  of 
which  are  the  finest  tillable  land,  located  on 
sections  6,  7,  and  8,  township  18,  range  10. 
He  has  erected  a  nice  set  of  frame  buildings, 
and  is  comfortably  situated  to  enjoy  life. 

In  1866  Mr.  Schaad  married  Miss  Miza  Tay- 
lor, a  native  of  Scotland,  and  a  daughter  of 
Neill  Taylor.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents 
of  three  children  Robert,  Kate  and  Maud. 

Politically  Mr.  Schaad  is  a  stanch   Repub- 
lican.    He  is  a  member  of  the  County  Cen- 


tral Committee,  Highway  Committee  in  Dis- 
trict No.  2,  and  has  served  as  a  member  of 
his  District  School  Board  for  thirteen  years. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 


AVID  D.  WILSON,  a  popular  and  suc- 
cessful business  man  of  Virginia,  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  dates  his  birth  in  Old- 
ham,  Lancashire,  England,  November  23, 
1841.  His  father,  James  Wilson,  was  born 
in  the  same  shire,  his  parents  having  passed 
their  lives  in  England.  James  Wilson  and 
his  brother,  Thomas,  and  three  sisters,  were 
the  only  members  of  the  family  who  came  to 
America.  Thomas  settled  in  Cass  county  in 
1841,  and  has  since  made  his  home  here. 

James  Wilson  was  reared  and  married  in 
Oldham,  and  was  there  employed  in  a  cotton 
factory  till  1842,  in  the  spring  of  which  year 
he  sailed  for  America,  embarking  at  Liver- 
pool and  landing  at  New  Orleans.  He  came 
up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers  into 
Illinois,  and  located  in  Cass  county.  He 
subsequently  moved  to  Jacksonville,  and  five 
years  later  to  Springfield,  his  death  occurring 
at  the  latter  place  in  1850.  His  wife  was, 
before  her  marriage,  Miss  Amelia  Taylor,  and 
she,  too,  was  a  native  of  Lancashire.  Her 
death  occurred  in  Cass  county  a  few  months 
after  their  arrival  in  this  county. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  David  D. 
was  taken  in  charge  by  a  family  in  Sangamon 
county,  and  with  them  he  lived  until  be  was 
fourteen.  From  that  time  he  cared  for  him- 
self. He  found  employment  with  his  bro- 
ther-in-law till  1860,  and  at  that  time  com- 
menced to  learn  the  trade  of  carpenter.  His 
employer  soon  emigrated  to  Iowa,  and  in  1861 
young  Wilson  turned  his  attention  to  the  trade 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


277 


of  printer,  at  which  he  worked  in  the  office  of 
the  Jacksonville  Journal. 

In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  First  Illinois  Eegiment  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  was  in  the  State  service  one  month. 
When  the  regiment  was  mustered  in,  he  was 
rejected  on  account  of  a  crippled  hand.  In 
1864  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-third  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  this  time  being  accepted. 
He  served  till  the  term  of  his  enlistment  ex- 
pired, when  he  was  honorably  discharged. 
He  then  went  to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  ex- 
pecting to  work  at  his  trade,  but  was  taken 
sick  and  soon  afterward  returned  to  Illinois. 
After  his  recovery  he  farmed  in  Morgan 
county  one  year.  Then  he  worked  at  his 
trade  in  Jacksonville  for  a  time.  In  1875  he 
came  to  Virginia,  being  employed  in  the  office 
of  the  Gazette  from  March  till  July  of  that 
year.  Next  we  find  him  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business,  which  he  still  continues,  and 
in  which  he  has  been  eminently  successful. 
He  began  with  a  small  stock  of  goods,  his 
natural  business  ability  secured  him  a  good 
trade,  and  he  is  now  ranked  with  the  success- 
ful business  men  of  the  town. 

Mr.  Wilson  is  a  man  of  family.  He  was 
married,  in  1866,  to  Martha  Taylor,  a  native 
of  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  and  their  union 
has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  four  children : 
Mamie,  Ella  G.,  Herbert  S.  and  Mabel. 

He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
favoring  prohibition. 


IEORGE    KUHL   was    born    in    Hesse- 
Darmstadt,    Germany,    in    1807.     His 
parents,  Christian  and  Elizabeth  (Ganz) 
Kuhl,  were  very  old  when  they  died,  the  father 


at  the  age  of  eighty- three,  the  mother  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  and  one-half  years.  They 
were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
When  George  was  yet  a  young  man  he  em- 
barked for  America  in  the  ship  Baltimore  in 
1833.  After  a  voyage  of  eight  weeks  he 
landed  in  Baltimore  and  went  from  there  to 
Richmond,  Virginia,  and  followed  his  trade 
of  baker.  He  soon  left  that  city,  however, 
and  came  to  Beardstown,  Illinois.  He  was 
the  first  of  his  family  to  venture  across  the 
ocean,  but  was  later  joined  by  his  parents  and 
other  brothers  and  sisters.  He  is  the  eldest 
of  a  large  family  that  comes  of  good  German 
stock.  His  youngest  brother  is  a  Lutheran 
clergyman  of  Carthage,  Illinois,  and  he  and 
George  Kuhl  are  all  that  are  left  of  the 
family. 

When  Mr.  Kuhl  came  to  Beardstown  in 
1835  he  had  but  twenty-five  cents  in  his 
pocket.  The  city  was  then  very  small,  and 
the  country  was  new.  He  began  his  business 
career  in  Beardstown  as  a  baker.  He  soon 
gained  a  footing  and  found  a  sale  for  his 
wares,  both  in  the  little  town  and  on  the 
boats  that  were  on  the  river.  He  made 
money  and  after  twelve  years  established  a 
large  grocery  store.  Later  he  made  it  a 
general  store,  and  added  to  it  all  the  time  un- 
til he  became  a  large  pork  packer  and  grain 
dealer.  Those  were  the  times  to  make  money, 
and  during  the  war  times  he  was  one  of  the 
largest  dealers  on  the  Illinois  river.  He  had 
two  large  grain  houses  that  were  destroyed 
by  tire,  and  he  lost  some  $4,000  in  a  paper 
mill.  This  made  no  difference  to  Mr.  Kuhl's 
business  enterprise.  In  spite  of  his  losses  he 
has  made  a  large  amount  of  money,  and  he 
now  enjoys  it  in  a  beautiful  home  that  he 
erected,  that  cost  him  some  $15,000  when 
completed.  It  is  furnished  with  every  mod- 
ern improvement.  He  has  always  had  the 


278 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


best  interests  of  the  city  at  heart,  and  has 
done  everything  he  could  toward  building  it 
up.  He  lias  been  a  hard  worker,  and  is  the 
best  kind  of  a  citizen,  and  one  that  has  a  good 
deal  of  influence  with  all  classes  not  only  in 
the  city  but  all  over  the  county.  He  has 
been  a  leader  in  all  tending  to  improve  the 
city.  He  was  one  of  the  originators,  and  is 
one  of  the  principal  supporters  of  the  Ger- 
man Church,  and  has  contributed  liberally  to 
its  support.  His  party  (Republican)  has 
rewarded  his  faithful  services  by  making  him 
Alderman  of  the  city.  He  is  a  very  temper- 
ate man  and  one  that  scorns  anything  mean 
or  low.  He  has  now  retired  from  business, 
and  is  taking  a  merited  rest,  but  he  still  takes 
a  strong  and  deep  interest  in  all  that  occurs 
in  the  city's  history. 

He  was  married  for  the  first  time  to  Chris- 
tanna  Belger,  who  was  born  in  Saxony  and 
came  to  this  country  when  young  in  1836. 
She  died  at  Beardstown  when  about  thirty 
years  of  age.  She  left  four  children,  one  of 
whom  is  dead.  Mrs.  Lizzie  Rearick  died 
after  her  marriage.  The  three  living  ones  are: 
William  P.,  who  is  in  the  grocery  business, 
married  Mary  Shepherd;  George  S.,  a  dry- 
goods  merchant,  married  Julia  Buck;  Philip, 
a  successful  dry-goods  merchant  of  Beards- 
town,  married  Mamie  L.  Arenz.  Mr.  Kuhl 
was  married  for  the  second  time  in  this  city 
to  Mary  E.  Hemininghouse,  nee  Mashmeier. 
She  was  a  German  by  birth  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  parents  in  1834. 
Landing  in  New  York  city  they  came  by 
water  route  to  Beardstown.  Ten  days  after 
their  arrival  her  father  died,  and  her  mother 
died  some  six  months  later.  Mrs.  Mary 
Kuhl  was  first  married  iu  her  native  country 
to  the  Rev.  William  Hemminghouse.  He 
had  charge  of  a  German  Lutheran  mission; 
after  some  ten  years  he  became  a  Methodist, 


and  was  a  missionary  through  the  West.  He 
died  when  he  was  forty  years  old.  He  left 
six  children,  all  dead  but  two  daughters: 
Minnie,  wife  of  George  Schultheis ;  Henrietta, 
wife  of  Chris  Kuhl.  By  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kuhl  have  four  children:  Louis,  a 
clerk  for  Philip  Kuhl  in  Beardstown,  and 
married  to  Emma  McVey,  now  deceased; 
Henry  E.,  a  clerk  in  Nashville,  Illinois,  mar- 
ried Allie  Means;  Mary,  a  teacher  in  the  High 
School  of  Springfield,  and  she  is  an  accom- 
plished lady,  and  a  graduate  in  English  and 
German;  Lydia,  wife  of  Rev.  M.  D.  Horn- 
beck,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Church. 


fAMES  B.  MOORE,  a  soldier  in  the  late 
war,  was  born  in  Newark,  Delaware, 
November  26,  1819.  His  father,  John, 
was  born  in  the  same  place,  October  9,  1791, 
and  his  grandfather,  Archibald,  was  a  native 
of  Jamestown,  Virginia.  The  great-grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  born  in  Ireland,  of 
Scotch  ancestry,  and  came  to  America  and 
settled  in  Virginia,  where  he  spent  his  last 
years.  Archibald  moved  from  Virginia  to 
Newark,  Delaware,  bought  land  from  Joseph 
Eagle,  and  there  spent  his  last  years  as  a  far- 
mer. The  farm  is  still  owned  by  his  descend- 
ants. The  name  of  his  wife  was  probably 
McDonald,  and  as  far  as  known,  she  spent 
her  entire  life  in  Newcastle  county.  John 
always  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and  the 
house  where  he  was  born  was  his  home 
throughout  his  entire  life.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Webb  Temple  of  Chester  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, whose  father,  Samuel,  was  born  in  the 
same  locality,  and  whose  grandfather,  Caleb, 
was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
a  Magistrate  for  several  years  under  King 
James.  He  was  an  extensive  land  owner, 


SCHUYLER     AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


279 


owning  the  land,  including  Chad's  Ford  and 
Burningham  in  Chester  county,  where  the 
battle  of  Brandywine  was  fought.  He  spent 
his  last  years  in  Chester  county,  was  a  Quaker, 
and  reared  his  family  in  the  same  faith.  The 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  an  extensive 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  and  spent  his  last  days 
in  Chester  county.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Clements.  The  mother  of  James  died  near 
Newark,  Delaware,  October  1883,  aged 
eighty-three. 

James  was  reared  and  educated  in  Newark, 
attending  school  quite  steadily  until  twenty 
years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  in  farming  for 
five  years.  He  then  became  a  merchant  for 
one  year,  bat  sold  out  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  John 
M.  Clayton,  and  in  1848  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  the  same  year  came  to  Mt.  Sterling. 
He  practiced  here  until  his  enlistment,  July 
15,  1861,  in  Company  G,  Third  Illinois  Cav- 
alry, and  served  eight  months.  He  was  hon- 
orably discharged  on  account  of  disability 
incurred  in  the  service.  He  then  accepted 
the  position  of  Provost  Marshal  of  the  Ninth 
Illinois  District,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
two  and  one-half  years.  On  account  of  fail- 
ing eyesight,  he  resigned  and  returned  home. 
Although  not  totally  blind,  he  is  so  nearly  so 
as  to  incapacitate  him  for  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  he  lives  retired  in  his  pleasant 
home  he  has  built  in  Mt.  Sterling. 

He  married  Cordelia  Merritt  on  September 
8,  1851.  She  was  born  in  Naples,  Illinois. 
Her  father,  Joseph,  was  born  in  Sussex 
county,  Delaware,  July  16,  1803.  When  he 
was  eight  years  old  his  parents  went  to  Ohio. 
The  removal  was  made  with  two  horses  at- 
tached to  a  cart.  They  located  in  Pickaway 
county,  where  they  lived  until  1828,  and  then 
moved  to  Illinois,  and  were  among  the  first 
settlers  of  Morgan  county.  Later  they  bought 


land  in  Pea  Ridge  township,  lived  there 
until  1850,  when  they  came  to  Mt.  Sterling, 
where  they  continued  to  reside  for  the  re- 
mainder of  their  days.  Mr.  Merritt  died  in 
1890.  His  wife  died  in  Mt.  Sterling  in  1875. 
She  was  Rebecca  Drew  and  was  born  in 
Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  have  had  ten  children: 
Joseph,  James  B.,  Kate,  Will,  Eugene,  Annie, 
Sladie,  Lottie,  Jennie  and  George.  Mr.  Moore 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  party 
since  its  formation.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore 
are  among  the  best  people  of  Pea  Ridge  and 
are  greatly  respected  by  all  who  know  them- 


fACKSON  HIGGINS,  of  Brooklyn,  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  Morgan  county,  Ohio, 
in  1832.  His  father,  Daniel,  was  born 
in  Green  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  20, 
1807,  and  his  father,  Joseph,  was  born  near 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  engaged 
in  farming.  He  was  born  in  1777.  and  died 
in  1840,  marrying  Polly  Henderson,  and 
raising  a  family  of  twelve  children.  He  was 
drafted  into  the  war  of  1812,  but  sent  a  sub- 
stitute. Daniel  was  married  February  28, 
1828,  in  Green  county,  Pennsylvania,  to 
Sarah  Brewer.  They  moved  from  there  to 
Morgan  county,  Ohio,  about  1830.  In  the 
fall  of  1838,  they  came  to  Illinois  with  a  small 
horse  and  wagon,  bringing  four  small  children, 
being  twenty-six  days  on  the  road.  There 
were  six  families  in  the  party.  The  trip  was 
a  pleasant  one,  and  the  winter  following  was 
mild.  They  found  the  grass  very  tall,  gone 
to  seed,  all  kinds  of  game,  and  very  recent 
marks  of  the  buffalo  remaining.  Agues  and 
fevers  were  universal. 

Mr.  Higgins  is  the  oldest  resident  in  this 
part  of  Schuyler  county.     He  took  up  eighty 


280 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


acres  of  school  lands,  and  soon  obtained  a  deed, 
which  he  has  held  until  he  came  to  live  with 
his  son.  He  was  a  tailor  by  profession,  hav- 
ing learned  his  trade  in  Waynesburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, when  a  young  man,  having  worked 
at  it  much  of  the  time.  In  those  early  days 
the  wives  carded,  spun  and  wove  wool  and 
flax,  and  Mr.  Higgins  in  his  trade,  served 
the  neighborhood  well.  His  wife  died,  No- 
vember, 1880,  aged  seventy-four  years,  leav- 
ing four  living  children,  ten  having  been 
born.  Mr.  Higgins,  in  his  eighty-sixth  year, 
is  bright  and  active. 

Jackson  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He 
started  on  forty  acres,  and  has  from  time  to 
time  added  to  it  until  his  farm  is  now  227 
acres,  all  fenced  and  more  than  one-half  under 
the  plow.  There  is  some  timber  and  large 
pasturage. 

He  was  married  in  1858,  to  Sarah,  daughter 
of  William  and  Polly,  (Fowler)  Burnett  of 
England,  but  who  have  been  residents  here 
for  many  years.  They  have  two  sons,  William 
Harrison,  married,  residing  on  the  home  farm, 
and  John  R.,  married,  and  also  on  the  farm, 
They  are  all  Democrats  and  Methodists.  Mr. 
Higgins  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
four  years  and  has  served  the  county  as  Road 
Commissioner. 


MILLER  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  27,  1837. 
He  was  the  son  of  Warwick  and  Mary 
(More)  Miller  of  the  same  place.  He  was 
the  sou  of  William  and  Rebecca  Miller,  both 
of  whom  died  at  a  good  old  age.  Mr.  Will- 
iam's mother  was  the  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
Mary  (Hanney)  More,  who  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  spent  their  lives 
and  died  at  a  good  old  age.  Warwick  was 


one  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  still 
living,  and  his  wife  is  one  of  six  children, 
one  of  whom  alone  survives. 

Aaron  Miller  is  one  of  seven  children,  all 
living.  He  remained  at  home  until  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age,  having  spent  his  time  in 
attending  school,  farming  and  wagoning. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Miller  lived  in  Penn- 
sylvania on  his  father's  farm,  but  in  1869  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  bought  eighty  acres  of 
land,  later  adding  to  it  360  acres.  He  has 
been  a  general  mixed  farmer  and  very  suc- 
cessful. 

He  was  married  January  6,  1866,  to  Mar- 
tha Robinson,  born  in  1836,  daughter  of 
William  and  Elizabeth  (More)  Robinson. 
The  Robinson  ancestors  came  from  Ireland. 
Elizabeth  More  was  born  in  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  died  there,  aged  fifty-seven 
years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Colonel  More, 
who  was  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  Mores 
were  of  Scotch  descent  and  first  settled  in 
Maryland,  and  all  were  honest  mechanics  or 
farmers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  three 
children,  Robert  W.  and  Ruth,  living  at  home, 
and  Mary,  a  teacher  of  music,  all  graduates 
of  the  Plymouth  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mil- 
ler are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church 
of  Plymouth.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican 
and  voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln  for  his  firet 
term. 


ON.  ROBERT  BROWN  was  born  at 
Rushville,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois, 
October  19,  1835,  a  son  of  John  and 
Jane  (Beckett)  Brown;  the  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Fayette  county,  Kentucky,  and  emi- 
grated to  this  State  about  1831,  settling  at 
Rushville;  he  was  a  carpenter  by  occupation, 
and  followed  t'his  calling  until  his  death  at 
the  age  of  fifty-eight  years;  the  mother  was 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


281 


born  in  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  and  died 
in  this  county  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years; 
they  had  born  to  them  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  living.  Robert  Brown 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  thirty-one 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  married.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-four  he  was  practically  at  the 
head  of  a  large  family,  but  he  early  developed 
remarkable  business  ability,  and  was  quite 
equal  to  the  cares  that  devolved  upon  him. 

He  was  united  to  Miss  Mary  M.  S.  Hoff- 
man, October  31,  1866.  She  was  born  in 
Woodstock  township,  Schuyler  county,  Illi- 
nois, September  7,  1845,  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel and  Margaret  0.  (Narding)  Hoffman: 
Samuel  Hoffman  was  a  native  of  Berks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  emigrated  to  Illi- 
nois in  18384  and  here  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life;  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican 
war,  and  died  of  a  fever  contracted  in  the  ser- 
vice, at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years;  he  was 
a  sou  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Meyers)  Hoffman, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania;  Margaret  C.  Nard- 
ing was  born  in  France,  October  26,  1822, 
and  emigrated  with  her  parents  to  America 
in  1823;  they  first  settled  at  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  in  1839  came  -to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated in  Woodstock  township,  Schuyler 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  have  had  born 
to  them  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing: Robert  W.,  born  October  26,  1868; 
Lilly  J.,  born  April  28,  1870;  Herman  H., 
born  June  14,  1875;  Edward  0.,  born  Au- 
gust 24,  1880. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Brown  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land,  a  portion  of  the  farm  he 
now  owns;  as  his  means  increased  he  invested 
in  land,  and  now  has  400  acres  in  a  body  in 
Woodstock  township.  In  1881  he  replaced 
the  old  log  house  which  had  been  a  home  for 
so  many  years  with  a  modern  structure,  and 
he  has  made  many  valuable  improvements 


upon  the  place;  he  does  a  general  farming 
business,  but  makes  a  specialty  of  high  grades 
of  blooded  stock. 

Politically,  Mr.  Brown  was  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party,  but  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  by  Democrats  and  Grangers  by 
a  majority  of  1,476;  he  served  four  years, 
giving  entire  satisfaction  to  his  constituency; 
he  was  a  member  of  several  important  com- 
mittees, and  always  showed  a  wise  considera- 
tion of  the  subject  in  question.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  for  fiteen  years, 
and  has  favored  elevating  the  educational 
standards,  and  has  filled  the  office  of  Super- 
visor. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, and  belongs  to  the  State  Grange.  In 
addition  to  the  business  interests  mentioned, 
Mr.  Brown  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Bank  of 
Rushville.  He  is  a  man  of  excellent  business 
ability,  his  judgment  carrying  great  weight. 
He  has  accumulated  his  property  through  his 
own  unaided  efforts,  and  he  is  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 


fOHN  F.  ROBINSON,  County  Clerk  of 
Cass  county,  is  one  of  the  prominent  and 
influential  men  of  the  county.     He  is 
eminently  a  self-made  man.     Beginning  life 
a  poor  boy,  he  has  worked  his  way  up  to  his 
present  position  of  wealth  and  influence,  being 
now  classed  with  the  leading  citizens  of  his 
county.     A  review  of  his  life  gives  the  fol- 
lowing facts: 

John  F.  Robinson  was  born  in  Crawford 
county,  Ohio,  May  31,  1851.  His  father, 
Andrew  D.  Robinson,  was  a  native  of  the 
same  State,  and  a  son  of  James  Robinson, 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Ohio.  Andrew  D. 
was  quite  young  when  his  father  died,  and 
he  was  reared  by  his  mother.  He  married 
in  Ohio,  and  resided  there  till  1852.  That 


282 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


year,  leaving  his  wife  with  her  parents,  he 
started  for  California,  making  the  journey 
with  teams  across  the  plains.  At  that  time 
there  were  no  white  settlers  between  the 
Missouri  river  and  California,  except  the 
Mormons.  ^After  his  arrival  in  the  Golden 
State,  he  engaged  in  packing  provisions  to 
the  mines,  and  subsequently  assisted  in 
operating  the  first  threshing-machine  in  that 
State.  He  remained  there  till  1856,  when 
he  returned  East  via  the  Isthmus  route,  and 
located  in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  on  a  rented 
farm  between  Marion  and  Cedar  Rapids.  A 
year  later  he  bought  a  partially  improved 
farm  in  Spring  Grove,  two  miles  and  a  half 
west  of  Paris,  where  he  lived  till  1887. 
Leaving  his  son  James  in  charge  of  the  farm, 
he  then  removed  to  Center  Point,  where  he 
now  lives  retired.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
first  wife,  mother  of  John  F.,  was  Elizabeth 
E.  Wachtel.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  aud  her 
death  occurred  in  Iowa,  in  1865.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  second  wife  was  Eva  L. 
Putney.  He  reared  five  children  by  his  first 
wife,  and  of  those  born  to  his  second  wife 
three  are  living. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  an  infant 
when  his  father  went  to  California.  In  1854, 
when  he  was  three  years  old,  he  was  taken 
by  his  mother  and  her  parents  to  Iowa, 
making  the  journey  with  a  horse  and  buggy. 
Iowa  at  that  time  was  thinly  settled,  and 
there  were  no  railroads  in  the  State  for  two 
years  afterward.  Young  Robinson  attended 
the  common  schools,  and  advanced  his  edu- 
cation by  attendance  at  the  State  University. 
In  1871  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Illinois,  to 
seek  his  fortune,  landing  here  with  no  capital 
save  a  willing  hand  and  a  determination  to 
succeed  in  life.  He  found  employment  on 
the  farm,  working  by  the  month  in  summer, 
and  during  the  winter  of  1871-'72  he  at- 


tended school  in  Chandlerville.  The  follow- 
ing ten  years  he  taught  school  a  part  of  each 
year.  In  1874,  he  made  his  first  purchase  of 
real  estate — a  farm  of  120  acres  in  Rich- 
mond precinct.  Since,  then  he  has  been  an 
extensive  and  successful  dealer  in  both  farm 
and  city  property.  He  now  owns  four  farms 
in  Cass  county,  and  a  half  interest  in  five 
other  farms  here.  He  is  also  interested  in 
farm  land  in  Clarke  county,  Iowa,  and  has 
city  property  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and 
Eureka  Springs,  Arkansas. 

In  March,  1873,  Mr.  Robinson  married 
Caroline  (Houghton)  Davis,  who  died  April 
19,  1874,  leaving  one  child,  Ada  L.  In 
August,  1879,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  J.  Witty,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children,  Lavina  E.  and  Lee  E. 

Politically,  he  has  always  affiliated  with 
the  Democratic  party.  He  cast  his  first  vote 
for  Horace  Greeley.  While  teaching  school 
he  devoted  a  portion  of  his  spare  time  to  the 
study  of  law. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Robinson  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  County  Clerk  of  Cass  county,  for 
the  legal  term;  was  re-elected  in  1886,  and 
again  in  1890. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Robinson  is  associated 
with  Virginia  lodge,  No.  544,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Clark  Chapter,  No.  9,  R.  A.  M.;  Hospitaller 
Commandery,  No.  32,  K.  T. ;  Ashland  Lodge, 
No.  341,  1.  O.  O.  F.;  and  Virginia  Camp, 
M.  W.  A. 


ENRY  W.  KROHE  was  born  at  Beards- 
town,  Illinois,  November  27,  1841,  and 
died  suddenly  at  his  home  in  that  city, 
of  heart  failure,  December  19,  1889.  He 
grew  up  here,  and  in  1862,  when  just  about 
of  age,  he  started  for  Calfornia,  with  an  uncle 
and  aunt.  Going  to  New  York,  they  took  a 


SCHU1LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


283 


steamer  to  Aspinwall,  crossed  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  and  was  landed  by  a  Pacific  steamer 
at  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  where  Mr.  Krone 
remained  for  some  time.  Later,  he  went  to 
Portland,  Oregon,  Umatillia,  Vancouver  Is- 
land, etc.,  and  thence  up  to  British  Columbia, 
and  back  again  into  California.  He  was 
amongst  the  Cherokee  Indians,  whose  lan- 
guage he  learned  to  speak  well.  He  spent 
four  years  as  a  miner,  and  had  a  varied  ex- 
perience, making  and  losing  money. 

In  1866,  he  returned  to  Beardstown,  and 
shortly  afterward  he  went  in  partnership 
with  his  brother-in-law,  George  Schneider, 
into  the  saloon  business,  and  together  built 
the  opera-house  block,  in  1873;  but  when  it 
was  nearly  completed  it  was  blown  down  by 
a  terrible  storm,  July  4,  1873.  It  was  re- 
built by  them  the  same  year.  About  eight 
years  ago,  Mr.  Krohe  sold  his  share  of  the 
opera-house  block  to  his  brother,  Fred  Krohe, 
who  is  still  the  proprietor  of  the  same,  with 
his  brother-in-law,  George  Schneider,  now  of 
Omaha,  Nebraska. 

In  1869,  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
mineral  arid  soda  water,  in  which  business  he 
continued  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  well  known  as  a  hard-working  business 
man.  He  built  several  nice  dwelling  houses, 
which  became  the  property  of  his  widow. 

He  was  married  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
February  11,  1875,  to  Miss  Bertha  A.  Eber- 
wein,  a  native  of  Cass  county,  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1846,  daughter  of  J.  C.  H.  and  Maria 
Eberwein,  who  were  born  in  Germany,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  when  very  young. 
Mrs.  Eberwein  died  in  1847,  leaving  two  lit- 
tle girls,  Caroline  and  Bertha,  both  having 
good  homes  at  the  time  they  were  married. 
Mr.  Krohe  and  wife  were  reared  in  the 
faith  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  was  a 
genial  and  pleasant  man,  a  Democrat  in  poli- 


tics, but  not  an  office  seeker.  He  leaves  no 
children,  but  a  widow,  to  mourn  his  early 
death;  and  Beardstown  lost  one  of  its  best 
citizens  when  Mr.  Krohe  died. 


ERIC  E.  CADY  resides  at  Camden, 
and  is  numbered  among  the  respected 
pioneers  of  Schuyler  county.  He  was 
born  in  Tolland  county,  Connecticut,  Jan- 
uary 22,  1828,  being  a  son  of  Isaac  F.  and 
Sarah  (Chapman)  Cady,  natives  of  Connec- 
ticut. Isaac  F.  Cady  in  early  lite  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter,  and,  being  a  natural  me- 
chanic, also  worked  at  the  blacksmith  trade. 
He  could  make  anything  in  iron  or  other 
work  in  his  line. 

He  first  married  Clarissa  Hunt,  who  died, 
leaving  seven  children,  five  girls  and  two 
boys.  He  then  married  Sarah  Chapman,  and 
after  two  children  had  been  born,  he  with 
his  family  came  to  Illinois,  in  1835,  via  canal, 
Lake  Erie  and  canal,  to  the  Ohio  river,  where 
he  purchased  a  boat,  and  came  to  Quincy, 
Illinois,  and  in  the  fall  of  1835  he  settled  in 
Camden  township,  where  he  entered  several 
hundred  acres  of  land,  and  resided  there 
till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1847,  aged 
seventy-two  years,  six  months  and  two  days. 

By  his  first  marriage  there  were  seven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Isaac  G.,  H.  H.  Franklin,  An- 
geline,  Caroline,  Etnaline,  Adaline  and  Mary 
Ann.  By  his  second  marriage,  he  had  Fran- 
cis E.  and  Meric  E.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, by  former  marriage  to  I.  A.  Jones,  had 
five  children;  Austin,  Alonzo,  Revilo,  Charles 
W.,  and  one  died  young.  All  the  children 
were  born  in  Connecticut,  and  the  parents 
and  fifteen  children  came  to  Illinois.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  died  aged  eighty-one 
years. 

Meric  E.  Cady  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and 
being  a  natural  mechanic  he  worked  some- 


284 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RB'VIEW    OF    OASS, 


what  in  that  line.  In  1850,  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  California,  where  he' worked  in  the 
mines  for  one  year,  and  then  went  on  a  ranch. 
In  1853,  he  came  home  via  the  Isthmus  and 
New  Orleans,  and  took  124  head  of  cattle 
and  thirteen  head  of  horses  across  the  plains 
to  California,  and  remained  there  till  1855, 
when  he  returned  home  via  New  York. 

He  was  successful  while  in  California,  and 
on  his  return  home  he  resumed  farming,  till 
1882,  becoming  the  owner  of  268  acres,  on 
which  he  made  many  improvements.  When 
he  removed  to  Camden  village,  he  built  a 
store,  and  with  his  son  engaged  in  general 
mercantile  business,  and  so  continued  ten 
years;  since  then  he  has  lived  a  retired  life. 
He  sold  his  farm  in  1891,  and  purchased  an- 
other of  130  acres,  in  Camden  township. 

In  March,  1856,  he  married  Eliza  A.  Mel- 
vin.  She  was  born  in  Maine,  in  the  town  of 
Reidfield,  1835,  daughter  of  John  and  Eunice 
Melvin,  who  settled  in  Schuyler  county,  in 
1851.  Our  subject  continued  farming  till 
1882. 

Mr.  and  Mrs,  Cady  have  three  children 
living,  and  one  dead.  Everett  F.  is  a  farmer 
in  Camden  township;  Charles  "W.  died  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years;  Eugenia  and  Addie. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Cady  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
held  local  offices. 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  Cady  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Mr.  Cady  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason,  being  the  Master  of  the  Cam- 
den Lodge,  No.  648,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  a  posi- 
tion he  has  held  for  several  terms. 


fOHN   UNLA.ND,  of  Beardstown,  a  prac- 
tical farmer  and  stock-raiser,  was   born 
in  Hanover,  Germany,  July  30,  1833. 
He  was  young  when  he  came  to  this  country 


with  his  father,  Rev.  Casper  H.  Unland.  The 
latter  grew  up  a  farmer,  was  well  educated 
and  became  early  in  life  interested  in  religion 
and  while  yet  a  young  man  began  to  exhort 
and  preach  experimental  religion.  For  this 
he  was  persecuted  by  the  State  church.  He 
married  Maria  Calres  in  Hanover,  and,  after 
the  birth  of  eight  children,  to  better  their 
condition  they  set  out  for  the  United  States. 
They  left  on  a  sailing  vessel  October  20, 

1844,  and    landed   in  New  Orleans    after  a 
journey  of  eleven  weeks.       They    landed  in 
Beardstown    in    the  latter  part    of  January, 

1845,  which  was  very  remarkable,  as  the  river 
is  usually  frozen  at  that  time.      They  settled 
near  Bluff  Springs,  on  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Tom  Clark  farm.       After  five  years  Mr. 
Unland  sold,  and  purchased   land  five  miles 
northwest  of  Arenzville,  where  he  lived  and 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  his  death 
occuring  March  8,  1890.    He  was  prominent 
in  Cass  county  as   a  fanner  and  Methodist 
preacher,  a  good,  noble  man,  a  Republican, 
and  the  only  one  of  his   family  who  came  to 
this  country. 

John  is  the  second  child  of  a  family  of 
thirteen,  of  whom  nine  are  married  and  all 
have  families.  He  remained  at  home  until 
he  became  of  age  and  was  married  in  this 
county  to  Elizabeth  Christinaner,  born  in 
Germany.  She  came  with  her  parents  when 
but  three  years  old  to  Beardstown.  Her 
father,  Yost  Christinaner,  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty,  and  her  mother  died  about  the  age  of 
eighty,  also.  The  name  of  the  latter  was 
Gustling.  She  and  her  husband  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Church  and  old  settlers 
and  good  people  of  Cass  county.  Mrs.  Un- 
land was  carefully  reared  by  good  parents. 
She  is  the  mother  of  seven  living  children: 
George  married  Nancy  Henners  and  is  a  far- 
mer in  Morgan  county;  Lucinda,  a  widow 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


285 


with  two  children,  lives  with  her  father;  Mary 
Higginson  lives  near  Philadelphia,  Cass 
county;  and  Nattie,  Frank,  Henry  and  Will- 
iam (the  twins)  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Unland  has  lived  in  this  county  since 
1845  and  has  been  one  of  its  good  citizens. 
He  lias  lived  on  the  farm,  except  three  years, 
and  he  has  put  in  all  the  improvements.  He 
purchased  it  in  June,  1860,  and  settled  there 
in  1861.  He  has  200  acres  in  section  17, 
township  18,  range  11,  and  his  good  farm 
buildings  and  fine  improvements  show  that 
he  thoroughly  understands  his  business.  He 
and  his  wife  are  both  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Unland  has 
been  Class-leader  since  his  twentieth  year. 
He  is  a  licensed  exhorter.  He  is  a  sound 
Republican,  but  no  office  seeker. 


f HOMAS  R.  VAN  DEVENTER,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  stock-raiser  and  es- 
teemed citizen  of  Brown  county,  Illi- 
nois, for  the  past  fifty-five  years  a  resident 
of  section  15,  Versailles  township,  was  born 
in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  in  1819. 

His  parents  were  Jacob  and  Jane  (Rogers) 
Van  Deven,ter,  the  former  a  native  of  old 
Virginia,  and  the  latter  of  Paris,  Kentucky. 
His  father's  parents  were  Jacob  aqd  Mary 
(Slater)  Van  Deventer,  the  former  born  in 
Holland  in  1743,  and  the  latter  a  native  of 
Glasgow,  Scotland.  The  young  Hollander 
was  a  powder-maker  by  trade,  and  came  to 
America  in  early  manhood.  He  was  married 
in  New  Jersey,  on  the  Delaware  river,  and 
soon  after  went  to  Virginia,  where  he  and 
his  young  wife  located  on  a  farm,  which  was 
situated  on  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac 
river.  He  engaged  in  farming,  and  having 
an  excellent  water-power  in  the  river, 

20 


also  manufactured  gun-powder.  It  was  in 
the  latter  capacity  that  he  rendered  signal 
service  to  the  patriots  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  providing  them  with 
powder  with  which  to  blaze  their  way  into 
independence.  He  served  for  a  short  time 
in  the  regular  army  in  that  memorable  con- 
flict, and  participated  in  the  battles  of  York- 
town  and  Valley  Forge.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Home.  Guards,  although  he  did 
not  take  part  in  the  engagement  in  which 
they  distinguished  themselves  for  bravery 
and  efficiency.  This  worthy  patriot  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  five 
sons  and  three  daughters:  William;  Isaac; 
Jacob;  Peter;  Cornelius;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried Jacob  Judy;  Mary,  wife  of  George  Tim- 
mons;  and  Peggy,  wife  of  Daniel  Timmons 
brother  of  George.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily died,  aged  eighty  years,  while  the  father 
expired  four  years  later.  They  had  met 
with  many  financial  losses,  and  left  only  a 
small  estate  in  worldly  goods,  although  a 
rich  heritage  of  honor  and  good  deeds  fol- 
lowed and  influenced  their  children  through 
life.  Some  of  this  family  were  of  small 
stature,  like  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads 
this  notice,  but  the  majority  of  them,  both 
men  and  woman,  were  large,  erect  and  finely 
formed.  Sarah  was  six  feet  tall,  while  Jacob, 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
veritable  giant,  standing  six  feet  six  inches 
in  his  socks  and  weighing  240  pounds. 
Although  possessing  great  strength  and  un- 
daunted courage,  he  was  most  peaceable  and 
kind.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Magdalene  Buffenbarger,  a  member 
of  a  wealthy  Ohio  family.  She  died  early, 
leaving  two  children — a  son,  Jethero,  and  a 
daughter,  Elizabeth.  The  former  now  lives 
in  Versailles,  Illinois;  and  the  latter  resides 
in  Indiana.  Late  in  the  fall  of  1815  the 


286 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


father  remarried,  his  second  wife  being  the 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  biography.  A 
short  time  afterward,  he  and  his  brother, 
with  their  families,  six  persons  in  each 
household,  came  from  Fayette  county,  Ohio, 
to  Schuyler,  now  Brown  county,  Illinois.  This 
journey  of  more'  than  400  miles  was  made  in 
.three  weeks,  with  two  large  covered  wagons 
and  eight  horses,  foar  animals  under  sad- 
dle. The  father  of  our  subject  brought  some 
means  with  him,  realized  from  the  sale  of 
his  farm  in  Ohio.  He  first  settled  in  Schny- 
ler,  now  Brown  county. 

Eight  years  earlier  Cornelius  Van  Deven- 
ter  visited  the  Illinois  bottom^,  where  he  se- 
cured a  claim.  Five  acres  of  this  he  fenced 
and  planted  to  corn  and  pumpkins,  and  after 
completing  their  cultivation  returned  to  his 
family.  On  his  return  in  the  fall,  great  was 
his  surprise  to  find  his  crop  intact,  not  an  ear 
of  corn  or  a  pumpkin  being  missing. 

The  stalwart  and  much  beloved  pioneer, 
Jacob  Van  Deventer,  died  in  1833,  aged 
fifty-three  years,  leaving  a  bereaved  family 
and  many  sorrowing  friends.  His  worthy 
wife  survived  him  nine  years,  dying  aged 
about  forty-eight  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  boys  and  two  girls,  to- wit:  T.  R., 
J.  F.,  H.  D.,  and  B.  B.,  boys;  girls,  Caroline 
and  Duan;  one  child,  Pembrook  Berbeck 
Van  Deventer,  died  when  small;  the  others 
were  the  subject  of  this  notice,  J.  F., 
H.  D.  and  B.  B.  In  1838,  she  bought 
fifty-three  acres  of  heavily  timbered  land, 
which  had  a  small  enclosure  cleared,  in  the 
center  of  which  was  a  hewed-log  house,  for 
which  she  paid  f  600.  This  forms  part  of 
the  present  large  farm  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  and  his  brothers  formerly  owned 
this  farm  of  800  acres  in  partnership,  but 
J.  F.  Van  Deventer,  of  Mount  Sterling,  now 
owns  another  farm  of  2,200  acres  near  by, 


which  he  is  farming  on  a  large  scale.  Their 
specialty  is  stock-raising,  including  horses, 
cattle  and  hogs.  On  the  land  cultivated  by 
our  subject  and  his  other  brother,  there  is 
now  a  substantial  farm  residence,  which 
they  erected  in  1866,  besides  which  there  are 
large  barns  and  an  excellent  granary,  which 
they  built  in  1880,  all  of  which  are  models  of 
their  kind.  They  breed  and  raise  from  fifty 
to  sixty  head  of  dehorned  short  horn  cattle 
annually,  and  have  fed  each  year,  for  some 
thirty-five  years,  about  250  head,  which  they 
ship  to  market,  together  with  many  which 
they  buy  to  sell.  They  now  own  ninety 
head  of  horses,  and  breed  and  raise  ten  to 
twelve  head  a  year,  most  of  which  are  draft 
horses,  but  some  are  for  the  saddle.  They 
send  to  market  from  200  to  300  hogs  a 
year,  beside  shipping  of  their  own  stock  from 
eight  to  ten  car  loads  annually.  Thus  will 
be  seen  what  a  prominent  part  they  take  in 
the  development  of  this  country,  which  re- 
sults in  their  own  prosperity  and  provides 
work  for  numerous  attendants. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Van  Deventer  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party,  the  principles  of 
which  he  has  endorsed  for  many  years. 

Notwithstanding  his  marvelous  achieve- 
ments in  life,  we  have  yet  to  Chronicle  the 
most  wonderful  feat  of  his  existence,  namely, 
his  abstaining  from  matrimony.  How  he 
has  escaped  the  wiles  of  the  fair  sex  is  truly 
phenomenal,  unless  we  revert  to  his  other 
superior  accomplishments.  However,  we 
will  not  congratulate  him  yet,  remembering 
he  will  not  be  free  from  danger  until  he  has 
left  this  mundane  sphere. 

His  early  educational  opportunities   were 
limited,  but  he  inherited  a  clear  and  strong  in- 
tellect,   as  well  as  superior  physical  strength, 
and,  by  much  reading  and  reflection,  has  over 
come  these  early  disadvantages.  Besides  being 


SO  SUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


287 


one  of  the  most  successful  of  men  tinacially,  lie 
enjoys,  by  reason  of  his  integrity  of  char- 
acter and  uniform  courtesy,  the  universal 
friendship  of  his  fellow  men. 


ULLIAM  A.  BROKER  was  born  in 
.Lippe-Detmold,  Germany,  March  19, 
1837.  He  was  a  boy  of  eleven  years 
of  age  when  his  parents,  Samuel  and  Sophia 
(Haupfer)  Broker  crossed  the  Atlantic  in 
the  spring  of  1849,  to  New  Orleans,  and 
thence  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis. 
This  was  during  the  year  of  the  great  cholera 
epidemic  in  that  city,  and  within  a  few  days 
the  father  and  three  of  the  children  died,  the 
mother  and  William  having  it  severely,  but 
recovering.  When  they  were  able  to  leave, 
the  mother  and  her  four  small  children 
moved  to  a  farm  near  Watertown,  Wisconsin. 
About  one  year  later  the  mother  died  of 
cholera  inorbns,  she  being  then  fifty  years  of 
age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Broker  had  always  been 
members  of  the  German  Reformed  Church. 

Mr.  William  Broker  is  the  youngest  of 
the  children  yet  living.  He  is  now  pattern- 
maker for  the  St.  Louis  division  of  the  Quincy 
railroad,  which  is  located  at  Beardstown.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  same  city  since 
1851.  He  was  only  fourteen  years  old  when 
he  arrived  at  Beardstown,,  and  learned  the 
trade  of  a  practical  carpenter  mechanic  under 
C.  A.  Bushman.  After  learning  his  trade  he 
worked  on  his  own  account,  and  later  became 
a  carpenter  fof  the  old  Rockford  company. 
In  1869,  when  the  railroad  was  bought  up 
by  the  Quincy  company,  he  became  their 
pattern-maker  in  1879.  He  has  ever  since 
been  regarded  as  a  good,  reliable  workman, 
and  a  true,  straightforward  man,  and  his  long 


association    with   the  railroad  com  pan}'   is  a 
recommendation  of  him  as  a  citizen. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown  to  Miss 
Dorothea  Kratz,  who  was  born  in  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  in  1844,  and  was 
twelve  years  of  age  when  her  parents  emi- 
grated to  this  country.  They  have  seven 
children:  Frank,  living  at  home,  is  a  ma- 
chinist; Sophia  and  Katie  are  at  home,  they 
having  been  well  educated  in  the  high  school 
of  the  city;  William  is  learning  the  ma- 
chinist trade;  Minnie,  Amelia  and  Samuel 
are  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Broker  attend 
the  Lutheran  Church,  Mr.  Broker  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  a  member  of  the  A.  0.  U.  W. 
He  is  highly  respected  by  all. 


§AMES  N.  RIGG,  of  the  firm  of  Rigg  & 
Smith,  merchants  of  Camden,  one  of  the 
well-known  pioneers  of  Brown  county, 
settled  in  1869  at  Camden.  He  was  born  in 
Anderson  county,  Kentucky,  January  18, 
1826,  being  a  son  of  Richard  and  Margaret 
(Utterback)  Rigg,  natives  of  Virginia.  Each 
removed  with  their  respective  families  to 
Kentucky,  where  they  were  married.  In 
1831  they  emigrated  to  Illinois  and  settled 
in  what  is  now  Brown  county,  but  was  then 
a  part  of  Schuyler.  Mr.  Richard  Rigg  pur- 
chased land  near  Mount  Sterling,  and  entered 
land,  and  then  became  the  owner  of  400  acres 
of  land  on  which  he  made  many  improve- 
ments. His  death  occurred  in  1879,  aged 
eighty-four  years.  His  wife  died  in  1877, 
aged  eighty-four  years.  They  were  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Rigg 
was  a  Deacon.  He  had  already  made  money 
when  he  started  farming  in  Illinois,  and 
added  to  his  fortune  in  this  State.  He  and 
his  wife  had  three  sons  and  four  daughters: 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Elizabeth,  married  to  John  B.  Anumos,  de- 
ceased; Susan  A.,  married  to  J.  P.  Singleton, 
of  Mount  Sterling;  Eliza  married  James  A. 
Parker,  who  died  in  Brown  -county;  James 
N.;  Peter,  a  farmer;  and  John  J.  died  in 
Brown  county.  By  a  former  marriage  Rich- 
ard had  two  children,  William  T.  and  Sarah. 

James  was  only  five  years  of  age  when  the 
family  came  to  Illinois.  He  was  reared  on 
the  farm  and  resided  there  until  he  grew  to 
manhood,  attending  school  in  the  log  school- 
houses  of  the  section,  where  the  teaching  was 
as  rude  as  the  furniture.  After  his  marriage 
James  purchased  a  farm  in  Brown  county, 
and  continued  on  it  until  he  came  to  Camden 
in  1869,  when  he  sold  hjs  farm  of  160  acres 
and  with  his  father-in-law,  Willis  Watts,  en- 
gaged in  general  merchandising  in  Camden, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Watts  &  Rigg,  and 
continued  business  for  ten  years.  Mr.  Rigg 
continued  alone  some  ye^rs,  until  J881,  when 
the  cyclone  passed  through  the  town;  his 
store  and  dwelling-house  were  badly  injured, 
and  his  family  were  badly  hurt.  He  subse- 
quently associated  with  his  son-in-law  in 
business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Rigg  & 
Donnell.  This  firm  continued  two  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  his  present  partner 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  business,  and  the 
name  was  changed  to  Rigg  &  Smith. 

He  was  married  in  1849,  to  Emily  1. 
Watts,  daughter  of  Willis  Watts.  (For  fam- 
ily history  see  history  of  Dr.  B.  P.  Watts.) 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rigg  have  five  children:  John 
J.,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa;  Richard  W.  is  a  physi- 
cian of  Pulaski,  Illinois;  Francis  M.  is  in 
the  insurance  business  at  Quincy,  Illinois; 
Olie  married  John  Donnell,  a  farmer  of 
Iowa;  and  Gertrude,  at  home. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has 
been  Supervisor  of  Camden  township,  until 
he  declined  to  accept  the  ofiice,  and  during 


this  time  was  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors of  Schuyler  county  for  four  con- 
secutive years.  He  has  held  many  of  the 
offices  of  the  township.  He  has  been  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  seven  years,  and  been  promi- 
nent in  local  politics,  frequently  having  been 
a  delegate  of  the  county  and  district  conven- 
tions. Mr.  Rigg  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  his  wife  of  the  Christian  Church. 
He  has  devoted  his  attention  to  merchandise, 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  merchants  in  the 
county.  He  and  his  wife  are  respected 
throughout  the  county,  where  they  are  well 
known,,  and  Mr.  Rigg  is  regarded  as  a  reli- 
able, honest  business  man. 


ILLIAM  L.  ALEXANDER,  ofsec- 
tion  30,  Huntsville  township,  set- 
tled in  the  county  in  1861.  He  was 
born  in  Russell  county,  Virginia,  December 
19,  1836.  His  parents  were  William  and 
Mary  (McReynolds)  Alexander.  The  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  John  Alexander, 
born  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  He  came  to  the 
United  States,  where  he  settled  and  pursued 
farming.  He  married  and  reared  a  large 
family.  His  son  William  was  born  in  1802 
and  was  a  farmer,  marrying  in  Virginia.  In 
1840  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Adams 
county,  North  East  township,  where  he  became 
the  owner  of  400  acres  of  land  on  which  he 
made  good  improvements.  He  died  in  1887, 
his  wife  having  died  a  few  years  previously. 
They  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  the  father  was  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics. He  waspoorwhen  he  settled  in  Illinois, 
owning  only  a  horse  and  wagon.  They  had 
thirteen  children,  all  of  whom  attained  their 
majority:  Nancy,  John,  Mary,  Rachel,  Mar- 
garet, William  L.,  Davis,  Daniel,  Mitchell, 
Martha,  Samuel,  Robert  Wilson  and  Rebecca. 


80HUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


William  L.  was  reared  on  the  farm.  In 
1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Eighty- 
fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  battles  of 
Perry  ville,  Kentucky,  Stone  river  and  Chicka- 
inauga,  Tennessee,  and  the  Atlanta  Campaign. 
He  returned  with  General  Thomas  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  fight  at  Franklin  and  Nash- 
ville. He  was  mustered  out  at  Camp  Har- 
ker,  Tennessee.  He  was  a  non-commissioned 
officer.  At  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain 
he  received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  head,  for 
which  he  now  receives  a  pension. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  Schuyler 
county,  where  he  owned  sixty  acres  of  land, 
purchased  in  1864.  He  has  since  pursued 
farming  and  now  owns  541  acres  of  land  and 
has  two  good  sets  of  farm  buildings.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  farming  he  has  raised  stock  and 
dealt  in  the  same.  Since  1889  he  has  rented 
all  his  land. 

He  was  married  in  1861  to  Eachel  J.  Berry, 
daughter  of  Basil  and  Sarah  Derry.  She  was 
born  in  Adams  county,  near  Quincy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Alexander  have  four  children:  Mar- 
tha A.,  wife  of  "William  H.  Naylor,  resides  in 
Baxter  Springs,  Kansas;  Edward  died,  aged 
nineteen;  Emma,  wife  of  Edward  Straub  of 
Galesburg,  Illinois;  Keely  L.  is  at  home.  In 
politics  Mr.  Alexander  is  a  Democrat  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board.  His 
wife  is  an  earnest  Christian  lady,  but  not  a 
member  of  any  sect.  Mr.  Alexander  has  made 
his  property  and  is  a  well-to-do  man,  richly 
deserving  the  respect  in  which  he  is  held  by 
all  who  know  him. 


(ROVE  CONINGHAM,  deceased,  was  a 
native  of  New  York  city,  born  Decem- 
ber 27,  1816.     His  father,  Grove  Con- 
ingham,  Senior,  was    born   in  Londonderry, 


Ireland,  about  1766.  He  emigrated  to  New 
York  city  at  an  early  age  and  married  Betsy 
Baldwin,  of  Putnam  county,  New  York. 
They  had  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  eighth.  The  father  died 
in  December,  1831,  in  New  York  city.  His 
wife  survived  him  thirty-eight  years. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in  New 
York  and -at  the  age  of  sixteen  came  to  Schuy- 
ler county,  Illinois.  In  1843  he  returned  to 
his  native  city  and  lived  there  for  three  years, 
then  returned  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Schuy- 
ler county  in  1851.  He  made  a  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1851  and  remained  for  two  years 
employed  in  the  custom  house.  This  was  his 
business  and  had  been  from  his  youth,  as  he 
had  been  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
same  for  years.  In  1853  he  returned  to  his 
old  home  in  Frederick  and  settled  there. 
There  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1891,  Feb- 
ruary 21.  Mr.  Coningham  was  a  business 
man  for  many  years  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Farwell  &  Company,  which  lasted  from 
1855  to  1870.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican 
in  politics  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  war 
and  a  friend  of  the  soldiers.  For  two  years 
after  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  of  Farwell  & 
Company  he  served  as  steamboat  agent,  and 
subsequently  as  Tax  Collector,  and  held  other 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  In  1866 
he  was  appointed  Postmaster  at  Frederick, 
which  position  he  held  for  over  twenty  years. 
Mr.  Coningham  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth 
and  integrity.  He  was  of  a  jovial  disposition 
that  made  him  friends  wherever  he  was.  He 
was  noted  for  his  firm  adherence  to  the  right 
whatever  the  cost  might  be.  He  was  a 
worthy  communicant  of  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

He  was  married  in  Frederick,  Illinois,  to 
Sarah  H.  Beal,  in  1856.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Jesse  O.  and  Sarah  (Vail)  Beal,  born  in 


290 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Cosliocton  county,  Ohio,  March  21,  1836. 
Her  father  came  of  German  ancestry,  and  her 
mother  traces  her  genealogy  back  to  the  Vails 
who  came  to  Plymouth.  Of  a  family  of  nine 
only  three  are  now  living.  Her  brother  Fos- 
ter was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war  and  is 
buried  on  Mexican  soil.  Samuel  now  resides 
in  Frederick,  a  farmer;  Julia  resides  in  De- 
Witt,  Iowa,  and  Mrs.  Coningham  is  the 
third  living  one  of  that  once  large  family. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coningham  had  seven  child- 
ren, namely:  Charlie,  married,  and  lives  in 
St.  Louis,  a  telegraph  operator;  Grove,  un- 
married, located  at  San  Francisco,  in  the  in- 
surance business;  Jesse  is  employed  in  the 
registry  department  of  the  St.  Louis  post- 
office,  a  position  he  has  held  for  eight  years; 
Betsy,  now  Mrs.  Moses,  resides  in  Pueblo, 
Colorado;  Grant,  the  yongest,  named  for  the 
noted  general,  is  married,  employed  in  a  saw 
mill  and  resides  with  his  mother.  Mrs.  Con- 
ingham is  a  worthy  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  has  always  been  respected  and 
liked  by  her  large  circle  of  friends. 


fOHN  S.  DODGE,  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent farmers  of  Littleton  township, 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Bloomington,  McLean  county,  this  State, 
March  14,  1837.  His  parents,  Solomon  and 
Betsey  (Springer)  Dodge,  were  both  natives 
of  Ohio,  his  father  being  a  carder  and  tiller 
by  trade.  His  mother's  ancestors  were 
originally  from  Cork,  Ireland.  In  1833,  his 
parents  came  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi rivers  to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  where 
our  subject  was  born  in  his  father's  hotel, 
which  was  the  first  in  that  town,  called  the 
Caravansary.  His  father  retired  about  twenty- 
five  years  before  his  death,  he  being  ninety- 


one  years  of  age  and  his  wife  seventy-two' 
when  they  died  at  the  home  of  their  son,  the 
subject  of  our  sketch.  His  godfather,  Israel 
Dodge,  was  from  Scotland,  and  died  in  Mari- 
etta, Ohio,  aged  seventy-five  years. 

Our  subject  came  to  this  county  in  1846, 
and  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  at  present 
resides,  which  he  has  since  much  improved 
by  the  erection  of  a  substantial  residence 
and  barns,  and  has  the  land  well  cultivated. 
He  is  one  of  ten  children,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living,  two  boys  and  three  girls.  He  is 
the  only  farmer,  all  the  others  being  mer- 
chants and  mechanics. 

Mr.  Dodge  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  attending  district 
school  and  helping  his  father.  He  then 
herded  cattle  for  a  couple  of  years,  after 
which  he  worked  around  at  different  places 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He 
was,  at  the  end  of  this  time,  married  to  Miss 
Emily  Hoyt,  on  December  24,  1855,  anative 
of  Detroit,  Michigan,  where  she  was  born 
November  2,  1836.  Their  happy  married  life 
was  doomed  to  be  of  short  duration,  for  three 
years  later  his  wife  died  in  Wahpeton,  Min- 
nesota, aged  twenty-two  years.  She  was  an 
intelligent  woman,  with  many  charms  of  per- 
son and  character,  and  was  much  regretted  by 
all  who  knew  her.  Her  people  were  from 
New  York  State. 

Mr.  Dodge,  after  about  eight  years,  mar- 
ried Miss  Uachel  Moore,  on  January  11, 
1866,  who  was  born  in  Buena  Vista  town- 
ship, this  county,  June  15,  1838.  Her  par- 
ents, Thomas  and  Mary  Moore,  were  pioneers 
of  this  county,  and  highly  respected  people. 
They  are  now  both  dead,  her  mother  surviving 
her  father  by  several  years.  She  was  one  of 
twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  are  now  living. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Dodge  rented  a 
farm  in  this  county,  which  he  cultivated  until 


SQHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


291 


the  time  of  the  war;  when,  on  February  1, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Sixty-second 
Illinois  Infantry,  under  Captain  Joseph  Mc- 
Lean, and  served  for  three  years  and  four 
months  in  the  army,  and  was  on  detached 
duty  for  two  months.  He  was  sick  in  1864 
and  was  in  the  regimental  hospital.  In  1865, 
on  May  2,  he  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Smithfield.  Mr.  Dodge  and  D.  Wheat  are 
the  only  ones  left  in  Springfield  township, 
who  were  members  of  that  company. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Dodge  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm,  which  at  that  time  was  unimproved 
and  had  only  a  log  house  on  it.  It  hardly 
resembles  the  same  farm  now,  for  he  has 
erected  a  substantial  residence,  besides  com- 
modious barns  for  his  grain  and  stock,  be- 
sides other  modern  conveniences  for  the 
facilitating  of  agricultural  pursuits.  He  has 
bought  eighty  more  acres  of  land,  making  his 
present  possessions  240  acres,  all  of  which  is 
under  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  Besides 
his  farming  interests,  he  is  largely  interested 
in  stock-raising,  making  a  specialty  of  cattle, 
in  which  he  is  very  successful. 

Our  subject  and  wife  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  still  survive:  Avey  E., 
born  in  this  county,  was  educated  at  Bush- 
nell  College,  and  studied  music  atShenandoah, 
Iowa,  and  is  now  teaching  music;  Homer  P.is 
at  home;  he  was  educated  at  Bushnell  College; 
Fannie  T.  is  at  home,  and  was  also  educated 
at  Bushnell  College;  Adda  A.;  Ruby  J.  and 
True;  the  last  three  are  living  a  home  with 
their  parents. 

Mr.  Dodge  is  at  present  a  Republican,  al- 
though he  went  to  war  as  a  Douglas  Demo- 
crat; after  that  international  struggle  he 
voted  with  the  Republicans.  His  first  vote 
was  cast  for  John  C.  Fremont.  His  con- 
stituents have  seen  fit  to  honor  him  with 
public  office,  and  he  has  served  as  Assessor 


and  Commissioner  of  Highways,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  rendered  eminent  satisfaction 
to  all.  He  is  a  member  of  George  Brown 
Post,  of  Brooklyn,  also  of  No.  320,  G.  A.  R., 
and  affiliates  with  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  No. 
766,  of  Littleton,  of  all  which  societies  he  is 
a  prominent  and  esteemed  member. 

Of  superior  ability,  high  integrity  and 
morality,  he  also  adds  the  gentler  virtues  of 
sociability  and  amiability,  thus  commanding 
the  respect  and  affection  of  all  alike. 


ILLIAM  BADER,  proprietor  of  the 
village  of  that  name,  was  born  in 
Preble  county,  Ohio,  in  1826.  His 
parents  were  Jeremiah  and  Sarah  (Thompson) 
Bader.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  the  mother  of  Pennsylvania.  They  had 
eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  are  now  liv- 
ing, namely:  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Hopkins,  re- 
siding in  Mason  county;  Sarah  A.,  now  Mrs. 
Gibbs,  residing  in  Hancock  county;  Rosanna, 
now  Mrs.  Bleeker,  of  Pasadena,  California; 
Margaretta,  now  Mrs.  Doane;  Jeremiah  died 
when  seventeen;  John  L.,  now  residing  in 
Kansas;  Benjamin  F.,  residing  at  Vermont, 
Illinois;  Henry  O.,  residing  on  a  farm  near 
Bader.  The  family  moved  from  Ohio  to  Broom- 
ing township,  Schuyler  county,  in  1846,  and 
the  parents  both  died  on  a  farm  near  what  is 
now  known  as  Baders. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  passed  on 
the  farm,  and  later  he  learned  engineering 
and  operated  a  saw  and  grist  mill  for  many 
years.  He  then  went  into  the  lumber  busi- 
ness in  Ohio,  where  he  conducted  a  mill  before 
he  removed  to  Illinois,  he  not  coming  until 
1857.  Here  he  continued  his  business  in  the 
lumber  mill,  and  accumulated  a  large  for- 
tune. He  and*  his  wife  have  been  enjoying 


292 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OAS8, 


tsorne  of  their  money    by   spending  a  year  in 
California,  on  account  of  her  failing   health. 

He  was  married  November  9,  1856,  in 
.Randolph  county,  Indiana,  to  Miss  Mercy  A. 
Hunt,  a  daughter  of  Eev.  William  Hunt,  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  a  pioneer  of 
Randolph  county,  Indiana,  although  he  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bader  have  no  children  of 
their  own,  but  they  have  reared  two  as  their 
own;  the  first  one  died,  but  the  present  one 
is  still  living,  and  is  a  young  lady  of  seven- 
teen. Mr.  Bader  is  extensively  engaged  in 
the  grain  business,  and  owns  160  acres  of 
land,  a  warehouse,  several  residences  and  two- 
thirds  of  a  brick  building  in  Baders.  His  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of 
I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
has  served  three  terms  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  his  county.  He  has 
been  School  Treasurer  for  fifteen  or  sixteen 
years,  and  has  held  various  positions  of  trust 
arid  responsibility. 


[AMU  EL  M.  SCHRODER,  a  rising 
young  business  man  of  Oakland  town- 
ship, and  one  of  the  most  progressive 
agriculturists  of  Schuyler  county,  was  born 
in  McDonough  county,  Illinois,  in  1860,  on 
the  27th  day  of  April.  His  father,  Nicholas 
Schroder,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  but  emi- 
grated to  America  with  his  mother  when  a 
lad  of  eleven  years,  in  1837;  his  father,  John 
Schroder,  died  in  the  Fatherland  about  the 
year  1830,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  sons  in 
very  humble  circumstances;  the  names  of  the 
sons  are  Christopher,  Carson  and  Nicholas. 
They  sailed  from  Bremen  to  New  York,  land- 
ing after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks;  they  came 


direct  to  Pennsylvania,  and  from  there  to 
Schijyler  county,  and  settled  on  a  tract  of 
Government  land  which  the  brave  mother  and 
stanch,  energetic  sons  converted  into  a  farm 
of  great  fertility  and  value.  Nicholas  went 
to  California,  taking  the  overland  route;  he 
mined  for  seven  years,  meeting  with  fair  suc- 
cess, and  then  returned  to  Illinois,  purchasing 
a  farm  of  160  acres  in  McDonough  county. 
He  was  married  in  1858  to  Lucinda  Phillips, 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Amy  Philips,  who 
were  settlers  in  Illinois  as  early  as  1840;  they 
had  a  family  of  two  daughters  and  a  son: 
Amy  Ann,  wife  of  John  W.  Danners;  Ada 
L.,  wife  of  Robert  Robertson;  and  Samuel 
M.,  the  son,  is  the  subject' of  this  notice.  The 
parents  came  to  Schuyler  county  in  1864,  and 
purchased  220  acres  of  land  in  Oakland  town- 
ship, on  which  they  lived  until  1889,  when 
they  went  to  Vermont;  here  they  bought  a 
home  in  which  they  are  now  living  in  quiet 
enjoyment  of  the  reward  of  their  labors. 

Samuel  M.  Schroder  was  reared  to  the  life 
of  a  farmer,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  His  opportunities  were 
somewhat  limited,  but  this  lack  has  been 
more  than  overbalanced  by  wide  reading  and 
clear  thinking  upon  all  the  topics  of  the  day. 
Mr.  Schroder  was  united  in  marriage,  in 
1880,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Smith,  a  native  of 
Fulton  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Rebecca  (Barcus)  Smith,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Illinois,  respectively.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Schroder  have  buried  an  infant 
daughter,  and  have  three  children  living: 
Harry  W.  was  born  December  22,  1882; 
Cleveland  B.  was  born  March  3,  1884;  and 
Maud,  November  2, 1889. 

Mr.  Schroder  first  settled  on  eighty  acres 
of  land,  and  has  since  bought  the  eighty  acres 
adjoining  it;  he  also  owned  280  acres  in 
Schuyler  and  McDonough  counties,  which  he 


SGHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


293 


recently  sold  at  a  handsome  profit,  after  cul- 
tivating it  four  years.  He  does  a  general  farm- 
ing business,  making  a  specialty  of  corn  and 
wheat  in  the  cereal  line,  and  cattle,  horses  and 
hogs  in  live-stock.  He  has  represented  the 
people  of  his  township  in  various  local  offices, 
and  has  always  been  a  stanch  supporter  of 
home  interests  and  home  industries.  He  was 
elected  vice-president  of  the  J.  Wershon  Bank 
in  June,  1892,  and  is  a  stockholder  of  this 
corporation.  He  is  possessed  of  excellent 
business  qualifications,  and  has  met  with 
marked  success  in  all  his  undertakings.  Al- 
ways employing  the  most  honorable  methods, 
he  has  the  highest  regard  and  esteem  of  the 
entire  community. 


fHOMAS  WILSON,  President  of  the 
Schuyler  County  Bank,  and  a  leading 
financier  and  business  man  of  Rush- 
ville,  Illinois,  was  born  near  Five-Mile  Town, 
in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  March,  1812. 
Both  his  grandfather,  Thomas,  and  father, 
Thomas,  were  natives  of  the  same  county. 
They  were  of  well-known  and  esteemed 
Scotch  ancestry,  who  were  sturdy,  rugged 
farmers,  and  passed  their  entire  lives  in  their 
native  land.  His  father  was  reared  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  county,  where  he  married 
Jane  Greer,  also  a  native  of  the  Emerald 
Isle.  They  resided  in  Ireland  until  1843, 
when  they  commenced  the  long  journey  to 
America.  Unfortunately  the  wife  and  mother 
died  in  England  while  en  route,  leaving  six 
children  and  a  bereaved  husband.  These 
children  were:  William,  Thomas,  Joseph, 
George,  Jane  and  Robert,  all  of  whom  came 
to  America,  except  George,  and  located  in 
Illinois.  The  father  settled  first  in  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  four 


years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Hancock 
county,  locating  near  Nauvoo,  where  he  re- 
sided until  death.  He  was  an  intelligent, 
pious,  good  man,  and  was  greatly  esteemed 
by  all  who  knew  him. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Ireland,  where  he  continued  to 
live  until  1832,  when,  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  he  emigrated  to  America,  sailing  from 
Derry  in  the  sail  vessel  William  Ewing.  He 
landed  in  Philadelphia  after  a  tempestuous 
voyage  of  seven  weeks,  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
land.  He  found  employment  in  the  City  of 
Brotherly  Love,  at  the  weaving  trade,  and 
continued  to  operate  a  loom  until  the  fall  of 
the  year  of  his  arrival.  He  then  removed  to 
Lancaster  county,  that  State,  where  he  ob- 
tained employment  on  the  farm  of  his  uncle, 
James  Little.  He  continued  there  until  1834, 
when  he  removed  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
securing  employment  on  a  farm  near  that 
city.  Three  years  later  he  went  to  Illinois, 
going  via  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers,  to  Rushville,  Schuyler  county.  At 
that  early  period  the  country  was  sparsely 
settled,  and  some  of  the  land  was  still  owned 
by  the  Government.  Rude  log  houses  dotted 
the  country.  At  that  time  Rushville  was  an 
insignificant  village,  with  nothing  like  its 
present  pretentious  appearance.  Mr.  Wilson 
immediately  engaged  in  merchandising  in  a 
small  way,  buying  his  goods  in  St.  Louis  and 
transporting  them  by  way  of  the  river  in 
summer  and  by  wagon  in  winter.  His  busi- 
ness gradually  increased  until  he  became,  in 
time,  a  prominent  merchant  of  the  town. 
Since  1872  he  has  been  interested  in  bank- 
ing, and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Schuy- 
ler County  Bank  he  was  elected  its  president, 
bringing  to  this  position  unusual  financial 
ability  and  extended  experience. 


294 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


He  was  married  September  18,  1834,  in 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  to  Miss  Susan  Clark, 
an  estimable  lady,  a  native  of  Lancaster 
county,  that  State,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Eleanor  (Greer)  Clark.  They  have  three 
children:  Anne  Jane,  wife  of  James  P.  Clark; 
John;  and  Lorinda,  wife  of  John  T.  Sweeney. 
Eleanor  and  Sarah  Elisa  are  deceased. 
Eleanor  died  in  December,  1860,  after  finish- 
ing her  education  at  Monticello  in  1857;  and 
Sarah  died  in  February,  1883,  leaving  three 
children;  she  was  the  wife  of  Hiram  Graff. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  are  earnest  and 
useful  members  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  are  prohibitionists  in  principle.  They 
are  worthy  people,  and  enjoy  the  esteem  of 
the  entire  community. 


DUNCAN  EEID  was  born  in  Forfarshire, 
Scotland,  August  12, 1809,  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Grace  (McKenzie)  Reid.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Scotland,  and  passed 
their  lives  there.  Reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  land,  Duncan  Keid  then  learned 
the  trade  of  tailor.  On  account  of  ill  health, 
however,  he  sought  out-door  employment, 
turning  his  attention  to  the  stone-mason's 
trade.  He  resided  in  Scotland  till  1855. 

.October  10, 1839,  he  married  Jane  Wilkie, 
who  was  born  in  Fifeshire,  Scotland,  Novem- 
ber 19,^.818,  daughter  of  William  and  En- 
phemia  (Gaul)  Wilkie.  Their  union  was 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  six  children:  Will- 
iam, Jean,  Susan,  Margaret,  Stuart  and  Dun- 
can. Mrs.  Eeid  and  her  two  oldest  children 
are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church,  her  son  being  a  ruling  Elder  in  the 
church.  Miss  Susan  Reid  is  a  teacher  in  the 
Kensington  school,  Chicago. 


In  1855,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  four 
children,  he  came  to  America,  setting  sail 
from  Liverpool  in  May  in  the  Aurora,  and 
landing  at  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  five 
weeks.  He  came  directly  to  Illinois  and  set- 
tled in  Cass  county.  For  six  years  he  culti- 
vated rented  land,  and  during  that  time,  by 
his  energy  and  good  management,  not  only 
supported  his  family  but  also  laid  by  a  snug 
little  sum.  He  then  purchased  the  property 
on  which  his  family  now  reside,  it  being  at 
that  time  a  tract  of  wild  land,  covered  with 
timber  and  brush.  Here  he  built  his  cabin, 
which  served  as  the  family  home  until  further 
prosperity  enabled  him  to  erect  a  comfortable 
frame  residence.  His  death  occurred  here  on 
the  14th  of  April,  1883.  Mr.  Reid  was  a 
self-made  man,  and  one  who  was  held  in  high 
esteem  by  all  who  knew  him. 


HARLES  F.  JOHNSON,  practical 
farmer  and  truck-raiser  of  Beardstown, 
was  born  in  Salem  county,  New  Jersey, 
April  7,  1863.  He  lived  in  his  native  State 
until  thirteen,  when  his  parents  came  to  Cass 
county,  settling  in  Beardstown.  The  father, 
Chalkley  Johnson,  followed  his  trade  as  a 
carpenter  until  February,  1884,  when  be  and 
all  their  children,  but  one,  Charles,  went  to 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  settled  on  a 
farm,  where  the  father  and  mother  both  live. 
The  latter's  maiden  name  was  Luwesia  Lip- 
pencott.  Both  were  natives  of  Salem  county, 
New  Jersey,  where  they  were  reared,  mar- 
ried and  all  their  children  were  born.  They 
had  four,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  young- 
est, and  of  whom  three  are  yet  living,  — 
Charles  and  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Mary  McKen- 
nel,  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  Mrs. 
Ella  Crater,  now  living  in  Beardstown. 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


295 


Mr.  Johnson  has  a  tine  farm  of  238  acres, 
most  of  it  located  in  township  18,  range  11. 
He  has  owned  it  for  four  years,  having  man- 
aged it  on  his  own  account  for  two  years  pre- 
viously. Since  he  bought  it  he  has  made 
considerable  improvement  in  the  buildings. 
When  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  be- 
gan to  raise  truck,  making  a  specialty  of 
sweet  potatoes.  He  has  been  a  hard  worker 
and  is  very  successful  in  everything  he 
undertakes.  He  has  made  his  large  property 
by  his  own  efforts. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  to  Amelia 
Shuman,  born  in  Hagener  Station,-  Cass 
county,  in  1866.  She  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated here,  and  is  a  good  wdman.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  John  Shuman,  who  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  coming  to  America  when 
a  young  man  and  settling  in  Cass  county, 
where  he  spent  his  last  days  as  a  farmer, 
dying  in  1888,  aged  sixty-eight.  He  was  a 
good  man  and  a  member  of  the  German 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  His  wife  died  in  1867, 
after  the  birth  of  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Johnson  is  the  youngest.  All  the  other  chil- 
dren are  now  married.  Mrs.  Shuman  was 
born  in  Germany,  and  her  maiden  name  was 
Kate  Loeb.  She  was  a  good  wife  and  mother, 
and  a  member  of  the  German  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

Mr.  Johnson  and  wife  have  three  children, 
-  —  -Viola,  Gurtre  and  Nettie.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
Mr.  Johnson  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  They 
are  worthy,  good  people. 


^NTON  RINK,  a  successful  brewer  of 
Beardstown,    was    born    on     the    river 
Rhine,  August    9,   1833.     He    is   the 
only  member  of  his  family  now  living  in  this 


country.  His  mother  died  in  Germany 
when  he  was  only  two  years  of  age.  In  1850, 
and  after  his  father's  second  marriage,  he 
left  the  old  country,  and  after  a  long  and 
weary  trip  finally  settled  in  Perry  county, 
Missouri,  where  the  father  died  four  years 
later.  His  wife  married  a  second  time, 
and  continued  to  live  in  Perry  county  until 
her  death  in  1890. 

Mr.  Rink  came  here  from  Missouri  after 
he  had  spent  ten  years  on  a  farm  and  had 
made  some  money  to  put  into  a  business. 
He  then  was  poor,  but  is  now  very  wealthy, 
and  has  become  so  by  his  own  efforts,  and  has 
been  a  real  benefit  to  the  town  in  which  he 
lives.  He  arrived  in  1864  and  purchased 
a  part  in  the  brewery  run  under  the  name  of 
A.  Rink  &  Co.  In  1867  he  built  a  large 
brick  brewery,  with  a  capacity  of  5,000  bar- 
rels per  annum.  The  business  has  been  suc- 
cessful, being  represented  on  the  road  by 
himself  and  son  in  a  commercial  way.  He 
is  also  a  wholesale  liquor  dealer,  running 
other  places  of  business  in  the  city.  He  is  a 
stockholder,  a  promoter  and  original  director 
of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Beardstown.  He 
has  been  interested  in  all  local  matters  af- 
fecting the  good  of  the  city  ever  since  he 
came  here,  including  the  building  of  a  wagon 
bridge  across  the  Illinois  river.  He  has  been 
City  Treasurer,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 
Mr.  Rink,  a  sincere  man,,  has  not  only  been 
ambitious,  but  is  also  successful  in  earning  a 
good  reputation  for  ability,  honesty,  .jndustry 
and  executiveness. 

He  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Margaret 
Schultz,  who  was  born  in  the  same  province 
and  near  her  husband  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
and  came,  when  twelve  years  of  age  to  Me- 
nard  county,  Illinois.  Her  parents  lived  and 
died  in  Germany.  They  were  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rink 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living:  John  and  Arail  assist  their 
father  in  his  business;  Jessie  is  a  teacher  of 
music  and  has  been  well  educated;  Clara, 
now  at  home,  was  educated  at  Quiucy,  Illi- 
nois; and  Arthur  is  in  the  deaf  and  dumb  in- 
stitute at  Jacksonville,  he  being  a  deaf  mute- 
Mr,  and  Mrs.  Rink  and  family  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church  and  take  an  interest 
in  social  matters. 


fOHN  H.  BLACK,  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Woodstock  township,  is  a  representa- 
tive of  one  of  the  earliest  families  of 
Schuyler  county,  and  is  entitled  to  a  space  in 
this  history.  He  was  born  in  Woodstock 
township,  August  2,  1842.  His  father, 
James  P.  Black,  was  a  native  of  Mecklen  burgh 
county,  North  Carolina,  a  son  of  Richard  S. 
Black  (see  sketch  of  Isaac  Black).  James  P. 
Black  removed  to  Indiana  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  and  resided  there  until  1826. 
Then,  with  his  bride,  he  carne  to  Illinois;  the 
"  wedding  journey  "  was  accomplished  with 
a  yoke  of  oxen,  the  bridegroom  walking 
most  of  the  distance.  He  located  in  Wood- 
stock township,  and  there  entered  a  tract  of 
Government  land  which  he  began  to  improve. 
It  was  in  this  year  that  the  county  was  or- 
ganized; there  were  few  white  settlers.  In- 
dians were  numerous,  and  the  frontier  was 
not  far  removed  toward  the  setting  'sun. 
Mrs.  Black's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Pad- 
gett; she  was  born  in  Kentucky,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Eleanor  Padgett,  and  died  on 
the  home  farm  in  1851.  Our  subject,  John 
H.  Black,  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Woodstock  township,  and  at 
the  Western  Seminary,  Rushville.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  he  began  teaching  in 


Woodstock  township,  and  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  educational  labors  for  more  than 
twenty  years. 

In  1867  he  removed  to  Richfield,  Adams 
county,  and  there  purchased  a  home  in 
which  he  lived  for  a  few  years;  his  next 
change  was  to  Quincy,  where  he  bought  city 
property,  and  thence  he  removed  to  Camp 
Point,  where  he  lived  five  years;  at  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period  he  returned  to  Quincy 
and  made  his  home  there  until  1878,  when 
he  sold  out  and  bought  the  farm  he  now  oc- 
cupies on  section  12,  Woodstock  township. 

Mr.  Black  was  united  in  marriage  in  1862, 
to  Telitha  Parke,  a  native  of  Brown  county, 
Illinois,  and  a*  daughter  of  Oliver  H.  F.  and 
Mary  (Logsdon)  Parke,  natives  of  Kentucky, 
and  pioneers  of  Brown  county,  Illinois.  Of 
this  union  five  children  have  been  born: 
Mary,  Nettie,  John  R.,  Lelia  and  J.  Charles. 
The  father  and  mother  are  members  of  the 
Church  of  God.  Mr.  Black  has  held  various 
offices  of  trust,  and  has  represented  Woodstock 
township  on  the  county  Board  of  Supervisors 
for  three  terms.  For  twelve  years  he  was 
Superintendent  of  Schools  in  Adams  county, 
and  did  much  to  elevate  the  educational 
standard.  He  is  a  man  of  rare  force  and 
uprightness  of  character,  and  has  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  the  entire  com- 
munity. 


jARQUIS  L.  CRUM,  of  township 
17  north,  range  10,  section  32,  was 
born  about  two  and  one  half  miles 
from  his  present  location,  January  16,  1851. 
His  parents  were  James  and  Christina  (Ream) 
Crum.  The  father  was  born  in  Indiana,  in 
1806.  His  mother  came  from  Ohio,  and 
married  in  this  county,  in  1833.  The  father 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


397 


came  to  the  county  in  1832,  the  mother  with 
her  parents,  who  settled  in  this  neighborhood. 
The  father  was  of  German  descent,  and  was 
the  father  of  twelve  children.  His  wife  died 
May  1,  1878,  and  the  father  has  since  mar- 
ried again,  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead. 
Marquis  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  then  attended  the  State  Normal  school 
for  two  years,  and  the  Illinois  Wesleyan 
University  four  years,  graduating  in  the 
scientific  course  in  1874,  receiving  the  de- 
gree of  B.  S.,  and  three  years  later  the  de- 
gree of  M.  S.  was  conferred  upon  him. 
Being  in  very  poor  health  at  this  time,  he  re- 
sumed farming,  and  this  has  proven  so  benefi- 
cial, under  the  favorable  circumstances  sur- 
rounding him,  that  he  has  continued  to  fol- 
low it. 

He  was  married,  March  30,  1875,  to  Fan- 
nie Stubbleh'eld,  of  Funk's  Grove,  McLean 
county,  born  there  September  17,  1853. 
They  became  acquainted  while  attending  the 
university,  which  she  attended  about  three 
years.  Her  family  are  old  settlers  in  that 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crum  have  four  chil- 
dren: Edith,  the  eldest,  now  sixteen,  has 
been  attending  the  Illinois  College  at  Jack- 
sonville, and  expects  to  complete  a  conree  in 
one  of  the  higher  institutes  of  learning; 
Arthur  E.  and  Oral  C.  are  bright  boys;  and 
Rena  F.,  now  three  years  old,  is  the  pet  of 
the  family.  Mr.  Crum  owns  a  farm  of  700 
acres,  principally  devoted  to  stock.  He  breeds 
shorthorn  cattle,  and  uses  the  Percheron- 
Norman  horses,  his  father-in-law  being  an 
importer  of  this  breed  of  horses  in  Bloom  - 
ington.  He  also  owns  a  stock  farm  of  240 
acres  near  Kirksville,  Missouri,  and  usually 
buys  his  stock  in  Missouri  and  ships  here. 
They  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  Mr.  Crum  belongs  to  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.  He  is  a  Democrat.  He  has 


been  associated  with  the  Farmers'  Alliance, 
and  was  the  State  president  of  it  for  eighteen 
months.  He  declined  a  re-election.  He 
was  a  delegate  from  Illinois  to  the  national 
convention  at  Ocala,  Florida,  and  Mr.  Crum 
describes  this  trip  as  the  finest  he  ever  made. 
He  has  three  nice  tenement  houses  on  his 
extensive  farm  where  his  employees  reside. 
He  hires  four  or  five  men  by  the  year,  usually 
married  men,  and  furnishes  them  with  house, 
fuel  and  garden. 


fOSEPH  MESERVEY,  of  Elkhorn  town- 
ship, was  born  here,  June  22,  1841.  He 
is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Eliza  Meservey. 
Joseph  was  the  son  of  Nathaniel,  both  of 
Vermont.  He  spent  his  life  there  and  died 
when  nearly  ninety  years  of  age.  Joseph 
followed  the  business  of  shipping  horses  for 
nine  years,  and  then  went  into  a  distillery, 
and  then  sold  out  and  catne  to  this  State  at 
an  early  date. 

He  continued  at  home  until  his  mar- 
riage, worked  with  his  father,  and  attended 
the  subscription  school  when  able.  When 
he  married  he  had  a  little  farm,  and  after- 
ward he  bought  more  land.  Pie  now  owns 
760  acres,  which  he  earned  himself.  He 
carries  $10,000  life  insurance.  He  runs  a 
large  quarry  by  machinery.  This  is  a  new 
industry,  and  will  employ  fully  thirty  men, 
and  the  machinery  will  require  an  outlay  of 
nearly  $8,000.  He  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  voted  first  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 

He  was  married,  June  15,  1865,  to  Mel- 
vina  Jane  Wilson,  born  in  Pike  county,  Illi- 
nois. (See  sketch  of  George  Wilson  for 
history  of  Mrs.  Meservey's  family).  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Meservey  have  nine  children:  Clara 
M.,  Warren  R.,  George  O.,  Maggie  B.,  El- 


298 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASH, 


wood,  Lorena  E.,  Herbert    H.,  Herman  H., 
and    Amy  A.     Warren  R.   married  Cora  V. 
Moore,  of  Brown  county,  and   has  two  chil- 
dren: Estel  V.   and  Nina. 

The  family  belong  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  the  daughters  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Epworth  League.  They  are  a 
family  that  commands  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  their  host  of  friends. 


LOUIS  F.  KLOKER,  a  practical  and 
extensive  farmer,  occupying  his  fine 
farm  in  section  30,  township  17,  range 
11,  was  born  in  Beardstown,  May  20,  1836. 
Here  he  was  reared  and  educated  and  has 
always  been  a  resident.  His  father  was  Louis 
Kloker,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany, 
belonging  to  an  old  German  family.  He 
had  been  a  wagon  maker,  the  only  son  of  his 
father's  family,  and  after  growing  up,  about 
1832,  he  came  to  the  United  States  on  a 
sailing  vessel.  After  a  voyage  of  thirteen 
weeks  he  landed  in  New  Orleans,  and  came 
on  to  Beardstown,  via  the  Mississippi  river. 
He  began  work  as  a  mechanic,  and  died  about 
1839.  He  was  known  as  a  hard-working 
young  man  of  good  habits,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  left  two 
sons,  our  subject  and  a  brother  Henry,  who 
died  when  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Raube,  also  a  native  of  Hanover, 
who  had  come  to  America  in  the  same  ves- 
sel with  Mr.  Kloker.  They  married  soon 
after  landing  in  Beardstown.  She  is  the  only 
member  of  her  family  in  this  country.  After 
the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Kloker  was 
married  again  to  Fred  Wedeking,  who  had 
come  on  the  same  vessel  and  at  the  same 
time  as  Mr.  Kloker.  After  her  second  mar- 
riage they  lived  in  Beardstown  until  1844, 


when  they  settled  on  a  farm  southeast  of 
Beardstown,  and  there  Mrs.  Wedeking  died, 
December  25,  1857,  aged  forty-two.  Mr. 
Wedeking  died  there  also  in  1887,  aged 
seventy-six.  He  and  his  wife  were  good 
Lutherans,  and  very  honest  people. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  Louis  was 
carefully  reared  by  his  mother  and  step- 
father, and  since  their  death  he  has  been 
taking  care  of  himself.  Mr.  Kloker  form- 
erly lived  in  township  17,  range  12.  He  has 
made  the  most  of  his  property  by  his  own 
efforts,  and  now  owns  280  acres,  which  is 
highly,  improved,  and  has  upon  it  good  farm 
buildings.  He  also  owns  forty  acres  in  tim- 
ber land. 

He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Mrs. 
Minnie  Yost,  nee  Soheide.  She  was  born 
in  Prussia,  in  1833,  and  came  to  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  with  her  mother.  Her  father  died 
in  Germany,  in  the  prime  of  life.  After 
they  had  come  to  this  country  they  first  set- 
tled in  St.  Louis,  and  there  Miss  Soheide  was 
first  married.  She  outlived  all  her  hus- 
bands, and  died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Kloker,  May  20,  1888.  She  was  born 
February  8,  1794,  and  hence  was  ninety-four 
years  of  age:  she  was  a  strong,  stout  wo- 
man all  her  life.  She  and  her  people  were 
Lutherans. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kloker  are  working  mem- 
bers of  the  St.  Peter's  Lutheran  Church,  near 
Arenzville,  of  which  lie  has  been  Trustee  for 
some  years.  For  thirty  years  he  has  been 
active  in  school  work  in  the  township.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  They  are  par- 
ents of  six  children:  Henry,  farming  on  the 
home  place;  John  A.,  a  farmer  in  this 
county;  Edward,  also  a  farmer  in  this  county; 
Lena,  wife  of  William  F.  Duval,  a  farmer  of 
this  county;  Herman  and  Fred  are  at  home 
on  the  farm. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


299 


Mrs.  Kloker  had  three  children  by  a  for- 
mer marriage  with  Ernest  F.  Yost,  formerly 
a  successful  farmer  of  this  county,  and  a  na- 
tive of  Germany.  They  are:  Mary,  wife  of 
Ernest  J.  Boes,  now  of  Beardstown;  Louisa, 
wife  of  Henry  H.  Meyer,  a  family  in  this 
county;  and  Minnie,  deceased,  dying  at  the 
age  of  thirty-two,  after  her  marriage  with 
Henry  W.  Meyer. 


fOHN  SANDIDGE,  one  of  the  most  intel- 
ligent and  prosperous  farmers  of  Oak- 
land township,  Schuyler  county,  was 
born  in  the  State  of  Kentucky  in  1829.  His 
father,  Daniel  Sandidge,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, born  in  1804;  there  he  married  Pa- 
melia  Tate,  born  in  the  same  place  in  1803. 
The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  John 
Sandidge  was  a  Virginian  by  birth ;  he  married 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  in  an  early  day  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  settling  in  Lincoln 
county,  he  became  a  wealthy  planter,  owning 
a  large  number  of  slaves.  They  had  a  family 
of  nine  sous  and  four  daughters:  Daniel,  Clay- 
ton, Joshua,  James,  Larkin,  John,  Wyatt, 
Madison,  Pullum,  Emily,  Patience,  Amanda^ 
and  Leanta;  all  grew  to  adult  age  and  had 
families  excepting  Emily,  who  died  in  early 
childhood.  The  father  met  with  death  by 
accident,  his  team  running  away  and  throw- 
ing him  from  the  carriage.  He  was  an  octo- 
genarian, and  his  wife  died  seven  years  later, 
nearly  eighty  years  old.  The  eldest  son, 
Daniel  Sandidge,  removed  from  Kentucky  to 
Illinois  in  1831,  bringing  his  wife  and  five 
children;  they  first  located  at  Canton,  and 
removed  thence  to  Industry  township,  Mc- 
Donough  county;  here  Mr.  Sandidge  took  up 
160  acres  of  Government  land  which  he  im- 
proved for  two  years,  selling  it  at  the  end  of 


that  time;  he  moved  to  Eldorado  township 
and  bought  a  claim  to  160  acres,  on  which  he 
lived  until  1840;  he  again  sold,  and  pur- 
chased another  tract  of  the  same  number  of 
acres,  and  lived  on  this  until  1850,  when  he 
sold  and  bought  160  acres  in  Oakland  town- 
ship, Schuyler  county. 

His  wife  died  in  Eldorado  township,  at  the 
age  of  forty-two  years,  leaving  a  family  of 
ten  children.  He  married  a  second  time,  the 
union  being  to  Cynthia  Phillips,  who  bore 
him  a  daughter  and  son.  He  died  in  1882, 
aged  seventy-eight  years;  the  wife  died  in 
June,  1891,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
The  surviving  members  of  this  family  are 
named  as  follows:  Lucy  J.,  John,  Mrs.  Jonah 
Lindsey,  Harriet,  wife  of  Elisha  Goruch,  Mrs. 
Nathan  Lindsey,  Daniel,  Charles,  Larkin, 
Ellen,  wife  of  Mike  McCarty. 

John  Sandidge,  our  worthy  subject,  was 
reared  to  the  life  of  a  farmer,  but  in  his 
twenty-first  year  left  home  and  went  to  Cali- 
fornia; the  trip  across  the  plains  proved  a 
very  enjoyable  as  well  as  novel  one,  and  he 
spent  ten  years  in  the  Golden  State,  engaged 
in  mining  and  raising  live-stock.  In  1860 
he  returned  to  Illinois  via  the  Isthmus,  re- 
mained one  month,  and  then  went  back  to 
California.  In  1871  he  came  home  via  the 
Union  Pacific  route,  the  object  of  this  visit 
being  to  claim  his  bride. 

He  was  married  November  19,  1871,  to 
Miss  Emma  Stockton,  and  they  returned  to 
California  by  rail.  It  proved  a  pleasant 
trip  for  her,  and  Mr.  Sandidge  sold  his  inter- 
ests there,  and  came  back  to  Illinois  in  1873. 
He  has  lived  much  of  his  time  since  1873  in 
Vermont,  Illinois,  where  he  owns  a  pleasant 
home.  He  bought  a  farm  of  400  acres  re- 
cently, and  owns  200  acres  in  McDonough 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sandidge  have  one  son 
and  a  daughter:  John  F.  is  nineteen  and  Ida 


300 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


Leah  is  fifteen;  both  are  receiving  excellent 
educational  advantages.  The  son  has  a  de- 
cided taste  for  agriculture,  and  intends  mak- 
ing that  his  life  occupation.  .Mr.  Sandidge 
had  the  severe  misfortune  of  losing  his  sight 
in  1882,  the  cause  being  brought  about  by 
his  becoming  overheated. 

Mrs.  Stockton,  mother  of  Mrs.  Sandidge,  is 
now  eighty-five  years  of  age,  but  is  bright 
and  vigorous;  she  is  a  native  of  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  but  came  to  Illinois  in 
1839;  she  was  married  to  Daniel  Stockton  in 
1842;  he  died  in  January,  1883,  aged  eighty- 
three  years.  She  well  remembers  the  first 
steamer  of  the  Ohio  river,  named  the  Adven- 
ture, and  relates  many  interesting  anecdotes 
of  early  days. 

Mr.  Sandidge  is  a  Prohibitionist,  but  in 
former  days  was  a  Democrat,  casting  his  vote 
for  Horace  Greeley,  whom  he  esteemed  one  of 
the  greatest  men  and  most  gifted  writers. 
He  carries  on  a  general  farming  business,  but 
makes  a  specialty  of  raising  live-stock,  giving 
his  preference  to  short-horn  cattle.  He  plants 
from  forty  to  seventy  acres  of  corn,  gathering 
as  high  as  eighty  bushels  to  the  acre;  he  sows 
from  thirty  to  seventy  acres  of  wheat,  but  one 
of  his  practices  is  the  rotation  of  crops,  and 
he  seeds  to  clover  every  third  year.  He  is  a 
man  of  good,  sound  judgment,  and  has 
made  a  marked  success  of  every  industry  to 
which  he  has  turned  his  attention. 


(OLUMJBUS  T.  WALKER,  of  Virginia 
precinct,  is  a  native  of  Fauqnier  county, 
Virginia,  born  May  12, 1838.  His  par- 
ents were  Solomon  and  Emma  (Wilkins) 
Walker.  Both  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
father  born  in  1804,  and  the  mother  four 
years  later.  They  removed  to  Cass  county, 


Illinois,  in  1855,  and  located  on  a  farm  near 
Virginia;  here  they  both  died,  the  mother  in 
1881,  and  the  father  in  1890.  They  had 
nine  children:  William  W.,  Darius  N.,  Peter 
L.,  Columbus  T.s  Mary  F.,  Churchill  A., 
David  T.,  Jennie  E.  and  James  T. 

Columbus  T.  was  nineteen  years  old  when 
he  came  to  this  county,  and  has  resided  here 
ever  since.  He  attended  the  schools  in  this 
precinct  after  arriving  in  the  county.  He 
first  learned  the  tanner  trade,  and  also  learned 
to  be  a  leather  dresser,  but  did  not  follow  the 
business  after  leaving  Virginia.  He  has  been 
a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  has  a  farm  of  100 
acres,  on  which  he  has  excellent  improve- 
ments. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
although  all  his  brothers  are  Democrats.  He 
has  held  all  the  township  offices,  and  has  been 
School  Director  for  fifteen  years,  also  Road 
Commissioner  and  Judge  of  Election,  etc.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  he  is  a  Deacon,  having  held  that  office 
for  twenty  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  been  since  1859,  and  now 
is  a  Past  Grand  of  Saxon  Lodge,  No.  68. 

He  was  married  in  Cass  county,  February 
8,  1866,  to  Emma  J.  Angier,  a  native  of  Cass 
county,  born  October  10,  1846.  Her  parents 
were  Addison  G.  and  Annie  E.  (Wilson) 
Angier  of  Ohio.  They  were  among  the  ear- 
liest settlers  in  Cass  county:  mother  is  still 
living  in  the  county,  but  father  died  April?, 
1890. 

Mrs.  Walker  died  March  16,  1889,  leaving 
seven  children.  She  was  aged  forty-two  at 
her  death.  The  children  are:  Ella  G.,  born 
December,  1865,  married  Edward  Tink,  and 
died  in  1892,  leaving  two  children;  Edward 
A.,  born  in  December,  1868,  married  and  re- 
sides in  Kansas  City;  Hattie  M.,  born  May, 
1871,  married  Charles  Etchison,  and  resides  in 
Virginia  precinct;  Louie  F.,  born  August, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


301 


1875;  Charles  H.,  born  April,  1878;  George 
R.,  born  April,  1881,  and  Dollie,  born  March, 
1884.  He  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs. 
Leona  Walker.  She  was  a  native  of  Cass 
county,  and  the  daughter  of  George  and  Per- 
melia  (Freeman)  Arenat.  Mrs.  Walker  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Mr.  Walker  is  a  man  of  representative 
type, — a  distinction  among  his  fellows  at- 
tained by  his  honest,  straightforward  busi- 
ness methods  and  fine  social  qualities.  His 
successes  in  life  justly  merit  for  him  the  ap- 
probation of  business  associates  and  compet- 
itors, and  from  the  same  source  he  receives 
warm  sympathy  for  the  late  reverses  which 
in  a  degree  have  temporarily  checked  his 
usual  flourishing  condition. 


fOHN  F.  HUSS,  general  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  in  section  1,  township  17, 
range  11,  has  entire  charge  of  his  fath- 
er's homestead  of  more  than  300  acres  of  fine 
land,  under  good  improvement.  The  build- 
ings are  large  and  comfortable,  and  the  place 
is  well  stocked.  Mr.  Huss  has  had  the  place 
under  his  personal  control  for  nearly  three 
years,  and  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  very 
successful  farmer.  He  was  born  in  this 
county,  May  27,  1866.  He  was  reared  and 
has  always  lived  on  the  farm  where  he  was 
born.  He  received  his  educatiqn  in,  the 
country  schools.  He  is  the  fourth  son  of 
Christian  Huss,  who  was  born  in  Germany 
of  German  parentage,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  alone.  Mr.  Huss,  Sr..  emigrated  to 
this  country  in  the  '50s,  settling  in  Beards- 
town.  He  purchased  two  other  farms  before 
he  obtained  his  present  homestead.  The  lat- 
ter he  conducted  himself,  until  the  spring  of 
1889.  He  is  now  about  sixty  years  of  age, 


hale  and  hearty,  has  made  all  of  his  large 
property  since  he  has  come  to  this  country. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  a  stanch  Democrat.  (For  further  family 
history,  see  biography  of  C.  J.  Huss.) 

Our  subject  is  one  of  nine  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  still  living.  Mr.  Huss,  of  this 
notice,  was  married  in  this  county  to  Miss 
Minnie  Buck,  born  in  this  county,  in  1868, 
daughter  of  Jasper  J.  Buck.  (See  biography 
of  Mr.  Buck  for  history.)  She  has  no 
family,  is  a  very  smart,  intelligent  woman, 
and  is  one  of  the  kind  women  of  the  commu- 
nity, and  is  so  known  everywhere.  She  and 
her  husband  are  popular  young  people,  and 
highly  respected  by  all  their  neighbors.  Mr, 
Huss  takes  quite  an  interest  in  local  politics, 
and  it  may  be  predicted  that  he  will  be 
elected  by  the  Democratic  party  to  fill  many 
of  the  offices  of  the  county. 


LFRED,  M.  THOMPSON,  a  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  township  17  north, 
range  11  we.st,  section  3,6,  Virginia 
post  office,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives,  February  27,  1850.  His  parents 
were  Oswell  and  Elizabeth  (Henderson) 
Thompson.  Both,  were  born  near  Chillicothe, 
Ohio,  the.  father  in  1806,  and  the  mother, 
September  22,  1813.  They  came  to  Illinois 
with  their  parents  in  the  same  year,  1827. 
The  father's  parents  located  on  the  farm 
which  Alfred  now  owns,  and  the  mother's 
people  located  near  Arcadia,  Illinois.  They 
were  married  here,  in  1829.  They  had  eight 
children:  Ada,  wife  of  I.  J.  Swibling,  a  well- 
to-do  farmer  and  stock  raiser  near  Ashland, 
Illinois;  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Black,  the  eldest,  re- 
sides in  Virginia;  she  has  been  married  twice, 
her  first  husband  being  Mace  Skiles;  W. 


302 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


Howard  resides  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and 
runs  a  feed  and  sale  stable;  he  also  owns  a 
fine  tract  of  land  near  that  of  the  subject; 
Sarah  Ellen  married  Jacob  Epler,  who  died 
Boon  after,  and  she  married  Mr.  Andrew  App; 
her  home  is  now  at  Seattle,  Washington, 
where  she  married  her  second  husband ;  she  is 
now  in  Europe;  Alfred;  David;  Albert  and 
Abigail; the  two  latter  deceased,  the  former  in 
childhood,  the  latter  in  middle  life,  leaving  a 
family.  The  youngest  of  the  family  is  the 
first  child  mentioned,  Ada. 

Alfred  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  na- 
tive county,  and  at  the  State  Normal  School, 
which  he  attended  two  years.  He  returned 
home  and  resumed  farming. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  September 
10,  1872,  to  Meranda  L.  Payne,  daughter  of 
W.  B.  and  Esther  (Stevenson)  Payne,  natives 
of  Kentucky,  where  Mrs.  Thompson  was  born 
June  25, 1854.  They  have  had  five  children: 
Howard,  born  in  1876,  died  in  1883,  from 
scarlet  fever;  David,  born  in  1878,  at  home; 
Nellie  died  at  the  age  of  three  months;  Edith, 
born  in  1881,  at  home;  Everett,  born  in 
North  Dakota,  and  died  in  infancy. 

In  the  spring  of  1888,  Mr.  Thompson 
leased  his  farm  and  went  to  Bismarck,  North 
Dakota,  for  the  purpose  of  recuperating  his 
health.  There  he  remained  seven  years,  re- 
turning in  a  greatly  improved  condition.  He 
again  took  possession  of  the  farm  upon 
which  he  was  born,  and  still  operates  it  with 
hired  assistance.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  of 
part  timber  and  part  prairie,  upon  which  he 
has  made  many  improvements.  He  lives  in 
the  house  in  which  he  was  born,  which  is  in 
a  good  condition  and  is  a  building  that  does 
credit  to  the  neighborhood. 

Mr.  Thompson  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  has  been  School  Director  and  Road  Com- 
missioner. Served  one  year  as  County  As- 


sessor of  Burley  county,  North  Dakota,  re- 
signing that  office  when  he  decided  to  return 
to  Illinois,  two  years  ago.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  he  takes  a  deep  interest, 
and  also  in  the  Sunday-school  work,  and  he 
subscribes  liberally  to  the  support  of  same. 

The  Thompson  family  were  among  the  first 
settlers  in  the  county.  Few  indeed  can  go 
back  as  they,  in  their  residence  here.  The 
family  were  of  German  origin,  though  long 
since  established  in  America. 

Mr.  Thompson  owns  800  acres  of  land  in 
Burley,  North  Dakota,  which  he  rents,  has 
320  acres  of  wheat  on  it  this  year  (1892),  he 
furnishing  the  seed  and  receiving  one-half  of 
the  threshed  grain. 


EORGE  GREEK  was  born  near  Five- 
mile  town,  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  Au- 
gust 1,  1814.  His  father  was  also  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  was  named  Robert. 
The  grandfather,  George  Greer,  it  is  thought, 
was  born  on  the  same  farm,  and  all  were  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  The  grandfather  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  was  also  a  promi- 
nent contractor  of  public  works  and  improve- 
ments. He  passed  away  in  his  native  county. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Mar- 
tin. was  born  in  county  Fermanagh,  and  was 
also  of  Scotch  stock.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church.  The  grandfather  was 
an  eccentric  but  able  man,  with  independent 
views,  and  erected  a  stone  church  in  his  own 
yard. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  also  a  farmer 
and  a  successful  contractor  and  spent  his  en- 
tire life  on  the  farm  where  he  was  born.  His 
wife  was  Catherine  Lendrum,  who  was  born 
in  the  same  locality,  and  was  the  daughter  of 


SGHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


303 


John  and  Elizabeth  (Erskine)  Lendmm,  also 
of  the  same  county  and  also  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. The  Erskines  were  very  prominent 
people,  not  only  in  Ireland  but  in  England 
also,  where  they  were  connected  by  ties  of 
blood  with  nobility  and  royalty,  and  boasted 
a  coat  of  arms,  a  tnotto,  and  an  honored 
name.  Both  the  parents  of  our  subject  were 
Methodists.  The  mother  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  forty-six  years,  and  passed  her 
last  days  at  her  home  in  Rushville.  She 
reared  a  large  family  of  thirteen  children  as 
follows:  George,  John,  Elizabeth,  Jane, 
Joseph,  James,  Robert,  Eleanor,  Erskine, 
Lendrum,  Lucinda,  Andrew  and  Alexander. 
All  the  members  of  this  family  were  born  in 
Ireland,  and  our  subject  was  the  first  to  cross 
the  ocean,  sailing  from  Derry  on  the  14th  of 
April,  1832,  in  the  vessel  William  Ewing,  and 
landing  in  Philadelphia  on  the  7th  of  June. 

When  our  subject  reached  Philadelphia  he 
was  a  stranger  and  in  limited  circumstances. 
He  soon  found  employment  in  that  city,  but 
the  cholera  broke  out  with  great  violence, 
whereupon  he  went  to  Lancaster  county  and 
engaged  in  farming,  and  there  resided  until 
the  13th  of  February,  1836,  when  he  went  by 
stage  to  Pittsburg,  thence  down  the  Ohio  by 
the  steamer  Ben  Bolt  (her  first  trip),  and  up 
the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers  to  Beards- 
town.  Soon  afterward  he  located  at  Rnsh- 
ville,  and  for  some  time  was  engaged  in  ex- 
ploring the  surrounding  country.  In  the  fall 
of  1836  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
July,  1837,  again  came  to  Rushville,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  For  many  years  he  was 
a  successful  merchant  and  was  associated  in 
business  with  Thomas  Wilson,  but  is  now  re- 
tired. He  has  been  one  of  the  most  substantial 
and  upright  of  Rushville's  business  men. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1837,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Ann  J.  Clark,  a  native 


of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  Her  par- 
ents were  John  and  Eleanor  (Greer)  'Clark. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greer  have  two  children  living, 
Susanna  and  Almira  D.  The  former  is  the 
wife  of  Henry  Brown,  and  has  three  living 
children:  Olie,  Eleanor  and  Lynn;  Alm'ira 
is  the  wife  of  Edwin  P.  McClure,  and  has 
two  children,  George  H.  and  Margaret  M. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greer  are  Methodists,  and  he  is 
a  straight  Republican. 


?ESSE  WIGHT,  farmer  of  township  17, 
range  10  west,  Little  Indian  post  office, 
was  born  in  Delaware  county,  New  York, 
February  13,  1828.  His  parents  were  Har- 
vey and  Judith  (Jenkins)  Wight  —  father  borji 
in  New  Jersey  and  the  mother  near  Bunker 
Hill,  Massachusetts.  Both  died  the  same 
week  in  New  York  State.  Of  a  family  of 
twelve,  Jesse  was  the  second  youngest.  The 
family  has  been  scattered,  some  to  Michigan, 
others  to  Pennsylvania  and  one  to  Illinois. 

Jesse  came  to  Beardstown  on  May  1,  1846, 
and  hired  out  to  work  on  a  farm  in  this  pre- 
cinct, where  he  continued  to  work  in  that 
way  for  four  or  five  years.  He  then  rented 
land  for  several  years,  and  abou^  thirty  years 
ago  purchased  his  first  real  estate  in  Illinois. 
He  was  raised  and  educated  in  New  York, 
and  left  there  at  twenty-two.  Mr.  Wight,  by 
industry  and  economy,  has  accumulated  a 
snug  property,  where  he  now  lives  in  com- 
parative ease.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  107 
acres  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  raises 
grain  and  stock.  Mr.  Wight  has  never  seen 
any  of  his  father's  relations,  and  hence  knows 
but  little  of  his  fami^'s  genealogy. 

He  was  married  here  in  1851,  to  Margaret 
Taylor,  of  Montgomery  county,  Ohio,  who 
was  born  in  1826.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wight  have 


304 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


eight  children:  Abigail,  the  eldest,  married 
Taylor  Berry,  and  lives  in  Morgan  comity; 
"William  is  a  farmer  and  lives  in  Nebraska, 
where  also  lives  John  I.;  Amos  Harvey  lives 
on  his  father's  farm;  Lizzie  J.  Parker  is 
now  a  widow  and  resides  at  home  with  her 
father;  Mollie  is  still  unmarried  and  lives  at 
home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wight  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Mr.  Wight  is 
a  member  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
held  various  positions  of  trust  in  the  pre- 
cinct. 

Amos  Harvey,  the  youngest  son  of  the 
above,  now  managing  his  father's  farm,  was 
born  in  this  precinct,  February  14,  1859. 
He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tended the  public  schools.  He  was  a  farmer  one 
year  in  Dakota  and  was  otherwise  employed 
there  for  one  year.  He  was  also  one  season 
in  Nebraska,  herding  cattle  and  running  a 
threshing  machine. 

He  was  married,  January  15,  1891,  to 
Ollie  Gilpin,  born  in  Morgan  county,  Illinois, 
June  9,  1871.  Her  parents  were  James  and 
Becky  Gilpin.  Her  father  was  a  soldier  dur- 
ing the  late  war  and  is  a  pensioner.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wight  have  one  child,  Nettie  May,  born 
January  9,  1892.  Mrs.  Wight  died  at  their 
home  August  24,  1892.  Mr.  Wight  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  0.  O.  F.,  and  in  politics  is 
a  Republican. 


|  AMUEL  E.  ELLIS,  a  citizen  of  Little- 
ton township,  is  so  closely  identified 
with  the  history  of  Schuyler  county  that 
this  volume  would  not  be  complete  were  an 
outline  of  his  career  omitted  from  its  pages. 
He  was  born  in  Oakland  township,  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  April  30,  1846,  a  son  of 
James  and  Nancy  (Harmon)  Ellis. 


James  Ellis  was  a  native  of  Mason  county, 
Kentucky,  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Phoebe  (Pay- 
ton)  Ellis,  natives  of  Virginia;  his  parents 
emigrated  to  Kentucky  at  an  early  day  and 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits;  later  they 
came  to  Illinois,  where  they  passed  the  re- 
maider  of  their  days;  both  lived  to  be  eighty- 
four  years  of  age.  Their  son,  James,  was 
reared  to  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  and  in 
1844  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  on  the 
land  where  Samuel  E.  was  born;  he  purchased 
a  quarter  section  for  $1,200,  and  undertook 
the  task  of  placing  it  under  cultivation ;  there 
were  few  improvements,  and  the  dwelling  was 
a  small  log-cabin;  this  furnished  them  shelter 
four  years,  when  a  frame  building  was  erected, 
in  which  Mr.  Ellis  lived  until  he  passed  from 
this  life  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
Politically  he  supported  the  Republican 
party,  and  took  an  active  part  in  local  affairs; 
he  was  Assessor  and  Collector,  and  a  member 
of  the  School  Board  for  many  years.  He  was 
one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  did  the  work  of  a  pioneer  in  the 
cause  of  Christianity.  He  and  Simon  Doyle 
were  Trustees  of  the  society.  Mr.  Ellis  was 
twice  married:' his  first  wife,  Nancy  Harmon, 
bore  him  seven  children,  of  whom  Samuel  E. 
is  the  youngest;  she  was  born  in  Bracken 
county,  Kentucky,  and  died  in  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four 
years.  Her  parents,  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
Harmon,  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and 
passed  their  lives  in  the  Blue-grass  State. 
The  Harmon  family  is  of  German  descent, 
and  the  Ellis  family  is  of  Scotch  lineage. 

Samuel  E.  Ellis  had  superior  educational 
advantages  in. his  youth,  and  made  the  most 
of  his  opportunities;  he  attended  the  district 
school,  and  was  a  student  at  Abingdon  Col- 
lege, Knox  county,  Illinois,  after  which  he 
entered  the  teacher's  profession,  which  he 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


305 


followed  for  more  than  twenty  years.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  to  one  of  his  pupils, 
March  12,  1874;  her  maiden  name  was  Julia 
E.  Jones,  a  native  of  this  county,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  W.  and  Harriet  E.  Jones;  her 
parents  removed  from  Ohio  to  Illinois  in 
1854,  and  settled  in  Schuyler  county  at 
Pleasant  View;  the  father  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty- nine  years,  but  the  mother  still  survives; 
they  had  born  to  them  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, only  three  of  whom  are  living.  The 
father  and  a  son,  George  W.,  were  soldiers  in 
the  late  war,  and  died  of  disease  contracted 
while  in  the  service. 

Mr.  Ellis  enlisted  in  Company  K,  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  in  1864,  and  re-enlisted  in 
February,  1865,  in  Company  1,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Although  the  period  of  his  service  was  com- 
paratively short  he  was  in  many  important 
engagements,  and  at  Memphis  lost  an  ear;  he 
receives  a  small  pension,  which  is  totally 
inadequate,  in  consideration  of  the  injury 
received. 

The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellis  consists 
of  eight  children:  Jessie  H.,  Lulu  M.,  Laura 
G.,  Emma  Z.,  Fannie  L.,  Anna  Belle,  Ida  M. 
and  Carrie  B.;  Virgil  died  in  infancy.  The 
parents  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  since  1867  Mr.  Ellis  has  been  an  Elder 
of  the  same;  for  twelve  years  he  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school.  He 
and  Simon  Doyle  were  the  principals  and 
furnished  most  of  the  money  to  build  the 
Christian  Church  in  1871-'72  He  is  a 
member  of  Colonel  Horney  Post,  G.  A.  R., 
and  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  organ- 
ization for  years;  he  belongs  to  Lodge  No. 
24,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Politically  he  adheres  to  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  cast 
his  first  vote  for  General  Grant's  first  term. 


He  was  once  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  but 
did  not  serve. 

In  1888  he  purchased  the  farm  on  which 
he  now  lives  with  his  family;  the  tract  con- 
tains over  200  acres,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
desirable  in  the  township.  Of  late  years  Mr. 
Ellis  has  abandoned  the  profession  of  teach- 
ing, having  made  an  admirable  record  as  an 
educator.  He  now  devotes  his  time  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  is  meeting  with  gratify- 
ing success. 


|ILLIAM  T.  PRICE,  a  progressive 
*arraer  °^  Virginia  precinct,  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Mor- 
gan county,  same  State,  November  6,  1840. 
His  parents  wereAdam  and  Susan  (Ros- 
enberger)  Price,  both  of  German  descent, 
and  natives  of  Rockingham  county,  Virginia, 
where  they  lived  to  maturity  and  were  mar- 
ried. In  1833  they  removed  to  Morgan 
county,  Illinois,  where  the  father  entered 
and  improved  a  large  tract  of  Government 
land.  In  1852  they  moved  to  Virginia 
precinct,  Cass  county,  where  they  settled  on 
a  farm  on  which  they  passed  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  The  greatly  esteemed  and  la- 
mented father  passed  away  February  1,  1875, 
his  worthy  wife  surviving  him  until  Septem- 
ber, 1881.  They,  with  five  infant  children, 
are  interred  in  Bethlehem  cemetery,  the 
ground  of  which  was  donated  by  them  for  a 
public  burial  place.  They  were  both  devout 
Christians,  who  rendered  valuable  service  for 
many  years  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  the  father  filled,  at  differ- 
ent times,  all  the  offices  ever  conferred  on 
lay  members.  "Uncle  Adam,"  as  he  was 
familiarly  known,  was  a  person  of  marked 
individuality  and  strong  convictions,  whose 


306 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA88, 


sterling  integrity  and  earnest  advocacy  of  all 
principles  of  justice  won  for  him  many 
friends  where  he  was  so  well  known.  Of 
their  twelve  children,  seven  attained  ma- 
turity, six  now  living  (1892).  John  W.,  the 
eldest  son,  is  a  large  landowner  in  Wilson 
county,  Kansas.  He  married  Maria  Ganse, 
an  estimable  lady,  and  both  are  prominent 
in  church  and  social  circles.  William  T., 
whose  name  heads  this  biography,  is  the 
next  in  order  of  birth;  Anna  Eliza  married 
James  V.  Rawlings,  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Virginia  precinct;  Adam  C.  is  a  successful 
farmer  of  Douglas  county,  Illinois;  Mary  E. 
married  Charles  E.  Strickler,  of  Sibley,  Iowa; 
Amanda  J.,  unmarried,  resides  in  Virginia; 
and  Sarah  E.,  the  youngest,  married  Alfred 
Griffin,  of  Nokomis,  Illinois,  and  died  in 
1885. 

i  lie  snlvj'  ct  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  early  manhood  on  his  father's  farm 
and  obtained  a  rudimentary  education  in  the 
public  schools.  Amid  these  rural,  peaceful 
scenes,  he  passed  his  time  in  the  companion- 
ship of  parents  and  friends  until  he  attained 
his  majority,  when  this  happy  state  was 
rudely  broken  by  the  discordant  notes  of 
war.  With  youthful  enthusiasm  and  patriot- 
ism, he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fourteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry for  three  years.  He  participated, 
with  his  command  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg 
and  in  many  of  the  numerous  battles  which 
occurred  in  and  around  that  almost  invulner- 
able stronghold.  In  the  engagement  at 
Guntown,  Mississippi,  his  regiment  suffered 
severely,  many  being  killed  or  wounded, 
while  the  remainder,  including  the  subject 
of  this  notice,  were  captured  and  incarcer- 
ated in  the  prison  at  Andersonville,  where  Mr. 
Price  was  confined  four  months.  He  was 
eventually  transferred  to  Millen,  Georgia, 


via  Savannah,  that  State;  and,  a  month  later, 
was  sent  to  Florence,  South  Carolina,  arriv- 
ing there  November  28,  and  remaining  there 
until  February  of  the  following  year.  He 
was  then  sent,  with  other  prisoners,  to 
Richmond,  Virginia,  there  paroled  and  sent 
North,  and  on  arriving  in  St.  Louis  was 
granted  thirty  days'  furlough.  When  in 
prison,  Mr.  Price  gladly  exchanged  a  valu- 
able watch  for  an  old,  ragged  blanket,  consid- 
ering it  one  of  the  best  trades  of  his  life. 
He  was  in  the  prison  at  Andersonville  when 
five  comrades  were  hung  for  stealing  from 
their  mates,  whom  they  murdered  to  con- 
ceal their  theft.  A  court,  organized  from 
among  the  prisoners,  passed  sentence  on 
them  and  witnessed  the  execution.  It  was 
also  while  he  was  in  prison  that  the  ''Provi- 
dence" spring  burst  forth,  originating  as  if 
by  magic  and  yielding  to  the  famishing 
prisoners  an  abundant  supply  of  cold  water 
of  clearest  crystal. 

On  the  expiration  of  his  furlough,  he  re- 
turned to  Montgomery,  Alabama,  and  three 
weeks  later  the  war  closed  and  he  returned 
to  his  home,  resuming  the  duties  which  had 
been  interrupted  three  years  before. 

On  December  29,  1870,  he  was  married  to 
Augusta  R.,  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza- 
beth (Clutch)  Marshall,  pioneers  of  Cass 
county,  James  Marshall,  her  grandfather, 
having  located  in  the  county  as  early  as 
1825.  Her  father  was  of  Scotch  descent; 
while  her  mother  was  of  Welsh  ancestry, 
who  emigrated  to  America  in  Colonial  times, 
was  in  Waynesville,  Ohio,  and  reared  a 
Quakeress.  Her  father  entered  and  im- 
proved the  land  on  which  Mr.  Price's  house 
now  stands,  while  the  beautiful,  towering, 
maple  trees  which  adorn  the  place  are  at- 
tractive memorials  of  his  taste  and  enterprise, 
being  planted  half  a  century  ago  by  his 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


307 


hands.  This  was  his  home  until  death, 
when  his  widow  and  three  children  removed 
to  Jacksonville,  this  State,  where  Mrs.  Price 
was  married.  Her  mother  remained  there 
until  her  death  in  1874.  In  1883,  Mr. 
Price  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  death  of 
his  wife,  which  occurred  on  the  old  home- 
stead. 

tural  pursuits. 

ex  perience,  Mr.   Price  has  followed  agricul- 

With  the  exception  of  his  three  years'  war 

Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Republi- 

can  party.     Religiously,   he    is  an    earnest 

member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 

and  contributes  liberally  to  the  advancement 

of  that  and  all  other  worthy  objects. 


fAMES  A.  DAVIS,  farmer  and  stock- 
grower,  post  office,  Virginia,  Illinois, 
was  born  one  and  one-half  miles  south 
of  Ashland,  Cass  county,  Illinois.  Octo- 
ber 29,  1824.  His  parents,  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Foster)  Davis  came  to  Cass  county 
in  1822.  The  father  settled  on  Indian  creek, 
where  he  improved  a  little  farm,  which  he 
afterward  lost  by  another  man  "  entering  him 
out."  He  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1796, 
coming  here  from  Monroe  county,  and  died, 
March  6,  1856,  in  this  county.  Mother  was 
born  in  Cumberland  county,  Tennessee,  in 
1800,  and  is  still  living.  She  resides  with 
her  son  George,  who  owns  the  old  homestead 
in  township  17,  range  11.  She  was  the 
mother  of  fourteen  children,  eight  of  whom 
are  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis,  Sr, 
moved  from  Ashland  to  the  place  where  the 
mother  now  lives,  when  James,  Jr.,  was  four 
years  old.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  was 
taught  in  the  subscription  schools  of  that 
day  and  was  reared  a  farmer.  At  twenty 


years  of  age  he  learned  the  house  carpenter 
trade  which  he  followed  until  seven  years 
ago.  He  worked  five  years  in  Beardstown, 
afterward  returned  to  his  home  neighborhood, 
where  he  worked  fifteen  years  inside  five 
miles  of  his  home,  and  was  never  out  of 
a  job. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown  in  1S49,  to 
Martha  A.,  daughter  of  Philip  Schaeffer,  a 
farmer  who  had  come  from  Montgomery, 
Ohio,  in  1832.  Her  birth  was  September 
16, 1830.  Mr.  Davis  has  witnessed  a  won- 
derful development  in  Cass  county  during 
his  sixty-eight  years'  residence  here.  His 
first  memory  of  the  country  is  as  a  vast  wilder- 
ness, the  settlers  few  and  far  between,  with 
only  occasionally  a  horse-power  mill  where 
the  farmers  had  their  grists  ground  by  turns, 
often  remaining  all  day  to  get  one  sack  of 
corn  ground.  Mr.  Davis  has  seen  men  reap- 
ing wheat  on  ground  which  is  now  covered 
with  heavy  timber,  the  early  settlers  prefer- 
ring to  clear  up  the  timber  land,  some  of 
which  has  since  gone  back  to  its  primitive 
state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  have  six  children : 
Minerva,  wife  of  Richard  Way,  residing  in 
dass  county;  Valentine,  residing  in  Butler 
county,  Nebraska,  a  farmer:  Sarah  Ellen, 
who  wedded  A.  C.  Robinson,  living  near 
Virginia,  Illinois;  James  Philo,  residing 
three  miles  south  of  Virginia;  Cyrus  Ed- 
ward resides  six  miles  east  of  the  same  place, 
and  Charles  L.,  a  farmer  living  in  Douglas 
county,  Illinois.  On  July  21,  1884/ Mr. 
Davis  suffered  the  loss  of  his  estimable  wife, 
to  whom  he  had  been  married  thirty-eight 
years.  A  glowing  tribute  to  her  memory,  as 
a  lady  of  great  worth,  appears  in  a  clipping 
in  the  local  paper,  in  which  appears  the  ac- 
tion of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  lodge  in  the  premises, 
of  which  she  and  her  husband  were  valued 
members.  She  was  a  worthy  member  of  the 


80S 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Union  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Davis  was  mar 
ried  to  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Smith, 
March  16,  1887.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Thompson,  and  she  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1840, 
They  are  both  members  of  the  Union  Bap- 
tist Church,  in  Virginia,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  Sunday-school  and  church  work. 
He  is  a  member  of  Saxon  Lodge,  No.  68, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Advance  Encampment, 
both  located  at  Virginia.  He  has  held  vari- 
ous official  positions  in  this  town.  He  voted 
the  Democrat  ticket  until  the  nomination  of 
Tilden,  when  he  voted  the  Greenback  ticket 
for  several  years,  but  is  now  a  Prohibitionist 
and  has  always  advocated  temperance  and 
sobriety,  and  the  legal  control  of  the  liquor 
traffic.  He  joined  the  Sons  of  Temperance 
in  1849,  and  has  worked  for  the  cause  all  his 
life.  He  uses  neither  tobacco  nor  liquor,  and 
is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  Cass 
county,  and  his  family  is  one  of  the  first 
established  here. 


WILLIAM  I.  LARASH,  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Rnshville  Citizen, 
a  weekly  newspaper  devoted  to  the 
interests  of  the  people,  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, born  at  Allentown,  Lehigh  county, 
October  2,  1851.  His  father,  Isaac  Larash,  was 
also  a  native  of  the  Keystone  State,  and  his 
grandfather  was  descended  from  the  French 
Huguenots;  the  latter  was  a  planter  by  -oc 
cupation,  and  passed  his  life  in  Pennsylvania; 
the  father  learned  the  tailor's  trade,  and  car- 
ried on  that  business  at  Catasauqua,  Penn- 
sylvania; thence  he  removed  to  Illinois  in 
1852,  and  followed  his  trade  in  this  State  for 
several  years.  He  finally  purchased  a  farm 
in  Spring  Lake  township,  Tazewell  county, 
and  still  resides  there.  He  married  Esther 


Ann  Kildare,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
still  survives.  They  are  the  parents  of  nine 
children:  John,  Elizabeth,  Lucinda,  William 
1.,  Mary,  Charles,  George,  I.,  Addie  M.  and 
Walter.  Our  subject  was  the  infant  when 
the  family  began  their  life  upon  the  frontier. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Pekin,  Taze- 
well county,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
went  to  learn  the  printer's  trade;  he  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  two  years  in  the  Repub- 
lican office,  never  losing  a  half  day's  time. 
In  1869  he  went  to  Omaha,  and  there  found 
employment  in  a  job  and  commercial  print- 
ing office;  this  occupied  him  four  or  five 
months,  and  then  he  made  a  journey  to  the 
plains  on  a  buffalo  hunt.  He  was  next  lo- 
cated in  Nebraska,  where  he  followed  his  trade 
for  a  time;  thence  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  and 
then  home.  He  devoted  some  time  to  agri- 
culture, and  afterwards  returned  to  his  trade; 
he  was  on  the  Peoria  Review  until  the  paper 
changed  hands.  Then,  with  three  other  prin- 
ters and  two  editors,  one  of  whom  was  R.  J. 
Burdette,  he  assisted  in  the  founding  of  a 
paper  which  was  named  the  Peoria  Evening 
Review;  an  injunction  was  served  upon  them, 
and  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Peoria  In- 
junction. Mr.  Larash  was  connected  with 
with  this  paper  a  short  time,  and  then  was  in 
different  cities  until  1875,  when  he  came  to 
Rushville,  and  took  charge  of  the  Citizen  of- 
fice. In  1879  he  purchased  the  entire  outfit 
with  the  good  will  of  the  paper,  and  has 
since  managed  its  publication.  He  has  a  job- 
office  in  connection,  and  has  won  a  wide  pat- 
ronage. 

Mr.  Larash  was  married  March  21, 1878,  to 
Emilia  Ann  Horney  who  was  born  in  Little- 
ton township,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  July 
16,  1857,  a  daughter  of  Lenodias  and  Jane 
(Crawford)  Horney.  To  them  three  children 
have  been  born:  Lenodias  H.,  Lizzie  H.  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


309 


Winnie  J.  Politically,  Mr.  Larash  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  was  a  delegate 
to  the  State  Convention  in  1880.  He  is  a 
member  of  linshville  Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Rushville  Chapter,  No.  184,  R.  A.  M., 
and  to  Rushville  Commandery,  No.  56,  K.  T. 
He  and  his  wife  are  earnest  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  joining  that  so- 
ciety in  1877,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a 
Class-leader. 


^ILLIAM  A.  WAY,  farmer  and  stock- 
grower,  section  6,  range  10,  township 
17,  post  office,  Virginia,  was  born 
in  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  October  5,  1842 
He  was  the  son  of  Jesse  and  Melinda  (Guin) 
Way,  early  settlers  in  Morgan  county.  The 
father  came  to  the  county  in  1832,  and  has 
been  a  resident  of  either  Morgan  or  Cass 
county  ever  since,  and  now  resides  in  Vir- 
ginia city.  The  mother  died  in  Virginia  in 
1880,  leaving  six  children:  Elizabeth,  the 
eldest,  married  T.  H.  Williams  and  died  in 
Nebraska;  Mary  died  when  twelve  years  of 
age;  Richard  is  a  farmer,  residing  in  Cass 
county,  Virginia  precinct;  Stephen  is  the 
same,  and  John  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six 
years. 

William  attended  the  public  schools  and 
then  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  inter- 
mingled with  farming.  He  enlisted  August 
11,  1862,  in  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  in  the  army  of  the  Cumber- 
land. A  few  days  after  the  battle  of  Chick- 
amanga,  while  on  a  scouting  expidition, 
composed  of  details  from  the  different  regi- 
ments, he  was  taken  prisoner  with  several 
others.  He  was  sent  to  Richmond,  via 
Atlanta,  and  was  kept  there  about  six  weeks, 


quartered  in  the  Smith  building,  near  Libby 
prison.  He  was  then  taken  to  Danville, 
Virginia,  kept  there  five  months,  and  then 
to  Andersonville,  where  he  remained  about 
eight  months.  From  there  he  was  sent  to 
Charleston,  and  on  from  there  to  Florence.  At 
this  place  he  was  paroled  December  7, 1864, 
after  fourteen  months  and  thirteen  days  im- 
prisonment. To  say  that  he  suffered  a  thou- 
sand deaths  during  this  long  confinement  is 
no  exaggeration.  He  was  attacked  with 
scurvy  while  in  Andersonville  and  suffered 
greatly  from  that  cause.  Even  to  this  day 
his  limbs  are  scarred  and  measurably  de- 
formed. After  this  he  was  sent  to  Annapolis, 
Maryland,  and  then  home,  remaining  there 
three  months  under  treatment.  He  rejoined 
the  regiment  at  Shield  Mill,  and  remained 
there  until  the  end  of  the  war.  He  was  dis- 
charged June  11,  1865,  and  returned  to  Vir- 
ginia, Illinois. 

He  was  married  December  24,  1868,  in 
Cass  county,  to  Hattie  Davis,  daughter  of 
Julia  Ann  and  Edward  Davis,  old  settlers  of 
Cass  connty.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Way  have  four 
children:  Lenora  married  D.  J.  Parkison,  a 
railroad  employe;  Walter,  Linnie  and  John 
L.  are  all  under  the  parental  roof. 

Mr.  Way's  grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Mr.  Way  is  independent  in 
politics,  voting  for  men  rather  than  for  par- 
ties. He  is  one  of  the  men  that  a  grateful 
country  would  delight  to  honor. 


ET  E  R  R  I G  G,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Missouri  township,  Brown  county,  is  a 
native  of  Anderson  county,  Kentucky, 
having  been  born  there,  March  11,  1830.  His 
grandfather,  also  Peter,  came  from  England 


310 


BIOGRAPHICAL    MS! VIEW    OF  .CASS, 


and  settled  in  Virginia  when  it  was  yet  a 
colony  of  Great  Britain,  serving  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  He  resided  on  the  banks  of  the 
Potomac  river  for  many  years,  but  finally  re- 
moved, at  an  early  period,  to  Bourbon  county, 
Kentucky,  and  later  resided  twenty  years  in 
Anderson  county,  Kentucky.  From  there 
he  removed  to  Shelby  county.  Kentucky, 
where  he  died.  He  reared  an  interesting  fam- 
ily of  six  children,  of  whom  Richard  Watson, 
father  of  our  subject,  was  the  second.  Richard 
was  born  in  Virginia  in  1789,  and  grew  to 
manhood  in  that  State,  but  was  married  in 
Anderson  county,  Kentucky,  to  Elizabeth 
George,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her  father 
came  from  the  Carolinas.  This  marriage 
ceremony  took  place  in  the  early  part  of  1812. 
Mrs.  Rigg  died,  and  in  the  fall  of  1830  Mr. 
Rigg  married  Peggy  Utterback.  By  his  first 
marriage  he  had  two  children:  William  T., 
an  honored  citizen  of  Missouri  township;  and 
Sarah,  who  married  Henry  Ausmus,  bntdied 
April  17,  1852.  By  the  second  marriage  lie 
had  seven  children:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John 
B.  Ausmus,  of  Texas;  Susan,  wife  of  Joshua 
P.  Singleton,  of  Missouri  township;  Eliza  J. 
married  James  M.  Parker  and  died  August 
13,  1855;  James  N.  (see  sketch;)  Margaret, 
wife  of  Abner  Cogburu,  of  Hancock  county; 
our  subject;  and  John,  who  died  November 
24,  1852. 

In  the  fall  of  1831  Mr.  Rigg  moved  from 
Kentucky  to  Illinois,  first  stopping  in  Morgan 
county.  He  then  settled  in  Schuyler  county, 
in  that  part  which  is  now  in  Brown  connty, 
on  section  20,  Missouri  township.  Here  he 
improved  a  farm,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  October  23,  1869. 

Mr.  Peter  Rigg  was  reared  on  a  farm  un- 
til manhood  and  remained  at  home  until  his 
marriage  in  1852,  when  he  was  united  to 
Mary  E.  Clark,  daughter  of  William  A.  Clark. 


She  was  born  in  Logan  county,  Kentucky, 
March  7,  1833. 

Mr.  Rigg  continued  to  reside  on  the  home- 
stead, of  which  he  became  owner.  He  now 
has  190  acres  of  land  and  carries  on  mixed 
farming,  to  which  he  has  given  his  entire 
attention. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rigg  have  had  nine  children, 
three  of  whom  grew  up.  They  are:  William 
C.,  born  December  14,  1863,  married  Febru- 
ary 4, 1890,  to  Nettie  Miller,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Myrtle,  born  in  1891;  Melissa 
born  August  22,  1871,  married  March  15, 
1892,  to  Eldred  Yowell,  resides  in  Monroe 
county,  Missouri;  Richard  W.,  born  July  8, 
1874. 

Mr.  Rigg  is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics 
and  has  served  his  township  as  School  Treas- 
urer and  Commissioner  of  Highways. 

He  is  an  old  regular  Baptist  in  religion. 
He  has  been  a  hard-working  man  all  his  life 
and  richly  deserves  all  the  prosperity  that  he 
now  enjoys. 


.ENRY  C.  KROHE,  a  practical  farmer 
living  on  a  fine  farm,  a  part  of  the  old, 
Jokisch  homestead,  was  born  in  Beards- 
town  March  3, 1848.  This  farm  was  secured  by 
Henry's  grandfather  and  consists  of  sixty  acres, 
all  well  improved  with  good  farm  buildings. 
Mr.  Krohe  also  owns  twenty  acres  more.  He 
has  lived  on  this  farm  for  many  years  and 
also  operates  many  other  lands.  He  is  the 
third  son  of  seven  children.  He  obtained 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.  His 
father,  August  Krohe,  a  native  of  Germany, 
was  the  son  of  Godfred  and  Rosena  Krohe, 
and  the  family  all  left  Germany  in  1835  and 
after  a  trip  of  some  months  landed  in  New 
Orleans,  and  some  weeks  later  in  Beardstown. 


SOHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


311 


They  obtained  land  in  the  valley  of  Bluff 
Springs  and  here  the  grandparents  died  when 
past  eighty.  They  were  well  known  people 
and  good  Lutherans.  August  Krohe  came 
here  as  a  young  man  with  his  parents  as  above 
noted.  He  became  of  age  here  and  a  farmer, 
and  is  now  living  at  home,  having  retired 
from  active  work.  He  was  married  here,  to 
Christiana  Jokisch,  who  came  to  this  country 
on  the  same  vessel  as  her  husband.  She  was 
a  worthy  wife  for  more  than  fifty  years  and 
died  in  April,  1889. 

Mr.  Henry  C.  Krohe  was  married,  near  his 
present  residence,  to  Christina  Menge  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  born  in  1852.  She  was 
only  one  year  old  when  her  parents  came  to 
Cass  county  in  1853.  Here  the  father  died 
fourteen  years  ago,  but  the  mother  is  still 
living.  They  have  always  been  Lutherans,  as 
are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krohe  of  this  notice.  Mr. 
Krohe  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  been  an 
office  holder.  They  have  six  children:  Ber- 
tha C.,  Lydia  8.,  Rosa  A.,  Felix  J.  A.,  Paul- 
ina W.  and  Matilda  L. 

They  are  excellent  people  and  are  con- 
nected with  some  of  the  best  famlies  of 
Beardstown. 


fOHN  B.  WETZEL,  of  section  5,  Brown- 
ing township,  was  born  within  three 
miles  of  his  present  home,  July  7,  1843. 
His  parents,  Christopher  and  Sarah  (Cook) 
Wetzel,  came  to  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  in 
1836,  settling  on  the  farm  where  the  father  now 
lives.  He  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1813,  and  in  the  same  year  his  mother  was 
born  in  Augusta  county,  Virginia.  The  lat- 
ter died  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  March, 
1889.  The  Wetzel  and  Cook  families  were 
both  of  German  origin. 


Mr.  Wetzel  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  district  and  grew  to 
manhood  on  the  farm  and  has  always  been  a 
farmer.  He  owns  282  acres  of  land  in  sec- 
tions 4  and  5,  Browning  township.  This 
land  is  highly  improved,  his  residence, 
erected  in  1888,  being  a  very  handsome  build- 
ing of  modern  architecture.  On  his  south 
farm  he  also  has  a  good  residence,  comfort- 
able surroundings,  and  he  takes  pride  in  his 
fine  stock,  and  usually  purchases  from  the 
stock  yards  in  Chicago  such  cattle  as  he  de- 
sires to  feed;  he  also  deals  in  hogs.  He  mar- 
kets fruit  by  the  car-load.  The  entire  family 
are  members  of  the  United  Brethren  denom- 
ination and  all  are  active  in  Sunday-school 
and  church  work.  He  has  been  a  Class-leader 
and  a  Sunday-school  superintendent  for  many 
years. 

He  was  married  in  Astoria,  in  December, 
1866,  to  Amanda  E.  Bryan  of  Virginia,  whose 
parents,  Thomas  and  Emeline  (Lutz)  Bryan, 
removed  to  Fulton  county  about  1853.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wetzel  have  three  children,  all  liv- 
ing; Nettie  F.,  Willard  P.  and  Ina  J.,  the 
first  two  living  on  the  old  Wetzel  homestead. 
Ina  J.  is  the  wife  of  William  Dean,  a  farmer, 
The  two  daughters  have  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tages of  two  years'  attendance  at  the  Rush- 
ville  Normal  School  taking  this  after  their 
public-school  course,  but  do  not  care  to 
teach.  Mr.  Wetzel  is  a  Republican  and  has 
served  as  member  of  the  County  Central 
Committee.  He  is  active  and  energetic  in 
political  work. 


AMUEL  DE   COUNTER,  one  of  the 
largest  land-owners  in  Woodstock  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Brown   county,    Illi- 
nois, October  4,  1827,  a  son  of  Peter  Freder- 


312 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Off    CASS, 


ick  and  Nancy  (Scounts)  De  Counter.  They 
were  married  in  1824,  near  Boon's  Lick,  Mis- 
souri. The  father  was  a  native  of  France, 
and  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1820; 
five  years  later  he  came  to  Brown  county,  and 
the  following  year  brought  his  family  here; 
he  bought  land  which  he  converted  into  a 
fertile  farm,  residing  upon  it  until  his  death 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years;  his  wife  also 
died  in  the  county,  at  an  advanced  age;  she 
was  a  Virginian  by  birth.  Two  children 
were  born  to  them :  a  daughter,  now  deceased, 
and  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Samuel  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  twelve  years  old, 
and  then  his  father  married  Mary  Manser, 
who  died  ten  years  later. 

Samuel  engaged  in  driving  a  peddling 
wagon  until  he  was  twenty-five,  and  then 
began  his  career  as  a  farmer.  He  has  been 
twice  married;  his  first  union  was  to  Miss 
Catharine  Miller,  a  native  of  Summit  county, 
Ohio;  she  died  in  Brown  conn ty  at  the  age 
of  thirty-one  years,  leaving  three  children. 
Frederick  is  married  and  the  father  of  five 
children ;  Morris  L.  is  married  and  has  seven 
children ;  Emma  is  married  and  the  mother  of 
seven  children.  Mr.  De  Counter  was  married 
a  second  time  in  1860,  to  Mas  Harriet  Stubbs, 
who  was  born  in  Floyd  county,  May  17, 1826, 
and  was  the  mother  of  two  children.  Her 
parents,  William  and  Jane  (Gailey)  Clark, 
father  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  mother 
of  Pennsylvania,  emigrated  to  Illinois  in 
1852,  and  died  in  this  State  at  an  advanced 
age;  they  have  ten  children,  two  of  whom  are 
now  living.  By  his  second  marriage  Mr. 
De  Counter  had  one  daughter,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  leaving  one  boy, 
Clarence  Southey. 

Politically,  he  adheres  to  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party,  but  takes  no  active  in- 
terest in  the  movements  of  that  body.  He 


has  been  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  en- 
terprising of  farmers,  and  has  amassed  a 
handsome  estate.  He  has  always  pursued 
strictly  honorable  methods,  and  has  an  envi- 
able reputation  wherever  his  name  is  known. 


HOMAS  J.  CRUM,  of  Virginia,  Illi- 
nois, was  born  within  one  mile  of  his 
present  residence,  July  9,  1835.  He 
is  the  eldest  living  son  of  James  and  Chris- 
tina (Ream)  Crum.  (Parental  history  is 
given  in  the  history  of  James  Crum  else- 
where in  this  book.) 

Thomas  was  raised  to  manhood  on  a  farm 
and  attended  the  subscription  schools  of  the 
neighborhood.  He  has  always  lived  on  the 
farm  given  him  by  his  father  upon  attaining 
his  majority.  To  this  he  has  added  until  he 
now  has  450  acres  in  this  farm,  besides  800 
acres  of  land  in  Burleigh  county,  North  Dako- 
ta. He  has  been  a  resident  here  for  over  fifty 
years  and  has  witnessed  wonderful  changes 
in  the  country.  He  remembers  very  well 
when  there  was  but  very  little  improved  land 
near  him.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

He  was  married  March,  1857,  to  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Henderson,  daughter  of  William 
and  Lucinda  Henderson,  who  were  among  the 
early  settlers  in  this,  then  Morgan  county. 
She  was  the  eldest  of  twelve  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  now  living.  The  mother  died 
in  Morgan  county  and  the  father  in  Henry 
county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crum  have  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, nine  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely; 
Charles,  married,  operating  the  Dakota  farm; 
Theresa  M.,  wife  of  Edward  D.  Sommers, 
resides  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado;  Oscar 
M.  is  in  the  publishing  business  at  Jackson- 
ville, Illinois;  William  S.,  wholesale  grocer 


SG SUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


313 


in  Joliet,  Illinois;  Ollie,  now  Mrs.  Strong, 
resides  at  Winfield,  Kansas,  husband  a  farm- 
er; Eben  Ross,  Mary  L.,  Henry  Obed,  and 
Thomas  Austin  are  still  at  home.  A  pair  of 
twins  died  in  infancy.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Protestant  Methodist  church. 
Mr.  Crum  is  an  Ancient  Odd  Fellow, 
lodge  having  surrendered  its  charter  dur- 
ing the  late  war.  The  Crum  family  is  quite 
extensively  represented  in  this  county,  where 
they  are  well  and  favorably  known  citizens 
who  have  by  their  industry  accumulated  a 
comfortable  property.  The  aged  father,  now 
in  his  eighty-sixth  year,  is  one  of  the  solid 
landmarks  of  early  pioneer  days  in  Cass 
county. 


§EWIS  CASS  CAMPBELL,  a  prominent 
and  esteemed  resident  of  Camden  village, 
Illinois,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Camden 
township,  February  23,  1851.  His  father, 
John  Milton  Campbell,  was  born  in  Harrison 
county,  Kentucky,  March  30,  1807,  and  was 
a  son  of  James  and  Jane  (Campbell)  Camp- 
bell, natives  of  Scott  county,  Kentucky. 
Both  of  the  grandfathers  of  John  Milton 
Campbell  bore  the  name  of  Campbell  and 
were  born  in  Scotland,  but  emigrated  to 
America  and  died  in  the  Colonies  in  the  de- 
cade of  1700.  John  Milton's  maternal  grand- 
mother was  a  Cellers.  His  maternal  uncle, 
Lindsey  Campbell,  married  a  widow  by  the 
name  of  Graham.  Her  son,  Furgerson  Gra- 
ham, died  in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  at  the 
residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Singleton  Wright, 
deeply  lamented  for  his  many  sterling  quali- 
ities  of  character.  William  Campbell,  an 
own  cousin  of  John  Milton  Campbell,  on  his 
father's  side,  married  a  sister  of  Furgerson 
Graham.  John  Milton's  father,  James 


Campbell,  was  a  skilled  mechanic,  who  passed 
nearly  all  of  his  life  in  Kentucky,  and  died  in 
Pendleton  county,  that  State,  aged  eighty-six 
years.  He  was  twice  married,  having  by  the 
first  marriage  five  children,  and  one  child  by 
his  second.  John  Milton  was  the  oldest  of 
the  family,  and  his  early  life  was  spent  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  received  a  fair  education, 
and,  under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  be- 
came a  good  mechanic.  He  afterward  taught 
school  and  worked  at  his  trade.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Kentucky,  to  Ann  Lake,  and,  in  1832, 
came  to  Illinois  to  look  over  the  country. 
Being  favorably  impressed,  he  removed  to 
the  latter  State  in  November,  1835.  He  en- 
tered and  settled  on  land  located  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  eight,  in  Camden 
township,  Schuyler  county,  where  he  im- 
proved a  farm.  His  health  failing  in  1845 
he  passed  a  few  years  in  the  South,  afterward 
returning  to  his  farm.  His  first  wife  died  in 
Kentucky,  leaving  one  child,  Thomas  J.  In 
1850,  Mr.  Campbell  was  again  married,  his 
second  wife  being  Miss  Mary  A.  E.  Aldrich, 
of  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  born  June  8, 
1826.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Elizabeth  (Strupp)  Aldrich,  natives  of  North 
Carolina,  of  English  and  German  ancestry, 
respectively.  She  accompanied  her  sister  to 
Illinois  in  1847,  and  lived  in  Schuyler 
county.  John  Campbell  died  December  20, 
1880,  sincerely  mourned  by  all  who  knew 
him.  A  Democratic  in  politics,  he  took  an 
active  part  in  all  local  affairs  of  importance. 
He  frequently  held  office,  being  elected  at 
various  times  to  all  positions  in  the  gift  of 
the  county;  he  served  one  term  as  County 
Surveyor,  and  for  many  years  as  Deputy  Sur- 
veyor. He  was  the  clerk  of  his  party,  and, 
being  a  fine  penman,  the  records  of  the  county 
are  remarkable  for  their  neatness  and  legibil- 
ity. He  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Chris- 


3H 


BIOGRAPUWA^    US  VIEW    OP    CASS, 


tian  Ad ventist  Church.  His  worthy  wife  sur- 
vives him  and  resides  in  Camden.  She  also 
is  an  earnest  and  useful  member  of  the 
church  to  which  her  husband  belonged.  This 
estimable  couple  were  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Lewis,  Stephen,  James  I.  and 
Emma  J. 

Lewis  was  reared  a  farmer  and  educated  in 
Camden  township.  After  his  marriage  he 
resided  ou  the  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  but 
upon  the  death  of  his  wife  he  returned  to  his 
mother's  farm  and  managed  it  for  some  years, 
until  1885,  when  he  married  again  and 
settled  in  Camden  village  and  opened  a  hotel. 
He  also  engaged  in  farming  and  the  carpen- 
ter trade,  putting  up  some  of  the  best  build- 
ings in  the  county,  outside  of  Rushville.  He 
afterward  sold  the  hotel  and  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  his  trade.  He  has  240  acres  of 
land  and  some  valuable  property  in  Cauaden 
village.  Hard  as  Mr.  Campbell  has  worked, 
it  is  nothing  to  the  privations  that  his  father 
had  to  endure.  He  was  the  pioneer  school 
teacher  of  the  county,  and  besides  pursuing 
that  occupation  he  made  maple  sugar  and 
split  rails  to  get  the  money  with  which  to 
enter  his  land  and  purchase  saddle-bags  to 
carry  his  surveying  tools  in.  What  farmer 
of  to-day  has  to  endure  such  hardships? 

He  was  married  to  Alice  Callison  in  1875, 
the  daughter  of  John  L.  and  Eliza  (Smith) 
Callison.  She  was  born  in  1857,  and  died 
April,  1879.  Mr.  Campbell  was  again  mar- 
ried in  1885,  his  second  wife  being  Alice  L. 
Irvin,  a  native  of  Littleton  township  and  a 
daughter  of  Osburn  and  Martha  Irvin.  They 
have  had  one  child,  Paul  Irvin,  born  July  26, 
1891. 

Mr.  Campbell  is  independent  in  politics, 
being  a  supporter  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance, 
and  has  tilled  the  office  of  Town  Clerk.  He 
is  a  member  of  Camden  Lodge,  No.  648,  A. 


F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  Senior  Warden. 
He  is  also  correspondent  for  the  Rushville 
Times,  editing  the  Carnden  department.  He 
was  for  many  years  an  active  member  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry. 


,ONKAD  MAYKEIS,  of  Beardstown, 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt  in  1842. 
His  parents  lived  and  died  in  the  same 
place.  He  was  given  a  common  German 
schooling  and  when  fifteen  years  of  age  came 
to  this  country  and  came  on  at  once  to 
Beardstown,  Illinois,  having  left  a  sister, 
Sophia,  in  New  York  city,  who  had  been  the 
first  of  the  family  to  cross  the  ocean.  Sophia 
has  been  employed  by  the  same  family  for  the 
last  forty  years.  Their  family  is  represented 
by  two  other  sisters,  Caroline  and  Mary  and 
brother  John.  Mr.  Mayreis  came  here  in 
1857,  learned  the  trade  of  boot  and  shoe 
maker  and  followed  it  until  1861.  He  then 
enlisted  in  Company  K,  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  Captain  Reynolds  in  command, 
the  regiment  being  known  as  the  Springfield 
regiment,  Colonel  Palmer  (ex-Governor)  in 
command.  Mr.  Mayreis  served  with  his  regi- 
meut  as  Corporal  of  his  company  for  two 
years  and  three  months,  in  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee,  and  fought  in  the  battles  of  Fort 
Donelson,  Pittsburg  Landing,  Corinth,  siege 
of  Pittsburg  and  other  minor  engagements. 
He  escaped  unhurt  and  received  honorable 
discharge  at  Vicksburg,  Tennessee,  and  on 
his  return  to  Beardstown  engaged  in  the  boot 
and  shoe  business  from  1864  to  1886  and  in 
the  meantime  superintended  work  on  a  farm, 
which  he  has  improved  and  owns  in  Cass 
county.  He  started  his  present  business  of 
dealer  in  wines  and  liquors,  in  1885,  at  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Washington  streets  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BltOWN    COUNTIES. 


has  since  connected  with  it  a  well  kept  cafe. 
He  is  also  agent  for  the  Anheuser-Busch 
Brewing  Company  of  St.  Louis  at  this  place. 
He  was  married  in  this  city  to  Miss  Auna 
Mooman,who  was  born  at  Bielefeld,  Germany, 
in  1844  and  came  with  her  parents  when  she 
was  two  years  of  age  to  the  United  States. 
The  family  settled  at  Beardstown  where  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mooman  both  died,  being  consist- 
ent members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
Mayreis  is  the  father  of  seven  children: 
Frank,  a  partner  in  his  father's  business; 
Edward,  who  runs  the  restaurant;  Conrad,  at 
present  running  the  farm;  Minnie,  wife  of  E. 
B/ink;  Henry,  who  is  at  an  institute  in  St. 
Louis;  Louis  is  at  home  in  the  public  school; 
and  Maria  is  also  at  home.  Mr.  Mayreis  is 
a  sound  Republican  in  politics  and  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  local  matters,  having  an  in- 
terest in  the  advancement  of  the  city  and 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mayreis  are  leaders 
among  their  people  and  their  children  have 
all  received  a  good  education.  They  are  all 
highly  respected  and  admired  by  their  large 
circle  of  friends. 


fUDGE  HERMANN  C.  SCHULTZ,  a 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  is  an  American  by 
adoption,  his  birth-place  being  Prussia,  Ger- 
many; the  date,  October  2, 1832.  His  father, 
Johannes  Schultz,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
country,  and  was  engaged  in  the  sugar  refin- 
ing business:  he  married  Elizabeth  Felech,  a 
native  ot'Germany,  who  survived  him  many 
years;  she  emigrated  to  America  in  1852,  and 
spent  the  last  days  of  her  life  in  Texas;  he 
died  in  1846,  and  she  passed  away  in  1858. 
Hermann  Schultz  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  land,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years 


went  to  learn  the  baker's  trade;  having  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  three  years,  he  worked 
as  a  journeyman  in  different  cities  for  two 
years;  at  the  end  of  that  time  hs  sailed  from 
Hamburg  for  America,  and  after  a  voyage  of 
two  months,  arrived  in  Galveston,  Texas.  He 
was  employed  with  various  occupations  in 
that  State  until  1857,  and  in  that  year  came 
to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  He  rented  land 
until  1862,  and  in  August  of  that  year  he 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  the 
declaration  of  peace.  He  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Vicksburg  and  Arkansas  Post,  was 
at  the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg,  and 
also  took  part  in  the  engagement  at  Spanish 
Fort.  He  was  mustered  in  as  a  private,  but 
was  discharged  as  First  Sergeant,  in  August, 
1865.  He  then  returned  to  his  home  and 
resumed  his  agricultural  pursuits,  which  he 
continued  until  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
Judge  of  the  Probate  Court,  of  Schnvler 
county. 

In  1854,  Judge  Schultz  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Anna  Heidenreich,  a  native  of  Saxe- 
Weimar,  and  a  daughter  of  Adam  Heiden- 
reich; the  father  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  with  his  family,  in  1851,  and  in  1857 
he  came  to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  passed  his  last  days.  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Schultz  are  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Her- 
mann H.,  Charles  S.,  Julius  C.,  Gallic,  Laura, 
Emma,  Ferdinand,  Nellie  and  Peter.  Charles 
S.,  Laura  and  Nellie  are  deceased.  The  Judge 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  he  is  also  a  member 
of  Schuyler  Lodge,  No.  209,  K.  of  P.,  and  of 
Astoria  Lodge,  No.  100,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
Politically,  he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  its  prin- 
ciples. He  has  served  twenty  years  as  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  and  ten  years  as  a  member 


316 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Off    CA88, 


of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors.  He 
was  elected  to  his  present  office  in  1890,  and 
has  discharged  the  duties  devolving  upon 
him  with  a  wisdom  and  justice  that  have 
dispelled  all  doubt  as  to  his  ability.  He  has 
been  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  movements 
tending  to  advance  the  county's  interests,  and 
is  numbered  among  her  most  loyal  citizens. 


ANTHONY  CLARK,  the 

subject  of  this  brief  sketch,  was  born 
in  Logan  county,  Kentucky,  Febru- 
ary 16,  1811.  His  ancestors  were  residents 
of  North  and  South  Carolina,  his  father 
having  been  born  in  Orange  county,  North 
Carolina,  August,  1770,  his  early  home  being 
not  far  from  Guilford  Court  House,  and  he 
could  hear  the  cannon  during  the  battle  at 
that  place.  He  often  referred  to  that  inci- 
dent in  later  life.  After  the  battle  a  division 
of  the  British  army  encamped  near  his  moth- 
er's house,  for  several  days.  His  mother  was 
unprotected  as  her  husband  had  died  when 
Thomas,  the  father  of  subject,  was  five  years 
old.  Thomas  was  reared  in  North  Carolina, 
and,  braving  the  dangers  of  the  wilderness, 
he  crossed  to  Kentucky,  settling  in  Logan 
county,  about  1795.  Here  he  married  Mary 
Anthony,  daughter  of  Philip  Anthony,  pio- 
neer of  Kentucky.  Here  Thomas  Clark 
lived  until  the  fall  of  1839,  when  he  came  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  in  Missouri  township, 
where  he  died  in  1847. 

W.  A.  Clark  was  one  of  a  family  of  thir- 
teen children,  being  the  third.  His  boyhood 
was  passed  in  Logan  county,  Kentucky,  where 
he  attended  the  schools  of  seventy  years  ago, 
which  were  only  provided  with  benches  of 
split  logs,  heated  by  a  fire-place,  and  lighted 


by  windows  of  greased  paper.  This  gentle- 
man was-  married,  April,  1832,  to  Mehala 
Roberts,  daughter  of  John  Roberts.  She 
was  born  in  Maryland,  but  reared  in  Wash- 
ington county, Virginia. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  resided  in  Logan 
county,  Kentucky,  until  1837,  and  three 
children  were  born  to  them  there.  They  then 
came  to  Illinois,  and  rented  land  for  one 
year,  then  entered  eighty  acres  in  Pea  Ridge 
township,  but  five  years  later  settled  in  Mis- 
souri township,  on  section  17,  and  with  his 
two  sons  became  the  owner  of  600  acres  of 
fine  land  in  the  aforesaid  section.  Mr.  Clark 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
having  joined  it  in  1833.  He  voted  for 
Henry  Clay,  but  afterward  became  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics.  Mr.  Clark  was  a  poor  man 
when  he  came  to  Illinois,  but  by  his  earnest 
endeavors  and  hard  work  he  managed  to 
accumulate  a  large  fortune. 

John  Thomas  Clark,  the  son  of  the  above 
mentioned  gentleman,  is  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous farmers  of  Missouri  township,  residing 
on  section  17.  He  was  born  in  Pea  Ridge 
township,  June  12,  1844.  The  family  re- 
moved to  Missouri  township  about  1850, 
settling  on  section  17,  where  the  father  accu- 
mulated a  large  farm,  dying  December  16, 
1890,  while  his  wife  died  June  10,  1875. 
John  is  one  of  five  children,  namely:  Mary 
E.,  wife  of  Peter  Rigg;  Sarah  J.,  wife  of 
J.  M.  Parker;  Martha,  wife  of  T.  B.  Ans- 
mus,  of  Camp  Point;  William  N.;  and  John, 
who  is  the  youngest  of  the  family.  He  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm  until  he  attained 
his  majority,  when  he  became  a  partner  with 
his  father.  They  bought  land  and  carried  on 
farming,  cultivating  about  300  acres  of  land. 
John  now  owns  255  acres  of  land,  on  which 
he  has  a  tine  class  of  farm  buildings.  He 
carries  on  farming  and  deals  in  stock. 


8CHU7LBR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


317 


Mr.  Clark  was  married,  October  24,  1870, 
to  Amanda  Carter,  daughter  of  John  B.  and 
Elizabeth  (Bell)  Carter,  born  in  Brown 
county,  January  3,  1851.  John  B.  Carter, 
the  father  of  Mrs.  Clark,  was  born  in  Tennes- 
see, and  was  a  son  of  Joeeph  Carter.  They 
came  to  Illinois  in  1830,  and  first  stopped  in 
Brown  county,  but  Joseph  Carter  later  re- 
moved to  McDonough  county,  where  he 
died.  His  son  John  grew  to  manhood,  and 
was  married  in  Brown  county,  and  had  one 
child,  but  it  died  in  infancy.  He  later  married 
Elizabeth  Bell,  and  settled  in  Lee  township, 
Brown  county.  He  then  removed  to  Clayton, 
Adams  county,  where  he  enlisted,  and  was 
mustered  into  service  in  the  Eighty-  fourth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  I,  serv- 
ing three  years.  After  the  war  he  resided  in 
Brown  county,  until  1869,  when  he  removed 
to  Crawford  county,  Kansas,  where  he  died 
in  1872.  His  wife  also  died,  in  Kansas,  in 
1883.  He  and  his  wife  had  seven  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Clark  was  the  eldest. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  have  three  children: 
Daisy,  Arthur  A.  and  Oliver  B.  Mr.  Clark 
is  a  strong  Democrat,  and  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  He  and  his  charming 
wife  are  among  the  most  prominent  people  of 
their  township,  and  enjoy  the  respect  of  all 
who  knew  them. 


|LIAS  D.  LEACH,  M.  D.,  deceased,  for 
many  years  one  of  the  prominent  citi- 

'  zens  of  Rushville  and  a  leading  member 
of  the  medical  profession,  was  born  near 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  March  26,  1823,  a  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Hannah  (Raynor)  Leach,  pio- 
neers of  Mahoning  county,  Ohio.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  two  years  old,  BO  that  as 
he  advanced  in  years  he  was  obliged  to  make 

22 


all  the  opportunities  that  he  enjoyed;  when 
he  had  received  a  sufficient  education  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching,  and  soon  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  study  of  medicine;  his  leisure 
time  was  fully  occupied  in  this  pursuit,  and 
he  finally  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Packard, 
of  West  Greenville,  Pennsylvania.  In  1844 
he  became  a  student  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  Western  Reserve  College  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  studied  and  taught  al- 
ternately, securing  the  means  with  which  to 
carry  on  his  own  education,  and  had  the 
gratification  of  receiving  a  diploma  in  1848. 

Dr.  Leach  came  directly  to  Illinois,  and  for 
a  short  time  practiced  in  Virginia,  Cass 
county;  thence  he  removed  to  Frederick, 
Schuyler  county,  where  he  resided  until  1853. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Rushville,  and  em- 
barked in  mercantile  trade,  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Little,  Ray  &  Co.;  this  relation- 
ship continued  until  1863,  when  the  Doctor 
withdrew,  and  devoted  his  entire  time  to  his 
private  interests  and  professional  duties  until 
1880;  he  then  returned  to  commercial  circles 
and  continued  in  business  until  1890,  when 
he  was  obliged  to  retire  on  account  of  ill 
health;  he  died  in  September  of  that  year. 

He  was  three  times  married,  his  third  wife, 
the  mother  of  his  children,  being  Harriet  J. 
Paterson;  she  was  born  in  Russell  county, 
Kentucky,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Paterson, 
whose  history  will  be  found  on  another  page 
of  this  volume.  Dr.  Leach  was  united  to  her 
in  marriage  December  4,  1856,  and  to  them 
three  children  were  born,  two  of  whom  sur- 
vive: Warren  and  Lawrence  W.  The  former 
married  Molly  McCreary,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Mark  and  Nina.  Junius  F.,  the 
oldest  child,  was  born  March  21,  1858,  and 
died  October  9,  1887.  Dr.  Leach  was  reared 
to  the  faith  of  the  Christian  Church,  to 
which  he  always  adhered.  Politically  he  was 


318 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA38, 


identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
served  his  county  in  the  capacity  of  Treasurer; 
he  was  a  capable  official  and  discharged  his 
duties  with  a  fidelity  that  won  him  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people  regardless  of  party  ties. 
In  all  the  walks  of  life  he  was  true  to  the 
trusts  resting  with  him,  and  in  his  death  the 
county  lost  a  citizen  of  great  worth  and  high 
merit. 


jtUAR  E.  MAIN  was  born  on  the  farm 
he  now  owns,  section  16,  township  18, 
range  11  west,  Cass  county,  March  30, 
1849.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  this 
county,  and  has  a  fine  and  well  improved 
farm  of  167  acres,  and  forty  acres  in  timber, 
and  has  a  fine  home  in  this  county  also.  His 
grandfather  was  Joshua,  who  was  born,  lived 
and  died  in  Wellington  township,  Connecti- 
cut. He  died  at  about  the  age  of  ninety, 
coming  of  English  parents  and  was  a  promi- 
nent farmer  in  his  township.  His  wife's 
name  was  Jerusha  Lee,  who  lived  and  died  in 
Connecticut.  They  were  good  religious  peo- 
ple, and  raised  a  large  family.  The  father  of 
our  subject,  Loderick  L.  Main,  was  born  near 
Stafford  Springs,  Connecticut,  in  1796,  grew 
up  to  the  carpenter'!  trac'e>  an<^  later  was  a 
seaman  for  a  few  years.  After  that  he  came 
to  Ohio,  settling  near  Burton,  and  there 
married  Ann  E.  Beard,  of  New  York  State. 
In  1837  they  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  on 
a  farm  now  owned  by  our  subject,  Zuar  Main, 
east  of  Beardstown.  Here  Mrs.  Main  died, 
in  the  prime  of  life,  in  1838,  leaving  several 
children:  Amos  B.,  Lucy  Ann,  Curtis,  Lewis 
and  Myron.  Mr.  Main  married  a  second 
time,  in  Cass  county,  Sarah  Calef,  born  near 
Lebanon,  New  Hampshire,  and  came  when  a 
young  woman  with  her  sister  to  Cass,  and 


was  married  in  1840  to  Mr.  Loderick  Lee 
Main.  Her  death  occurred  October  25, 
1873,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  Mr.  Main, 
(Loderick  Lee)  died  at  the  same  place  in 
1883.  He  was  one  of  the  well  known  set- 
tlers of  this  countyf  and  he  and  his  wife  were 
strong  Methodists.  Our  subject  is  one  of 
five  children.  Zuar  E.  Main  (fourth  child), 
Ann  E.,  Luther,  Mary,  Daniel  L.  (fifth 
child). 

He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Ellen  Mc- 
Kean,  born  and  reared  in  the  county.  Her  par- 
ents were  John  and  Nancy  (Childress)  McKean, 
natives  of  West  Virginia.  They  were  mar- 
ried at  Charlestown,  West  Virginia,  and 
started  on  a  wedding  tour  to  the  West,  early 
in  the  '30s,  settling  in  Monroe  precinct,  Cass 
county.  On  this  they  lived  and  died,  he  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two  and  she  forty-seven. 
They  were  well-known  good  people.  Mc- 
Kean was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
reared  in  Ohio  and  married  in  West  Virginia. 
He  was  the  father  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
six  are  yet  living. 

Mrs.  Main  is  a  smart,  intelligent  mother  of 
three  children;  two  are  deceased,  —  Mintaand 
Lucas  A.  Miss  Minnie,  a  bright  young  lady 
and  a  good  girl,  is  the  only  child  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Main  attend  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  Mr.  Main  is  a  sound  Repub- 
lican. He  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Masons 
and  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  is  a  very  good 
citizen. 


fASPER  J.  BUCK,  deceased,  was  one  of 
the  good  farmers  and  citizens  of  Arenz- 
O 
ville.     He  was  the  youngest  of   thirteen 

v  O 

children.  His  father,  Jasper  Buck,  was  born 
in  Bertie  county,  North  Carolina,  in  1792; 
removed  to  Cass  county,  Illinois,  about  1825 
or  '30,  where  he  died  in  1846;  his  mother, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


319 


Sophia  Buck,  survived  her  husband  ten  years, 
dying  in  1856.  Of  the  twelve  brothers  and 
sisters  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  four 
only  survive  at  this  writing  (1892),  viz.; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Conrad  Reining;  John  H. ; 
Albert;  and  Betsy,  wife  of  Richard  Davis. 

Jasper  J.,  whose  name  heads  this  biog- 
raphy, was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Mor- 
rison, February  27,  1862.  They  have  four 
children:  Josephine,  born  January  5,  1863, 
wife  of  William  J.  Kircher;  John  A.,  born 
September  4,  1864;  Elizabeth  M.,  born 
December  12,1868,  wife  of  John  Huss;  and 
Edward  A.,  born  October  8,  1873. 

In  1864,  Mr.  Buck  enlisted  as  a  soldier, 
but  as  his  two  children  were  young,  and  his 
wife  sickly,  he  withdrew  and  employed  a 
substitute. 

He  was  known  as  a  good  and  true  man, 
and  was  loved  and  respected  by  all.  He  was 
identified  with  no  church  organization, 
though  he  was  a  professed  Christian.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  in  poli- 
tics was  a  Democrat  of  the  Jacksonian  type. 

After  a  long,  painful  illness,  he  died  Sep- 
tember 25,  1883,  leaving  a  wife  and  four 
children  to  mourn  his  loss.  Since  his  death 
Mrs.  Buck  has  had  the  management  of  the 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  left  her  by  her  husband. 
She  has  raised  her  family  of  four  children, 
two  of  whom  are  married  and  doing  for 
themselves;  two,  John  and  Edward,  are  at 
home.  She  is  a  true  Christian  woman,  and  a 
v)sef\il  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


IEORGE  RITCHEA,  deceased,  was  one 
of  the  honored  pioneers  who  braved  all 
the  dangers  and  privations  of  the  front- 
ier, and  labored  earnestly  and  indefatigably  to 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  march  of  prog- 


ress and  the  advancing  steps  of  civilization. 
He  was  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  Ohio, 
born  near  Dayton,  February  19,  1814,  a  son 
of  James  Ritchea;  his  father  was  born  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  but  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  and  was  an  early  settler  of 
Montgomery  county;  there  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  His  son,  George 
Ritchea,  came  to  Illinois  at  an  early  day,  and 
located  in  Schuyler  county;  the  journey  was 
made  overland,  as  there  were  then  no  rail- 
roads; the  products  of  the  farm  were 
shipped  down  the  river,  and  all  commerce  was 
carried  on  in  the  most  primitive  style. 

Mr-  Ritchea  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, rafting  his  stock  for  market  down  the 
river;  later  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile 
trade  at  Rushville,  being  one  of  the  earliest 
merchants  in  the  county.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  settled  on  a  farm  four  miles  from 
Rushville,  and  engaged  in  agriculture  until 
his  death,  March  5,  1887.  He  was  united 
to  I|Ucinda  Walker,  a  native  of  Hardinsburgh, 
Kentucky,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Elizabeth  Walker.  To  them  were  born  live 
children,  two  of  whom  now  survive:  Francis 
P.  and  Anna  Rate;  Mary  E.  died  January 
10,  1888,  aged  forty-three  years;  George  D. 
died  in  November,  1888,  aged  thirty-five 
years.  Francis  P.  owns  and  occupies  a  farm 
joining  the  old  homestead;  Anna  Kate,  the 
surviving  daughter,  owns  the  homestead. 
She  received  a  good  education  at  Abingdon 
College,  and  also  took  a  course  at  the  Gem 
City  Business  College.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  she  began  teaching,  and  has  fol- 
lowed this  profession  ifi  Illinois  and  Colo- 
rado, meeting  with  marked  success  and  mak- 
ing an  enviable  reputation  among  educators 
of  the  West.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritchea  were 
worthy  and  consistent  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  Politically  he  affiliated  with 


320 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


the  Republican  party,  and  was  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  its  principles.  He  was  a  man  of 
excellent  business  ability,  and  although  he 
began  the  struggle  of  life  single-handed  and 
alone,  having  no  capital  excepting  that  with 
which  nature  had  provided  him,  he  amassed 
a  considerable  amount  of  property.  He  em- 
ployed the  highest  and  most  correct  business 
methods,  and  had  an  enviable  reputation  as  a 
man  of  integrity  and  honor. 


§OHN  H.  HAGENER,  of  the  firm  of 
Hagener  &  Bros.,  was  born  January  7, 
1850,  in  Beardstown,  where  he  has  lived 
all  his  life.  His  father,  William  Hagener, 
was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, and  in  1841  he  crossed  to  St.  Louis, 
and  upon  his  arrival  he  married  Eleanora 
Peters,  who  had  come  over  on  the  same  ves- 
sel from  the  same  province  that  he  had. 
Shortly  after  their  marriage  they  went  to 
Beardstown,  and  here  resided  until  Mr.  Ha- 
gener's  death,  which  event  occurred  in  the 
fifty-eighth  year  of  his  life.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hagener  were  leaders  among  their  class,  and 
Mr.  Hagener  was  instrumental  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  and  his 
wife  were  among  the  first  members  of  it.  Mr. 
Hagener  purchased  a  piece  of  land  in  1842, 
which  has  become  very  valuable  since  that 
time.  He  followed  his  trade  of  mechanic, 
and  later  began  contracting  and  building,  and 
in  1861  entered  into  the  lumber  business. 
He  continued  the  latter  business  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  good  and  influ- 
ential man,  and  his  loss  was  felt  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  wife  is  still  living  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three,  but  is  very  feeble. 

Mr.  John  Hagener  is  in   a   business    that 
was  established    in    1875,    and    he  and    his 


brother  do  a  large  and  thriving  business  in 
the  lumber  and  house-furnishing  supply 
trade,  and  also  a  large  grain  buying  and  sel- 
ling business.  They  have  a  large  mill  and 
their  elevator  has  a  capacity  of  50,000  bush- 
els. They  are  doing  a  300,000- bushel-grain 
business.  They  have  warehouses  at  Concord, 
Arenzville,  Browning  and  Hagener,  and 
they  keep  local  agents  at  the  places  men- 
tioned. Their  milling  trade  is  well  repre- 
sented in  the  two  leading  brands  of  flour 
known  as  Best  Patent  and  Four  Leaf.  Part 
of  their  goods  are  shipped  to  Europe.  Both 
brothers  are  stockholders  and  directors  in 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Beardstown,  and 
John  Hagener  is  the  vice-president,  and  has 
occupied  that  position  ever  since  the  bank 
was  organized,  in  1887.  The  bank  is  cap- 
italized at  $50,000  with  a  surplus  of  $20,000, 
and  J.  H.  Harris  is  the  president,  and  Thomas 
K.  Condit  occupies  the  position  of  cashier. 
Mr.  John  Hagener  is  a  School  Trustee  and  a 
Director  in  the  Mutual  Loan  and  Savings 
Association.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  is  a  hard-working,  industrious  citizen, 
ready  to  promote  anything  tending  to  the 
improvement  and  development  of  his  town. 
He  married  Miss  Kate  Pappmeier,  of 
Beardstown.  She  was  born  and  reared  in 
Beardstown,  and  her  father  is  in  the  store  of 
Pappmeier  &  Sons.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hagener 
are  leaders  in  their  society,  and  are  Lutherans 
in  religious  beliefs.  They  have  five  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living  at  home:  Nora,  Fred 
R.,  Emma,  Lewis  and  Arthur. 


fRANK  ANDERSON,  a  widely  and   fa- 
vorably   known     citizen    of     Schnyler 
county,  is  Superintendent  of  the  poor 
farm  of  that  county,  in  which  capacity  he  has 


8OHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


821 


served  since  March  1, 1891.  He  was  born  in 
Schuyler  county,  in  Huntsville  township,  on 
May  15,  1836,  and  has  lived  in  that  vicinity 
ever  since.  His  parents  were  William  and 
Prudence  (Wallingsford)  Anderson,  both  na- 
tives of  Kentucky,  who  were  married  in  their 
native  State,  coining  to  Illinois  in  1835,  and 
locating  in  Huntsville  township,  where  they 
cleared  and  improved  a  farm  of  64:0  acres. 
On  his  property  he  built  a  substantial  and 
comfortable  residence,  besides  barns  for  grain 
and  stock,  and  added  many  other  modern  im- 
provements, the  land  being  under  a  good 
state  of  cultivation.  He  died  in  August,  1887, 
aged  eighty-seven  years.  His  wife  still  sur- 
vives at  the  age  of  eighty- five  years,  sup- 
ported and  comforted  by  her  kind  and  loving 
children. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject, 
Andrew  Anderson  and  wife,  were  natives  of 
Kentucky,  who  removed  to  Schuyler  county^ 
Illinois," in  an  early  day,  locating  near  Rush- 
ville,  where  the  grandmother  died.  The 
grandfather  died  in  Camdeu  township.  They 
had  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters: William,  father  of  our  subject;  John; 
Jeremiah,  Riley,  Jackson  and  Ferry,  and  two 
daughters. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  had  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  seven  arrived  at  maturity. 
Cyrus  died  in  Huntsville  township,  Illinois; 
Andrew,  died  in  Huntsville  township;  Jane 
married  Danforth  Cady,  and  now  resides  in 
Camdeii  township;  Vincent  resides  in  Hunts- 
ville township;  our  subject  comes  next  in 
order;  John  died  in  Camden  township;  and 
Sarah,  now  Mrs.  Samuel  McCadann,  of  Cam- 
deu  township. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Hunts- 
ville township,  and  on  January  1,  1858,  was 
married  to  Harriet  Kniss,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Polly  Kniss,  and  a  native  of  Indiana. 


After  his  marriage  he  resided  with  his  wife 
on  a  part  of  the  homestead,  where  he  pursued 
his  trade  of  blacksmithing,  and  also  conducted 
a  farm.  He  resided  here  until  he  took  charge 
of  the  County  Poor  farm.  He  owns  171 
acres  of  well  improved  land  in  Huntsville 
township,  which  is  under  a  good  state  of  cul- 
tivation. The  poor  farm  contains  310  acres 
of  land  in  section  26,  of  Buena  Vista  town- 
ship, there  now  being  thirty-one  inmates  of 
the  home.  This  farm  almost  pays  expenses, 
being  well  conducted  under  the  able  manage- 
ment of  the  subject  of  our  sketch  and  his 
estimable  wife. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  three  chil- 
dren-: Isabel,  wife  of  Henry  Powell,  of  Hunts- 
ville township;  Millie  and  Fred. 

Mr.  Anderson  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  though  taking  no  active  interest 
in  politics  aside  from  desiring  the  advance- 
ment and  welfare  of  his  native  county  and 
State.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  Camden 
Lodge,  No.  648,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Sober  and  intelligent,  honest  and  industri- 
ous, kind  and  obliging,  he  has  gained  the  good 
will  of  his  fellow  citizens  and  the  affectionate 
regard  of  a  host  of  friends. 


§AMES  M.  AGNEW,  a  liberal-minded 
and  progressive  citizen  of  Littleton 
township,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  was 
born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  December 
24,  1825.  His  parents  were  George  and 
Esther  (Sleight)  Agnew,  both  natives  of  New 
York  State  and  Genesee  county.  They  went 
to  Pennsylvania  in  an  early  day,  where  they 
followed  farming  until  1849,  when  they  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  then  a  new  country  and 
very  sparsely  settled.  They  located  in  Rush- 
ville,  where  they  resided  until  their  death, 


322 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


his  father  living  to  be  seventy- two  years  of 
age,  and  his  mother  sixty-eight.  His  grand- 
parents lived  in  New  York  State,  and  lived 
to  be  very  old  people,  his  grandfather  being 
Samuel  Agnew. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  one  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living.  He 
lived  at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Illinois 
in  1849,  working  by  the  month  until  he  was 
married.  He  was  married  on  June  12, 1851, 
to  Miss  May  J.  Bunnell,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  place  as  our  subject.  Their  happy 
married  life  was,  however,  of  short  duration, 
his  wife  dying  in  Rushville,  aged  twenty-five 
years. 

He  was  married  a  second  time  on  April 
27,  1853,  his  second  wife  being  Delilah 
Hodgson,  a  native  of  Indiana.  They  had 
five  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living, 
viz.:  Millard  F.,  single;  Oral  M.,  married, 
and  has  one  child;  James  E.,  married  to  Miss 
Edgar;  Ralph  D.,  now  in  Kansas.  His 
second  wife  died,  aged  forty  years,  leaving  to 
him  the  care  of  their  children.  She  was 
much  regretted  by  a  large  circle  of  friends, 
being  a  faithful  wife  and  fond  mother. 

Mr.  Agnew  was  married  some  years  later 
to  Mrs.  Louisa  Ham,  who  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana. They  have  one  child,  Jessie,  now  living 
at  home. 

After  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Agnew  rented 
land  near  Rushville,  on  which  he  lived  for  a 
couple  of  years.  He  then  rented  another 
piece,  on  which  he  remained  for  three  years, 
when  he  again  moved,  remaining  four  years 
in  the  last  place,  when  he  removed  to  Little- 
ton township,  where  he  rented  land  for  five 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  purchased 
a  farm  of  160  acres  of  wild  land.  This  he 
has  improved  by  the  erection  of  buildings, 
and  has  the  land  well  cultivated.  He  has  a 


comfortable  home  and  other  modern  im- 
provements. His  land  is  devoted  to  mixed 
husbandry,  in  which  he  is  very  successful. 

Mr.  Agnew  has  been  a  Republican  ever 
since  the  organization  of  that  party.  His 
first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  General 
W.  H.  Harrison.  He  and  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to 
the  support  of  which  denomination  he  is 
a  liberal  contributor.  Honest,  intelligent, 
moral,  liberal  and  progressive,  Mr.  Agnew 
enjoys  the  good  will  of  the  community,  and 
the  esteem  of  a  large  number  of  friends. 


fOSEPH  PENCE,  of  township  17,  7  north, 
range  10  west,  section  18,  was  born  in 
Rockingham  county,  Virginia,  March 
10,  1814.  His  parents  were  John  and  Mary 
(Smith)  Pence,  both  being  natives  of, Vir- 
ginia. They  had  three  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters; Mr.  Pence,  of  this  sketch,  is  the  only 
survivor.  One  brother  died  in  Davis  county, 
Iowa,  and  two  sisters  also  died  in  the  same 
place.  The  other  three  sisters  died  in  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  and  the  remaining  brother 
in  Scott  county,  Illinois.  The  parents  both 
died  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia,  the 
father  in  June,  and  the  mother  in  September, 
1834. 

Mr.  Joseph  Pence  was  married  in  Page 
county,  Virginia,  in  1837,  to  Sarah  A.  Sam- 
uels, of  the  same  county,  born  in  1812.  After 
marriage  the  young  couple  went  to  Kentucky 
and  remained  until  1838,  when  they  removed 
to  Morgan  county,  Illinois.  From  there  they 
went  to  Cass  county,  Illinois,  where  they 
have  since  resided.  Mr.  Pence  bought  205 
acres  of  land,  which  he  has  greatly  im- 
proved. Mrs.  Pence  died  in  1878,  and  her 
husband  still  mourns  her  loss.  Mr.  Pence 


SOHUTLEH    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


323 


has  always  been  a  Democrat  and  has  held  the 
various  offices  in  his  township,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Mrs.  Pence  bore  her  husband  six  children, 
namely:  Joseph  W.,  a  farmer  in  Iowa,  is  a 
widower  with  nine  children;  Sarah  Ellen,  a 
widow  who  keeps  house  for  her  father.  The 
other  children  are  dead.  The  daughter  mar- 
ried Thomas  D.  Chapman,  who  was  born 
near  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  January  27, 
1842,  and  was  a  soldier  in  Company  I,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Infantry, 
serving  three  years  and  three  months.  He 
returned  home  somewhat  broken  in  health, 
and  never  entirely  recovered,  dying  August 
5,  1885.  He  left  four  children  and  a  widow 
to  mourn  his  loss.  The  children  were:  Louie, 
now  Mrs.  P.  H.  Caldwell;  Charles  F.,  Albert 
B.  and  Joseph  H.  are  all  at  home  with  their 
grandfather,  the  first  named  being  a  member 
of  the  Sons  of  Veterans.  Mrs.  Chapman 
was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  she  now  re- 
sides, and  has  always  lived  there.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Providence  Presbyterian 
Church.  Her  husband  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order. 


iBNER  A.  CLARK  of  section  31,  Cam- 
den  township,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
1835,  born  in  Logan  county,  Kentucky, 
February  6,  1823.  His  father,  Abner  Clark, 
was  born  in  North  Carolina.  He  removed 
to  Kentucky  when  a  young  man  and  became 
a  farmer.  He  married  Nancy  Gorum,  of 
Kentucky.  In  1835  he  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  what  is  now  Missouri  township, 
Brown  county.  He  entered  land  and  resided 
there  until  January,  1847,  when  his  wife 
died,  and  in  consequence  he  moved  to  Schuy- 
ler  county  and  lived  with  a  son  until  his 


death  in  August,  1849.  He  had  entered 
considerable  land,  and  at  his  death  still 
owned  240  acres  of  land.  He  had  been 
a  Whig  in  politics  and  Presbyterian  in 
religion  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death. 
He  had  ten  children:  Calvin,  born  May  30, 
1805,  died  March  14,  1880;  Perneta,  born 
December  10,  1806;  "William,  born  March  1, 
1809,  died  March  7,  1855;  Harrison,  born 
February  15,  1811,  died  March  18,  1883; 
Inetta,  born  August  26,  1813.  died  June  1, 
1838;  Terlina,  born  October  26,  1815,  died 
January  15,  1890;  Delila,  born  October  26, 
1815;  Catherine,  born  June  19,  1818,  died 
June  7,  1841;  Francis  A.,  born  September 
11, 1820;  and  Abner  A.,  born  February  6, 
1823. 

Abner  was  reared  dn  the  farm  and  attended 
such  schools  as  the  newly  settled  locality 
offered.  After  the  death  of  his  mother  he 
resided  with  a  brother  until  1847,  when  he 
settled  where  he  now  resides,  on  160  acres  of 
land.  H6  began  housekeeping  in  a  log  cabin, 
which  in  time  was  supplanted  by  the  present 
residence,  which  is  a  comfortable  frame  struct- 
ure. He  now  owns  440  acres  of  land.  His 
home  contains  320  acres,  he  having  added  to 
the  original  160.  He  has  been  a  stock- raiser 
as  well  as  a  farmer,  but  now  has  all  his  land 
rented. 

He  was  married,  May  27, 1847,  to  Elizabeth 
J.  Sims,  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  E. 
Sims.  She  was  born  in  Sangamon  county, 
Illinois,  February  6,  1832.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clark  have  had  five  children,  namely:  Francis 
M.,  born  in  1849,  died  February  25,  1853; 
Luticia,  born  1851,  died  March  8,  1853; 
Nancy  P.,  born  in  1852,  married  Daniel  M. 
McCaskill  of  Brown  county,  two  children, 
Carrie  and  Roy  A.;  Levi  G.,  born  1857, 
married  Lizzie  R.  Bond  April  20,  1880,  her 
death  occurring  November  13,  1882;  was 


324 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


married  to  Amauda  Cady,  daughter  of  Henry 
Cady,  resides  in  Schuyler  county,  three  chil- 
dren: Asa  A.,  Alta  and  Frank  F.;  Fred  D., 
born  1868,  resides  at  home. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
a  Baptist  in  religion,  being  Moderator  of  the 
society.  He  and  his  wife  are  respected  by 
all  who  know  them. 


lOBERT  NELSON  McFARLAND,  the 
oldest  settler  of  Brown  county,  is  now 
residing  in  Versailles.  He  was  born  in 
Harrison  county,  Kentucky,  April  1,  1818. 
His  father,  William  McFarland  was  born  in 
the  same  county.  There  is  little  known  of 
his  grandfather  except  that  he  spent  his  last 
years  in  Harrison,  Kentucky.  His  father 
was  reared  and  married  in  Ohio,  but  resided 
in  Kentucky  until  1819,  when  his  nearest 
neighbor  was  ten  miles  distant.  He  next 
moved  to  Green  county,  Ohio,  and  was  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers  there.  He  lived  there 
until  1822,  when,  with  his  wife  and  four 
children  he  made  the  journey  to  Illinois, 
cooking  and  camping  by  the  way.  He  located 
in  Sangamon  and  died  there.  At  the  time 
of  their  location  there,  this  county  was 
sparsely  settled.  The  greater  portion  was 
owned  by  the  Government.  Springfield  was 
but  a  hamlet,  the  capital  of  the  State  then 
being  Vandalia. 

His  mother  continued  to  live  in  Sanga- 
mon county  until  1824.  She  accompanied 
her  sister  and  her  sister's  husband,  Cornelius 
Van  Deventer,  whom  she  afterward  married, 
to  what  is  now  Brown  county,  where  she 
resided  until  her  death. 

Mr.  McFarland  was  six  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Brown  county,  and  remembers  well 
many  of  the  incidents  of  its  settlement. 


At  that  time  their  nearest  neighbors,  the 
Indians,  were  more  numerous  than  the  white 
people. 

When  Mr.  Van  Deventer  came  he  laid 
claim  to  a  tract  of  Government  »land,  two 
and  one  half  miles  east  of  the  present  site  of 
Versailles,  and  there  built  a  log  cabin  in 
which  was  taught  the  first  school  in  Brown 
county,  Hannah  Burbank  being  the  teacher. 
For  some  years  after  they  came  here  there 
were  no  mills  convenient,  and  during  one 
winter  the  family  subsisted  almost  entirely 
on  lye  hominy.  In  time  there  was  a  mill, 
operated  by  horse-power,  introduced  into  the 
county,  and  Mr.  McFarland  used  to  go,  in 
common  with  others,  and  during  the  long 
ride  would  subsist  on  parched  corn,  wild  game 
and  wild  honey.  There  were  no  railroads, 
no  steamers  on  the  Illinois  river  and  no 
markets. 

Of  course  our  subject  was  reared  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  His  first  farm  was  a  tract 
of  100  acres,  which  he  occupied  until  1865, 
when  he  sold  and  purchased  a  farm  of  210 
acres,  and  at  the  present  time  he  is  living  re- 
tired in  the  pleasant  village  of  Versailles. 

He  was  married  December  81,  1839,  to 
Margaret  W.  McFarland,  who  died  in  1879, 
leaving  four  living  children:  Lucinda  Van 
Deventer;  Mary  Whitehead;  Robert  N..  who 
married  Ann  Augusta  Van  Deventer;  and 
Louis,  who  is  still  single. 


fOHN  D.  HORTON,  one  of  the  progres- 
sive and  enterprising  farmers  of  Littleton 
township,  was  born  in  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  September  21,  1845,  a  son  of  Lewis 
and    Priscilla     (Christman)     Horton.     His 
father    was   a    native    of    Luzerne    county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  grew  to  be   mature 


SCHUYLER    AMD    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


325 


years;  he  drove  a  stage  until  1842,  when  he 
made  a  trip  to  Illinois,  coming  via  the  rivers 
to  La  Grange;  he  settled  on  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  our  subject,  purchasing  the 
tract  of  160  acres  for  $350;  he  erected  a  log 
house  which  was  a  comfortable  home  until 
1866,  when  the  present  structure  was  built. 
In  1852  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California, 
returning  in  1856  by  way  of  New  York  city; 
he  was  accompanied  by  his  son  Fred,  who 
afterward  went  to  Texas,  where  he  died. 
His  life  was  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  agri- 
culture; in  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  until' 
1856  when  he  cast  his  suffrage  for  Lincoln, 
but  he  was  not  actively  interested  in  the 
movements  of  the  party.  His  wife  died  in 
Schuyler  county  at  the  age  of  eighty-six 
years;  before  his  death  she  made  a  trip  to 
California,  visiting  a  daughter  residing  there. 
John  D.  Horton  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  He  was 
first  married  September  2,  1869,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Foster,  of  Schuyler  county,  who 
died  July  8,  1870.  He  was  again  united  in 
marriage  February  17,  1875,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Nichols.  She  is  also  a  native  of  this 
county,  born  in  Littleton  township,  July  18, 
1856,  a  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Elizabeth 
(Agnew)  Nichols.  (See  sketch  of  James 
(Agnew.) 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horton  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  all  of  whom  are  living:  Lewis 
R.,  born  February  24,  1879;  Warren,  born 
March  22,  1881;  Craig  C.,  born  May  14, 
1884,  and  Jessie  C.,  born  January  17, 1890. 
Mr.  Horton  received  his  education  in  the 
common  school  at  Rushville  and  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  his  marriage; 
after  this  event  he  settled  on  the  homestead, 
and  has  since  that  time  been  engaged  in  agri- 
culture. Politically  he  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party;  he  has  represented  the 


people  of  his  township  '  in  various  local  of- 
fices, discharging  his  duties  with  much  abili- 
ty and  admirable'  fidelity.  His  wife  has 
been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  They  are  both  peo- 
ple of  great  stability  of  character  and  enjoy 
the  respect  of  all  who  know  them.  Their 
ancestors  for  generations  have  been  men  and 
women  of  brave  hearts  and  undaunted  cour- 
age, have  served  in  the  wars  of  the  country, 
and  have  been  reliable,  industrious  and  pros- 
perous citizens  of  the  Republic  which  they 
aided  iu  founding. 


fOHN   S.  STUTSMAN,  an  honored 
pioneer   of  Schuyler  county,    has    been 
closely    identified    with    its    history    for 
*/  «/ 

many  years,  and  it  is  fitting  that  a  sketch  of 
his  life  should  appear  in  these  pages.  He 
was  born  in  Dubois  county,  Indiana,  April 
10,  1827,  a  son  of  Alexander  D.  and  Rhoda 
(Seybold)  Stutsman.  Alexander  D.  Stutsman 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Mary  (Berkey)  Stutsman,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania; his  father  died  in  Dubois  county,  In- 
diana, at  the  age  of  eighty  years;  the  mother 
died  in  the  same  place,  aged  seventy  years. 
The  Stutsman  family  is  of  German  origin, 
the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  having 
emigrated  from  the  fatherland  to  America. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  S.  Stutsman  had  an- 
cestors that  served  in  the  wars  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  1812.  Rhoda  Seybold,  the  mother 
of  John  S.  Stutsman,  was  born  in  Georgia, 
and  was  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children ; 
she  became  the  mother  of  a  family  of  eleven, 
eight  of  whom  are  living.  The  father  died 
on  the  old  homestead,  now  occupied  by  his 
son,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  State, 


326 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    C  ASS, 


emigrating  to  Schuyler  county  in  1834,  and 
bravely  bore  the  privations  of  life  on  the 
frontier  that  the  way  might  be  paved  for  the 
coming  of  an  advanced  civilization.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  five  children, 
and  made  the  journey  with  a  four-horse 
wagon;  he  purchased  a  farm  of  148  acres, 
partially  improved;  for  twelve  years  the 
family  lived  in  a  log  cabin  that  had  been  built 
before  their  coming;  this  was  in  time  re- 
placed by  one  of  black-walnut  logs,  which  was 
the  home  of  the  parents  until  death.  The 
mother  lived  to  be  eighty  years  old.  John  S. 
remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age;  he  attended  the 
district  school,  and  although  his  opportunities 
were  meager  he  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
thorough  education,  and  has  since  come  to  be 
recognized  as  an  authority  on  all  historical 
subjects.  Many  were  the  evenings  he  read 
to  his  mother  by  the  light  of  the  nickering 
candle,  as  she  sewed  upon  clothing,  either  for 
her  own  or  the  neighbor's  boys. 

Mr.  Stutsman  was  united  in  marriage, March 
21,  1850,  to  Miss  Sarah  Howell,  who  was 
born  in  Monroe  county,  Indiana,  January  24, 
1831..  Her  parents,  Jonathan  and  Nancy 
(Grilham)  Howell,  emigrated  to  Indiana  in 
1822,  and  thence  to  Brown  county,  Illinois, 
in  1838,  where  they  passed  the  remainder  of 
their  lives;  the  father  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine,  and  the  mother  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  They  reared  a  family  of  ten 
children,  live  of  whom  survive.  They  had 
three  sons  in  the  Union  army  in  the  late  war, 
two  of  whom  died  in  the  service  of  their 
country. 

Mrs.  Howell's  parents  were  natives  of 
North  Carolina,  as  were  also  Mr.  Howells. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stutsman  have  had  born  to  them 
a  family  of  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased; those  living  are  named  as  follows: 


Nancy  J.  is  married  and  the  mother  of  seven 
children;  Mary  E.  is  at  home;  Robert  W.  is 
married  and  has  two  children;  John  E.  is  on 
the  old  homestead;  Mary  has  taught  school 
very  successfully  for  several  years.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  South,  and  are  actively  engaged 
in  the  good  work  of  this  society. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Stutsman  lived  near 
his  present  residence  for  three  years,  and 
then  purchased  the  property  he  still  owns; 
he  first  occupied  a  log  cabin,  which  he  replaced 
in  time  with  a  substantial  brick  structure. 
His  first  tract  consisted  of  forty  acres  of  wild 
land,  to  which  he  added  as  his  means  would 
permit,until  he  now  has  195  acres.  He  does 
a  general  farming  business,  and  is  more 
than  ordinarily  successful  and  prosperous.  It 
is  entirely  through  his  own  efforts  that  he  has 
accumulated  his  property,  as  he  had  no  capital 
excepting  that  with  which  nature  had  endowed 
him. 

Politically,  he  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  which  he  has  represented  in 
various  positions  of  trust  and  honor.  He  was 
County  Treasurer  four  years  from  1886  to 
1890,  has  been  Supervisor  seven  years,  and 
Township  School  Treasurer  twenty-seven 
years,  holding  the  latter  position  at  present; 
he  has  for  many  years  been  a  member  of  the 
School  Board.  He  is  one  of  the  most  widely 
known  men  in  the  county,  and  none  is  held 
in  higher  esteem. 


IBERTY  G.  PERSINGER,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  farmers  of  Woodstock 
township,  was  born  in  Alleghany  county, 
Virginia,  June  6,  1831,  a  son  of  Allen  and 
Paulina  (Peters)  Persinger.  Allen  Persinger 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  Alleghany 


SGHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


327 


county,  and  resided  there  until  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  He  then  emigrated  to 
Illinois,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  one 
child;  the  journey  was  made  from  Virginia 
in  a  one-horse  wagon,  and  when  he  arrived 
his  capital  amounted  to  $25  in  cash.  He 
went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  began  the  task 
of  placing  a  tract  of  wild  land  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  afterward  sold  this,  and  entered 
eighty  acres  on  another  section;  to  this  he 
added  as  his  means  increased,  until  at  one 
time  he  owned  several  hundred  acres.  He 
built  a  log  cabin  in  which  he  lived  four  years> 
and  then  erected  another  one  of  more  preten- 
tious size,  in  which  he  died  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-four years;  his  wife  passed  her  last  days 
in  the  same  house.  Politically,  he  was  closely 
identified  with  the  early  history  of  the  county 
and  State;  he  held  many  local  offices,  and 
represented  his  county  in  the  Illinois  State 
Legislature.  Liberty  G.  Persinger,  who  is 
named  for  the  old  Revolutionary  General, 
Liberty  Green,  remained  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was 
then  married  to  Elizabeth  Tharpe,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and 
Anna  Tharpe,  who  were  born  in  North  Car- 
olina and  were  early  settlers  of  Schuyler 
county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Persinger  have 
been  born  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  are 
living;  all  are  married:  William  L.  has  five 
children;  Paulina  has  five  children;  Anna  C. 
has  three  children ;  Cornelia  J.  is  the  mother 
of  three  children ;  Naomi  has  two  children; 
Louis  M.  is  the  father  of  two  children;  Allen 
J.  has  a  family  of  two  children;  Elmer  E. 
and  Edward  have  no  children;  Estella  is  the 
mother  of  one  child. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Persinger  rented 
the  land  which  he  now  owns;  he  lived  in  a 
little  log  cabin  for  a  year,  and  then  erected 
another  in  which  he  resided  eight  years;  he 


then  built  his  present  home.  He  lias  300 
acres  under  good  cultivation,  111  of  which 
he  inherited  from  his  father's  estate.  He 
carries  on  a  general  farming  business,  and  has 
met  with  more  than  ordinary  success.  The 
land  was  originally  heavily  timbered,  and 
has  required  no  small  amount  of  energy 
and  labor  to  reduce  it  to  a  state  of  culti- 
vation. 

Mrs.  Persinger  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Our  sub- 
ject takes  no  active  interest  in  politics  further 
than  to  discharge  his  duty  as  a  citizen  by 
casting  his  suffrage,  which  is  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  a  man  of  superior 
business  qualifications  and  unquestioned 
honor  and  integrity. 


,ATHAN  SUTTON,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  his  county  was 
born  in  Sussex  county,  New  Jersey, 
January  22,  1819,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Elizabeth  (Robe)  Sutton,  the  former  of  the 
same  place  as  his  son,  where  he  kept  a  store 
for  many  years,  but  sold  out  in  1823  and 
went  to  Washtenaw  county,  Michigan,  where 
he  took  up  land  to  the  amount  of  160  acres 
and  improved  it.  He  then  sold  it  to  his 
father,  also  Nathan,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  county  and  State  as  his  son  and  grand- 
son. This  gentleman  died  Michigan  when 
about  seventy-five  years  of  age.  His  wife, 
subject's  grandmother,  was  Sarah  Sutton  and 
she  died  on  the  farm  when  about  seventy-six. 
The  entire  family  were  farmers  by  occupa- 
tion. Mr.  Nathan  Sutton,  Sr.,  was  a 
teamster  in  the  war  of  1812.  Benjamin 
Sutton  arrived  in  Illinois  July  29,  1833,  and 
settled  near  the  present  home  of  subject, 
where  he  entered  and  bought  land  to  such  an 
extent  that  he  had  2,200  acres  at  his  death, 


338 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


being  one  of  the  largest  land-owners  in 
central  Illinois.  He  died  in  October,  1837, 
aged  about  forty-five  and  his  wife,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  place  as  her  husband,  died 
on  the  old  farm,  aged  about  forty-seven. 

The  Sutton  family  were  of  English  descent, 
the  Robes  of  German  ancestry.  Our  subject 
was  one  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are 
yet  living,  and  his  father  was  one  of  six  chil- 
dren. His  mother's  people  never  came  West,_ 
but  died  in  New  Jersey,  when  very  old:  they 
were  farmers.  The  Sutton  family  figured 
largely  in  the  politics  of  Michigan,  several 
of  them  serving  as  Justices  of  the  Peace 
one  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature, 
while  another  served  as  Mayor  of  Ann 
Arbor,  Michigan.  The  prominence  of  Benja- 
min Sutton  was  not  confined  to  Michigan 
by  any  means,  as  he  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  of  his  county,  in  Illinois.  He 
erected  the  first  gristmill  in  the  locality  and 
in  order  that  the  children  of  the  section 
should  have  the  benefit  of  the  subscription 
schools  he  paid  one  half  of  the  teacher's  fees 
for  five  months.  This  family  did  not  come 
West  in  the  moneyless  condition  that  so  many 
were  in,  as  they  had  nearly  $7,000  in  cash  be- 
sides personal  effects  which  had  been  brought 
across  the  country  in  wagons,  the  only  means 
of  transportation  in  those  days.  Mr.  Sutton, 
Sr.,  was  a  Deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church 
and  for  a  time  Clerk,  and  a  member  of  the 
order  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Our  subject  remained  upon  the  home  farm 
until  his  marriage,  when  he  rented  for  a  year 
and  then  bought  seventy-five  acres  of  wild 
land,  on  which  he  built  a  log  house  16  x  18 
feet,  in  which  he  and  his  wife  lived  until  he 
built  his  present  house,  in  1856.  Mr.  Sutton 
kept  adding  to  his  farm  until  he  now  has  500 
acres  of  fine  land  and  has  given  each  of  his 
children  a  fine  farm. 


A  son  of  Nathan  Sutton  enlisted  in  the 
late  war,  and  while  in  service  he  was  captured 
and  sent  to  Andersonville,  where  he  remained 
five  months.  His  health  was  so  impared  by 
confinement  that  he  was  obliged  to  be  in  the 
St.  Louis  hospital,  but  with  these  exceptions 
he  served  throughout  the  entire  war.  One 
of  his  brothers  was  in  the  same  company  for 
one  year,  responding  to  the  last  call  for  men. 

Mr.  Sutton  was  married  August  4,  1842, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Lemar,  born  in  Mason 
county,  Kentucky,  July  9,  1822,  daughter  of 
Richard  and  Elizabeth  H.  (Merrell)  Lemar. 
The  former  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who 
came  from  Kentucky,  which  had  been  his 
home  for  some  years,  to  Illinois,  in  1840, 
and  after  marrying  a  second  time  settled  in 
Petersburg,  Illinois,  where  he  bought  eighty 
acres  of  land,  five  miles  from  present  home  of 
subject.  His  first  wife  died  when  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Sutton,  was  thirteen  months  old. 
The  family  was  of  French  descent.  The 
mother  of  Mrs.  Sutton  was  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Elizabeth  (Hyde)  Merrell  and 
and  the  Hyde  family  were  the  legal  heirs  to 
a  large  estate  in  England,  but  which  they 
have  never  been  able  to  obtain,  although  they 
have  sufficient  proof  to  establish  their  claim 
to  it.  Mrs.  Sutton  one  of  five  children,  two 
yet  living  and  also  two  half  sisters  are  still 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutton  have  had  eight 
children,  as  follows:  William  Sylvester,  born 
April  21,  1844,  married  Mary  E.  Severs 
three  children:  Alonzo,  born  September  9, 
1846,  married  Miss  Martha  Dick  (see  sketch 
of  LeviDick);  John  H.,  born  August  21, 
1848,  married  Hannah  Ogden,  deceased;  mar- 
ried second  time  Mary  1.  Garder,  two  chil- 
dren; David  L.,  born  July  28,  1850;  Win- 
field  S.,  born  August  19,  1852,  married 
Levina  Samuels  by  whom  he  had  six  children, 
and  after  her  death  he  married  Lucretia  Lynn 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


329 


by  whom  lie  had  four  children;  Clara  J., 
born  October  14,  1854,  married  Joshua 
Conyers,  and  has  five  living  children,  one  de- 
ceased; Benjamin  R.,  born  March  24,  1857, 
married  Jennie  Morgan,  has  three  children, 
Stella,  Ernest  and  Ella,  the  oldest  one  having 
died  in  infancy  and  another,  also  an  infant,  is 
deceased;  and  Ella  E.,  born  September  8, 
1858,  married  James  Odgen,  two  children. 

Mr.  Button  is  an  ardent  Republican,  having 
been  an  old-line  Whig,  casting  his  first  vote 
for  General  "William  H.  Harrison.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sntton,  with  their  family  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Sutton 
has  been  a  Deacon  for  many  years.  This  is 
a  brief  sketch  of  one  of  the  most  prominent 
families  in  the  county,  and  we  regret  that 
space  forbids  a  more  extended  notice  of  such 
a  well  known  and  influential  family. 


C.  MEYER,  a  successful  brick 
and  tile  manufacturer  and  ice  dealer  of 
Beardstown,  Illinois,  was  born  in  West- 
phalia, Prussia,  September  20,  1835.  His 
parents  were  Henry  C.  and  E.  (Hildabrandt) 
Meyer.  His  father  was  an  efficient  soldier 
for  fifteen  years  under  the  general  command 
of  the  first  Emperor  William,  when  they 
were  both  young  men.  His  father  partici- 
pated in  many  active  engagements,  and  was 
highly  respected  by  his  superior  officers.  In 
1843,  the  family  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  arriving,  after  a  voyage  of  fifteen  weeks, 
in  New  Orleans,  from  which  place  they  were 
nearly  as  long  in  reaching  Evansville,  In- 
diana, by  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers. 
They  settled  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  where, 
in  1857,  the  devoted  wife  and  mother  died. 
Some  years  later,  the  father  came  to  Beards- 
town  to  visit  his  son,  who  had  gone  to  that 


place  some  time  before.  He  subsequently 
died  at  his  son's  home  in  1878,  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  and  enjoyed, 
with  his  wife,  the  heartfelt  esteem  of  all 
who  knew  them.  Both  parents  were 
devout  members  of  the  Evangelical  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  Beards- 
town  in  1857,  when  a  poor,  young  man,  hav- 
ing at  that  time  only  $5  in  his  pocket.  He 
commenced,  in  a  primitive  manner,  to  work  at 
his  present  business,  moulding  brick  with  his 
hands,  which  was  then  the  usual  way.  He 
was  thus  employed  when  the  Civil  war  broke 
out,  and  in  1861  he  volunteered  his  services 
to  the  Government,  but  the  quota  having 
been  filled  he  was  not  accepted.  He  pur- 
chased his  first  land  in  that  year,  near  Arenz- 
ville.  By  unremitting  industry  and  careful 
economy,  he  gradually  accumulated  means, 
which  he  invested  in  the  best  improvements 
obtainable  for  the  manufacture  of  brick  and 
tile,  besides  branching  out  in  other  direc- 
tions. He  now  makes  about  1,000,000  brick 
and  many  thousand  rods  of  tile  annually,  be- 
ing the  largest  manufacturer  in  that  line  in 
his  county.  He  is  also  extensively  engaged 
in  the  ice  business,  which  he  lias  successfuly 
conducted  for  the  past  twenty  years,  his  ice 
houses  now  having  a  capacity  of  12,000  tons. 
He  hasgradually  added  tohis first  purchase  of 
land,  until  he  now  owns  1,000  acres  of  choice 
realty  in  Cass  county;  900  of  which  are  well 
improved  and  cultivated,  and  300  being  under 
his  own  management. 

He  was  married  about  1862,  to  Miss 
Mollie  Boy,  who  was  born  and  raised  near 
Arenzville,  of  which  vicinity  her  people  were 
early  and  respected  pioneers.  Both  of  her 
parents  are  now  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer 
have  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  sur- 
vive: Louis,  who  married  Tilla  Piehler; 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Elizabeth,  wife  of  A.  E.  Cameron,  a  success- 
ful jeweler  of  Beardstown;  Albert,  assisting 
his  father  at  home;  Lydia,  wife  of  Charles 
Lebkucher,  a  properous  farmer  of  this  county; 
Mollie,  Herold  and  Adalaide,  living  at  home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Meyer  supports  the  issues 
of  the  Democratic  party,  and,  while  being  no 
office  seeker,  takes  an  interest  in  all  local  and 
public  affairs  of  importance. 

Both  he  and  his  worthy  wife  are  useful 
members  of  the  Fourth  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church. 

Mr.  Meyer  has  not  attained  his  success 
without  earnest  and  persistent  endeavor; 
wholly  unaided,  he  has,  by  industry  and 
economy,  acquired  his  present  prosperity; 
while  by  upright  dealings  and  uniform  court- 
esy he  has  secured  the  universal  esteem  of 
his  fellow  men. 


.  ARTHUR  A.  LEEPER,  attorney 
at  law,  Virginia,  Illinois,  was  born  at 
Chandlerville,  Cass  county,  this  State, 
August  21,  1855,  son  of  William D.  Leeper, 
a  native  of  Edmonson  county,  Kentucky. 

Rev.  Robert  Leeper,  grandfather  of  Hon. 
Arthur  A.  Leeper,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  removed 
from  that  State  to  Illinois  in  1829,  and  en- 
tered a  tract  of  Government  land,  a  portion 
of  which  is  now  included  in  the  village  of 
Chandlerville,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers 
there.  He  at  once  built  a  log  house,  and  be- 
gan the  improvement  of  his  land.  He  erected 
the  first  gristmill  ever  built  in  that  locality. 
He  operated  the  mill,  superintended  the  im- 
provement of  his  land,  and  resided  there 
until  his  death. 

William  D.  Leeper  was  twelve  years  old 
when  his  parents  moved  to  Illinois.  The 


greater  portion  of  the  State  was  at  that  time 
unsettled,  and  deer,  wild  turkeys  and  other 
game  were  plentiful  in  this  vicinity.  It  was 
long  before  the  railroads  entered  this  section 
of  the  country,  and  for  many  years  Beards- 
town  was  the  market  and  depot  for  supplies 
for  miles  around.  He  entered  a  tract  of  Gov- 
ernment land  that  joined  his  father's  farm  on 
the  east,  located  on  it  at  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, and  passed  his  life  there,  dying  in  1866. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  first  wife,  mother  of 
the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was  Mary  Runyan. 
She  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  died  in  1857. 
His  second  wife,  previously  Maria  Hermeyer, 
was  born  in  Germany. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Chandlerville, 
Arthur  A.  received  his  early  education.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  Eureka  College, 
and  graduated  with  the  class  of  1874.  He 
then  entered  the  law  department  of  Iowa 
University,  graduating  in  1875.  Returning 
to  Chandlerville,  he  opened  an  office  and 
practiced  his  profession  there  until  the  fall 
of  1876,  when  he  came  to  Virginia,  where 
he  has  since  practiced. 

September  18, 1878,  he  married  Eva  Howe, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Rufus 
and  Eva  (Miller)  Howe.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren: Mabel  and  Alice. 

Politically,  Mr.  Leeper  is  a  Democrat.  He 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden.  In 
1876,  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  for 
Cass  county,  and  tilled  that  position  until 
1880.  He  has  served  as  City  Attorney  three 
years,  and  was  School  Director  three  years. 
In  1885  he  was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
This  was  the  time  of  the  memorable  contest 
which  finally  resulted  in  the  election  of  John 
A.  Logan  to  the  United  States  Senate.  The 
Republicans  made  a  still  hunt  in  this  cam- 
paign, and  Mr.  Leeper  was  defeated.  He 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


331 


was  re-nominated,  however,  in  1888,  for 
State  Senator,  and  was  elected,  serving 
through  two  sessions.  He  was  one  of  the 
101  who  voted  continually  for  John  M. 
Palmer.  Among  the  various  committees  on 
which  he  served,  we  mention  the  following: 
Special  Drainage,  Insurance  and  Judiciary, 
Highways  and  Bridges,  Judicial  Department, 
Corporations,  Canals  and  Rivers,  Labor  and 
Manufactures,  Rules,  State  Charities,  License 
and  Miscellaneous,  and  County  and  Town- 
ship organizations.  He  faithfully  performed 
the  duties  of  his  responsible  position,  his 
efficient  work  being  recognized  and  highly 
appreciated  by  his  constituents.  He  was 
re-nominated  for  Senator  in  April,  1892. 

Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  Virginia 
Lodge,  No.  554,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Saxon 
Lodge,  No.  68,  I.  O.  G.  T. 


£ILLIAM  K.  SHUPE,  one  of  the  most 
intelligent  and  enterprising  agricult- 
urists of  Woodstock  township,  is  a 
native  of  the  State  of  Virginia  and  a  son  of 
Peter  and  Sarah  (Wright)  Shupe;  the  date  of 
his  birth  is  October  9,  1824.  The  father  was 
also  born  in  Virginia  and  emigrated  to  this 
county  in  1843;  later  he  went  to  Iowa,  and 
died  there  in  his  fifty-fourth  year;  his  wife 
was  born  in  Virginia  and  died  in  Iowa;  they 
had  born  to  them  a  family  of  fifteen  children, 
six  of  whom  are  now  living.  The  family  is 
of  German  lineage,  the  first  ancestors  in  this 
country  emigrating  previous  to  the  war  of 
the  Revolution.  William  K.  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and 
then  worked  at  the  cooper's  trade  several 
years.  He  was  united  in  marriage  October 
19,  1846,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Hoffman,  a  native 
of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary 


A.  (Myers)  Hoffman ;  her  parents  removed  to 
this  county  about  1837,  and  here  passed  the 
rest  of  their  lives;  they  reared  a  family  of 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Shupe  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren: Samuel  L.  is  married  and  has  one  son; 
Sarah  A.  is  married  and  the  mother  of  four 
children;  George  H.  is  married  and  has  eight 
children;  Mary  F.  is  married  and  the  mother 
of  four  children ;  Martha  M.  is  married  and 
has  five  children;  William  J.  married  and 
his  wife  died  leaving  two  children. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Shupe  settled  on 
the  farm  he  now  occupies;  he  has  120  acres, 
which  he  has  improved  and  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  For  many  years  he  lived 
in  a  little  log  cabin,  but  in  1862  erected  his 
present  comfortable  dwelling.  He  carries  on 
a  general  farming  business,  manages  all 
branches  with  much  wisdom,  and  reaps  the 
reward  of  success. 

Peter  Shupe,  father  of  William  K.,  was  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  several  members  of  the 
family  participated  in  the  late  Civil  war. 
Formerly  Mr.  Shupe  was  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party,  but  now  casts  his  suffrage 
for  the  man  rather  than  the  party.  He  has 
been  Assessor  for  a  number  of  years,  and  has 
held  other  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. He  has  given  attention  to  the  matter 
of  public  education,  and  has  served  on  the 
school  board.  He  is  now  practically  retired 
from  active  business  pursuits,  the  care  and 
management  of  the  farm  being  in  the  hands 
of  the  younger  son. 

The  first  years  our  subject  spent  in  this 
section  of  country  were  fraught  with  trials 
and  hardships,  such  only  as  are  possible  in  a 
new  and  undeveloped  community.  The  jour- 
ney from  the  East  was  made  overland;  the 
funds  of  the  family  being  exhausted,  they 
stopped  and  the  sons  split  1,000  rails 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA3S, 


to  secure  money  to  continue  the  trip  which 
consumed  two  months.  Mr.  Shupe  is  a  self- 
made  man  in  every  sense  of  the  word:  he  has 
never  received  financial  aid,  and  his  present 
property  has  been  accumulated  entirely 
through  his  own  efforts.  It  was  through  the 
influence  of  Mormon  preachers  that  the  father 
was  induced  to  come  to  the  West,  and  two 
of  his  sons  pushed  their  way  to  Salt  Lake, 
and  pitched  their  tents  on  the  present  site  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  July  24,  1847;  one  of  them 
still  lives  there,  and  celebrates  the  twenty- 
fourth  day  of  July.  Mr.  Shupe  is  a  man 
who  is  fully  posted  upon  current  events,  is  a 
wide  reader,  and  thoroughly  loyal  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  county  and  State. 


?AMES  D.  MATTHEW  was  born  near 
the  present  site  of  Columbus,  Franklin 
county,  Ohio,  in  1813,  November  24. 
His  father,  Simon  Matthew,  was  born  in 
Fauquier  county,  Virginia,  and  his  father, 
Nathan  Matthew,  was,  as  far  as  is  known,  born 
in  the  same  State.  The  great-grandfather  of 
subject,  Edward  Matthew,  was  born  in  Wales 
and  came  to  America,  settling  in  Virginia  in 
colonial  times.  He  was  a  miller  by  trade, 
and  his  son  was  also  a  miller,  and  he  erected 
a  mill  in  Virginia  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  resided  in  Virginia  until  about 
1817,  when  he  went  to  Washington  county, 
Indiana,  and  was  a  resident  there  until  his 
death.  His  son  was  reared  in  Virginia  and 
went  to  Ohio  when  he  was  twenty-six  years 
of  age.  He  settled  in  Franklin  county  and 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  there.  He  as- 
sisted in  cutting  the  logs  to  build  the  peni- 
tentiary at  Columbus.  In  1818  he  emigrated 
to  Indiana,  settling  in  Washington  county, 


which  was  a  heavily  timbered  country  at  that 
time.  He  rented  a  tract  of  timber  land  ten 
miles  west  of  Salem,  and  erected  a  log  house 
in  the  wilderness.  There  were  no  railroads 
in  the  State  at  that  time,  and  the  nearest 
market  was  fifty  miles  away.  He  lived  in 
Indiana  until  1832,  and  during  that  time 
cleared  quite  a  tract  of  his  land.  In  1832  he 
sold  that  and  came  to  Illinois,  settling  ten 
miles  southeast  of  Springfield,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death.  The  maiden  name  of 
his  first  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
Ann  Dearderff,  born  near  New  Castle,  of 
German  ancestry.  She  died  in  Sangamon 
county,  after  the  arrival  of  the  family. 

James  came  with  his  parents  to  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  and  was  nineteen  the  day  he 
reached  there.  At  that  time  the  capitol  of 
the  State  was  Vandalia,  Springfield  being 
but  a  hamlet,  and  the  nearest  market  for  farm- 
ers in  Sangamon  county  was  St.  Louis  or 
Beardstown.  He  resided  there  until  1838, 
and  then  came  to  Cass  county.  He  had 
visited  this  section  and  entered  forty  acres  of 
land  in  1837,  in  section  32,  township  18,  and 
forty  more  acres  in  section  19  of  the  same 
township.  In  1838  he  built  a  hewed-log 
cabin  and  commenced  at  once  to  clear  the 
land.  At  that  time  deer  and  other  kinds  of 
wild  game  supplied  the  table  with  meat. 
Wheat  sold  from  thirty  to  forty  cents  a  bushel, 
and  corn  for  ten  cents  a  bushel.  The  wife 
dressed  the  children  in  homespun  of  her  own 
raising,  carding  and  weaving.  He  added  to 
his  farm  until  it  is  now  about  365  acres,  the 
greater  part  improved. 

He  was  married  March  27, 1834,  to  Dorcas 
Hamilton,  born  in  Virginia,  daughter  of 
Pressley  and  Susana  Hamilton.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Matthew  have  had  the  following  chil- 
dren: Simon  P.,' Ann,  Charles,  Jane  Ruth, 
Rodney,  Nettie,  Henry  L.  and  Lincoln. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


SCHUTLEK    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


833 


Mr.  Matthew  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  as  is  his  wife.  He 
was  a  Whig  and  Republican,  and  was  a  good 
and  honorable  man.  He  died  April  7,  1892, 
at  his  home.  Thus  one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
and  a  man  respected  for  his  sterling  integrity 
has  passed  away,  and  the  family  and  large 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances  are  left 
mourning.  He  died  a  firm  believer  in  the 
Christian  religion.  His  aged  wife  of  fifty- 
six  years,  standing,  still  occupies  the  old  home 
where  they  settled  in  1838.  They  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  March  27,  1884.  They 
were  married  in  Indiana. 


DYSON  is  the  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Rushville  Times,  a 
weekly  paper  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  the  Democratic  party.  It  is  ably  edited 
and  well  conducted,  and  reflects  great  credit 
upon  the  management.  Mr.  Dyson  is  an 
American  citizen  by  adoption,  his  native 
land  being  England;  he  was  born  in  Lancas- 
tershire,  July  28,  1838,  a  son  of  James  Dy- 
son, a  native  of  the  same  country;  there  the 
father  was  reared  and  married,  his  wife's 
maiden  name  being  Hannah  Wilson.  He 
was  employed  in  the  cotton-mills  until  1841, 
when  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  four  chil- 
dren, he  emigrated  to  America:  they  sailed 
from  Liverpool  and  landed  at  the  port  of 
New  Orleans  after  a  stormy  voyage  of  nearly 
three  months;  they  continued  their  journey 
to  Illinois,  and  located  at  Rushville,  where 
Mr.  Dyson  died  a  few  months  later.  A  few 
years  after  her  husband's  death,  Mrs.  Dyson 
married  Thomas  Hampton,  and  still  lives  in 
Rushville.  Edwin  Dyson  was  a  child  of 
three  years  when  the  family  arrived  in  Schuy- 
ler  county,  Illinois.  Here  he  was  reared  and 

23 


educated,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
began  to  learn  the  printer's  trade.  He  was 
first  in  the  office  of  the  Schuyler  Democrat, 
and  served  there  nearly  three  years;  he  then 
worked  in  Rushville  as  a  journeyman  until 
1864,  when  he  went  to  St.  Louis;  he  was  in 
the  office  of  the  Republican  of  that  city  for 
four  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  re- 
turned to  Schuyler  county,  and  purchased  the 
Rushville  Times,  which  he  has  since  edited. 
He  has  made  the  Times  one  of  the  leading 
papers  of  the  military  tract,  having  a  circula- 
tion far  above  the  average  of  county  papers. 
In  connection  with  the  publication  of  the 
paper  he  runs  a  job  printing  office  which 
turns  out  work  of  a  very  high  class. 

Mr.  Dyson  was  married  in  1861,  to  Mary 
F.  Irvin,  who  was  born  near  Danville,  Ken- 
tucky, and  of  this  union  three  children  have 
been  born:  Jennie  L.,  Orean  E.  and  Howard 
F.  Our  subject  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  political  movements  of  the 
Democratic  party  in  this  county  aside  from 
his  editorship  of  their  organ.  He  has  been 
County  Treasurer  two  terms,  and  wasamem. 
ber  of  the  Board  several  years,  and  has  served 
as  a  delegate  to  the  various  county,  district 
and  State  conventions.  He  belongs  to  Rush- 
ville  Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


fOEN   ELLIOTT,  a  retired  farmer,  living 
at  the  corner   of  Jackson   and  Seventh 
streets  in  Beardstown,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  county  Antrim,  Ireland,  November,  1820. 
He   came  of    Scotch  ancestry,  of  a  very  old 
family  of  pure  blood,  not  mixed  with  Irish  by 
marriage.     He  is  the  son  of  William  Elliott 
of  the  same  place,  a  farmer  and  a  keeper  of  a 
public  inn,  who  lived  and  died  in  that  county 
at  the  age  of  forty  years.  His  grandfather  was 


834 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


David  Elliott,  a  farmer  of  Scotland,  who  died 
when  quite  old.  William  Elliott  was  married 
to  an  Antrim  lady  of  Scotch  blood,  whose  name 
was  Mary  Thompson.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Mattie  (Richie)  Thompson,  who 
were  county  Antrim  farmers,  and  there  Ro- 
bert Thompson  spent  his  last  years,  but  his 
wife  came  with  her  son  at  an  early  day  to 
Virginia,  Cass  county,  Illinois. 

John  Elliott  came  of  a  large  family,  grew 
up  in  his  native  county,  learned  the  tailor 
trade  and  afterward  with  his  mother  and 
brothers,  in  1841,  came  to  America  and  joined 
other  brothers  in  Connecticut.  In  1845  the 
mother  and  son  came  on  to  Cass  county. 
Some  worked  the  farm,  and  others  followed 
their  trade.  The  mother  made  her  horn 
with  her  children  until  her  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1877,  aged  eighty-four.  She  was  a 
noble-hearted  woman  and  had  done  much  to 
help  and  encourage  her  children.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  a  great 
student  of  Scotch  history  and  literatim;,  a 
tine  reader  of  the  Scotch  dialect  and  a  writer 
of  some  local  repute.  She  also  composed 
some  music,  which  has  been  considered  very 
tine.  She  is  remembered  as  a  noble,  gener- 
ous woman. 

He  lived  for  some  years  in  Beardstown 
working  at  his  trade  and  with  the  money  he 
made  and  saved,  with  his  brother,  David,  he 
bought  160  acres  of  land  near  Virginia,  later 
sold  it  and  then  purchased  the  160  acres  that 
became  his  home  until  his  retirement.  His 
farm,  the  scene  of  his  labors,  lies  near  the  city 
of  Beardstown.  The  land  is  highly  improved 
and  has  good  buildings,  and  as  he  now  enjoys 
the  comforts  of  life  he  can  remember  that 
they  have  been  obtained  by  his  own  efforts. 

He  was  married  the  first  time  in  Connecti- 
cut, to  Margaret  Frey  of  Ireland,  who  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1841,  and  after  forty- 


eight  years  of  married  life  left  a  bereaved 
husband,  in  1890.  The  living  children  are: 
William  W.,  of  San  Francisco,  California; 
Thomas  F.,  of  Jewell  county,  Kansas;  George 
W.  of  Holliday,  Kansas;  Robert  S.  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri;  Lucy  A.,  wife  of  John  Thompson, 
of  Jewell  county,  Kansas;  and  David  H.,  now 
running  his  father's  farm.  Mr.  Elliott  was 
married  a  second  time  in  this  county,  to  Mrs. 
Ann  E.  Johnson,  formerly,  Hiles.  She  was 
born  in  .New  Jersey,  December  12,  1823.  She 
and  her  first  husband  came  to  Macoupin 
county  in  1856,  and  he  died  there. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elliott  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church.  Mr.  Elliott  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  was  a  "Whig. 


1LLIAM  McKEE,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  prominent  citizens  of 
Schuyler  county,  was  born  in  Craw- 
ford county,  Indiana,  January  22,  1813,  a  son 
of  William  McKee,  who  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. The  paternal  grandfather,  James  Mc- 
Kee, emigrated  to  Kentucky  during  the  war 
of  the  Revolution,  and  thence  removed  to  In- 
diana, where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  William  McKee,  Sr.,  was  reared  in  the 
Blue-grass  State,  and  there  was  married;  he 
removed  to  Indiana  when  it  was  yet  a  Terri- 
tory, and  was  a  pioneer  of  Crawford  county. 
He  purchased  land  and  made  it  his  home 
until  1826,  when,  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  ten  children,  he  removed  to  Illinois.  The 
journey  was  made  by  teams,  which  was  not 
devoid  of  interest.  Mr.  McKee  had  visited 
this  section  the  year  previous,  making  the 
trip  on  horseback;  he  purchased  a  land  war- 
rant which  called  for  160  acres;  paying  there- 
for $100;  on  his  return  to  Indiana  he  stopped 
at  Springfield  and  cleared  his  title  at  the 


SCEUfLBR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


335 


Government  office.  It  was,  indeed,  a  courage- 
ous heart  that  looked  at  such  a  future  calmly; 
the  country  was  thinly  settled,  the  poles  of 
the  Indian  wigwams  still  stood  in  the  ground, 
market  towns  were  far  distant  and  provisions 
were  high.  Mr.  McKee  erected  a  double  log 
cabin,  using  wooden  pegs  instead  of  nails;  the 
door  was  constructed  of  puncheons,  and  was 
furnished  with  the  historic  latch-string. 

James  Vance  built  the  first  horse-mill 
operated  with  a  rawhide  band.  This  was 
built  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to 
the  county.  Calvin  Hobart  built  one  in- the 
fall  of  1836,  then  William  McKee,  father  of 
our  subject,  built  a  horse-mill  in  1828,  it 
being  the  third  in  that  section  of  the  country. 
People  came  to  the  mill  from  as  far  north  as 
Rock  Island. 

Mrs.  McKee  manufactnred  cloth  from  the 
flax  and  cotton  that  her  husband  raised, 
with  which  to  clothe  the  family.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Kee's  maiden  name  was  Cassie  Frakes;  she 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Hannah  Frakes;  her  death 
occurred  at  the  house  of  her  daughter,  which 
is  situated  close  to  the  old  home  farm. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  thirteen 
years  and  four  months  old  when  he  came  to 
Illinois;  on  the  journey  he  drove  a  four- 
horse  team  with  a  jerk  line.  He  has  a  vivid 
recollection  of  many  of  the  experiences  which 
fall  only  to  the  lot  of  the  pioneer.  He  re- 
mained in  this  State  until  1839,  and  .then 
started  on  a  missionary  tour  among  the  In- 
dians in  the  far  West;  he  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon,  and  spent  one  year  among  the 
savages;  at  the  end  of  twelve  months  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  resumed  farming,  con- 
tinuing this  occupation  until  1847;  then  he 
again  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon,  and  dur- 
ing that  year  the  Indians  attacked  the  mis- 
sion twenty-five  miles  from  Walla  Walla  and 


murdered  Dr.  Whitman  and  others;  he 
•volunteered  to  assist  in  subduing  the  red- 
skins, and  was  six  months  in  the  service.  He 
was  in  Oregon  until  1849,  and  then  went  to 
California;  he  was  suffering  from  ill-health, 
and  his  funds  were  limited  compared  with 
the  extremely  high  price  of  provisions,  ftonr 
selling  as  high  as  $2.50  a  pound.  In  1852 
he  returned  to  his  home  and  located  on  the 
old  homestead  which  he  now  occupies. 

Mr.  McKee  was  married  in  1853,  to  Sarah 
C.  Wilmot,  a  native  of  Steuben  county,  New 
York.  Mrs.  McKee  was  educated  in  the 
pioneer  schools  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  be- 
gan to  teach.  Only  one  of  the  directors  who 
examined  her  could  read  and  write;  she  re- 
ceived for  her  services  the  magnificent  sum 
of  $2.50  a  week-  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKee  are 
the  parents  of  five  daughters:  Amanda,  wife 
of  Henry  Hite,  died  in  February,  1882,  leav- 
ing an  infant  son,  Archie  M.,  who  is  being 
reared  by  his  grandparents;  Mary  C.,  died 
in  infancy;  Ida  S.,  wife  of  Samuel  D.  Wheel- 
house,  died  in  April,  1880;  Bertha,  wife  of 
Cyrus  L.  DeWitt;  and  Meta,  who  died  in 
October,  1889,  aged  fourteen  years. 

Politically  Mr.  McKee  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party,  although  in  former  times 
he  was  a  Whig.  He  is  a  man  of  wide  ex- 
perience, having  passed  through  all  the 
phases  of  life  on  the  frontier.  He  has  always 
been  loyal  to  the  interests  of  Schuyler  county, 
and  has  the  entire  confidence  and  respect  of 
his  fellow-men. 


fACOB   RITCHEY,  an  honored   pioneer, 
resides  on  section  12,  Buena  Vista  town- 
ship, and    was    born   in    Dayton,  Mont- 
gomery county,  Ohio,  on  December  5,  1821. 
When  but  two  years  of  age  his  mother  died, 


336 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


and  live  years  later  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  his  father.  There  were  six  children, 
five  sons  and  one  daughter.  The  oldest, 
John,  died  in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois; 
George  F.  died  in  Rnshville,  in  the  same 
State;  Charles  is  now  residing  in  Rushville; 
William  G.  died  in  Schuyler  county;  Susan 
married  Jasper  Fatten,  and  died  in  Ohio; 
our  subject  was  next  in  birth  to  the  youngest, 
and  on  her  death-bed  his  mother  gave  him  to 
her  brother,  Jacob  Sawyer,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained five  years.  He  then  accompanied  his 
brother  George  to  Illinois,  living  with  him 
until  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  attended 
school  but  little,  as  his  time  was  engaged  in 
hard  work  on  the  farm.  When  twenty  years 
of  age  he  was  hired  by  a  widow  to  work  her 
farm  on  shares,  which  he  did  for  one  year. 
Later,  his  brother  George  married  the  widow, 
and  our  subject  rented  his  brother's  former 
farm,  which  he  tilled  until  1845,  when  he 
rented  eighty  acres  of  William  McKee,  which 
he  cultivated  for  himself.  While  thus  en- 
gaged, he  met  Clara  Ann,  daughter  of  the 
owner  of  this  land,  and  their  acquaintance 
ripening  into  mutual  affection,  they  were 
married  in  1849,  when  his  father-in-law  pre- 
sented to  him  the  eighty  acres  he  had  been 
tilling,  and  on  which  he  and  his  wife  still 
reside.  He  has  made  substantial  improve- 
ments on  his  land,  in  the  way  of  buildings, 
having  a  comfortable  home  and  barns  for  his 
grain  and  stock,  besides  other  modern  appli- 
ances, to  facilitate  the  sowing,  harvesting  and 
garnering  the  products  of  the  farm.  Besides 
this  eighty  acres,  which  is  under  a  good  state 
of  cultivation,  he  has  purchased  167  acres 
more  in  Rushville  township,  which  he  is  also 
farming. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritcheyhave  seven  children: 
William  Thomas,  residing  in  Rushville  town- 
ship; Charles  R.,  residing  in  Camden  town- 


ship; James,  residing  in  Huntsville  township; 
Georgia  Ann,  living  at  home;  Susan  C.,  wife 
of  F.  E.  Moore;  living  in  Cowley  county, 
Kansas;  Amanda  and  Mary,  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Ritchey  is  a  member  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  but  takes  no  active  part  in  politics 
other  than  desiring  the  advancement  and 
welfare  of  the  community.  He  is  not  a  mem- 
ber of  any  civic  or  religious  society,  but  is  lib- 
eral in  his  views.  He  is  a  thoroughly  honest 
and  industrious  man,  a  good  neighbor,  kind 
husband  and  indulgent  father,  and  enjoys 
the  esteem  of  the  community  and  the  affection 
of  his  family  and  friends. 


H.ARLES  A.  SCHAEFFER,  County 
Superintendent  of  Schools  of  Cass 
county,  is  thoroughly  identified  with 
the  educational  interests  of  this  county,  and  is 
as  popular  as  he  is  well  known.  A  resume 
of  his  life  is  herewith  presented. 

Mr.  Schaeffer  was  born  in  what  is  now 
Bluff  Spring  precinct,  Cass  county,  Illinois, 
May  24,  1855.  His  father,  Calvin  S.  Schaef- 
fer, was  born  in  Monroe  precinct,  same 
county,  son  of  Phillip  Schaeffer,  a  native  of 
Ohio.  Phillip  Schaeffer's  father,  John  Schaef- 
fer, was,  it  is  supposed,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  family  are  descended  from 
German  ancestry.  John  Schaeffer  removed 
to  Ohio  at  an  early  day  and  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  that  State.  He  continued 
his  way  westward  in  1818  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
passed  his  life.  He  and  his  worthy  com- 
panion reared  six  sons  and  six  daughters. 
Phillip  Schaeffer  was  reared  and  married  in 
in  Ohio,  and  moved  from  there  to  Illinois, 
becoming  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  what  is 
now  Monroe  precinct,  Cass  county.  Here 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


337 


he  entered  a  tract  of  Government  land  and 
on  it  erected  a  cabin  which  served  as  the 
family  home  for  a  number  of  years.  Subse- 
quently he  built  a  frame  dwelling.  At  that 
time  Beardstown,  Jacksonville  and  Spring- 
field were  the  principal  markets  in  this  part 
of  the  country.  There  were  no  gristmills  in 
this  vicinity,  and  on  his  farm  he  erected  a 
mill  that  he  operated  by  horse  power.  People 
came  for  many  miles  to  get  their  corn  ground 
here.  On  this  place  he  made  his  home  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  1854.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Highly  Carver.  She 
was  born  in  Ohio,  of  English  descent.  Her 
death  occurred  at  the  home  place  in  1880. 
The  names  of  their  six  children  are  Wash- 
ington, Valentine  W.,  Calvin  S.,  Cyrus  J., 
Martha  A.  and  Elizabeth.  Calvin  S.  was 
reared  on  the  farm  and  remained  with  his 
parents  until  his  marriage,  soon  after  which 
he  moved  to  Petersburg  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  there  for  a  time.  He  then  came 
back  to  Monroe  Precinct  and  leased  a  part  of 
his  father's  estate,  built  a  log  house,  aad 
lived  there  about  ten  years.  From  there  he 
moved  to  his  present  farm,  which  includes  a 
part  of  his  father-in-law's  homestead  in  Hick- 
ory precinct.  His  wife  was  before  her  mar- 
riage Miss  Mary  Schafer,  she  being  a  daugh- 
ter of  Christopher  and  Rachel  (Emerick) 
Shafer.  Calvin  S.  Schaeffer  and  his  wife 
reared  six  children,  viz.:  Charles  A.;  George 
W.;  Winters  L.;  William  D.;  Eachel  A.; 
and  Jennie. 

Charles  A.  Schaeffer  received  his  early 
education  in  the  district  schools,  afterward 
attending  the  Virginia  High  School  and  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Normal,  Illinois. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  commenced 
teaching,  and  taught  and  attended  school  for 
nine  years.  On  the  thirty-first  anniversary 
of  his  birth  he  received  the  nomination  for 


County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  was 
elected  at  the  ensuing  election.  Four  years 
later  he  was  nominated  by  acclamation,  and 
elected  by  a  largely  increased  majority.  In 
November,  1890,  he  bought  an  interest  in 
the  Virginia  Enquirer,  in  company  with  his 
cousin,  William  A.  S.  Schaeffer  (since  de- 
ceased), and  soon  afterward  bought  the  re- 
maining interest.  He  was  then  sole  pro- 
prietor of  this  paper  until  September,  1891, 
at  which  time  he  sold  the  entire  interest  in 
said  paper  to  F.  E.  Downing. 

Mr.  Schaeffer  was  married,  in  1882,  to 
Nellie  M.  Garner,  a  native  of  Oregon  pre- 
cinct, Cass  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of 
William  S.  and  Nancy  M.  (Crews)  Garner. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Ledrn 
G.  and  Edna  Belle. 

Mr.  Schaeffer's  political  views  are  in  har- 
mony with  Democratic  principles.  He  cast 
his  first  vote  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden.  Frater- 
nally, he  is  associated  with  Virginia  Lodge, 
Nq.  544,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Saxon  Lodge,  No. 
68,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  and  Virginia  Camp,  M. 
W.  A. 


,111AM  BENNETT  BAXTER,  an  intel- 
ligent and  progressive  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  of  township  17-9,  near  Ashland, 
Illinois,  was  born  and  reared  in  Jefferson 
county,  Indiana. 

His  parents  were  William  and  Jane  (Kerr) 
Baxter,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  his  father  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Dayton.  His  father's 
father  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  married  a  German  lady, 
named  Rebecca  Riddle.  Mr.  Baxter's  ma- 
ternal grandfather  was  Josiah  Kerr,  a  native 
ot  Scotland.  Thus  he  is  ol  Irish,  German 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS 8, 


and  Scotch  ancestry,  three  of  the  most  intel- 
ligent and  progressive  nationalities  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  and  he  wonld  be  a  sad 
renegade  were  he  not  likewise  constituted. 
His  parents  had  ten  sons  and  two  daughters) 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
sixth  in  order  of  birth.  James  Riddle,  the, 
eldest  brother,  is  an  attorney  of  Bloom  field 
Greene  county,  Indiana;  Josiah  Kerr  is  a 
retired  physician  of  Sharpsville,  Indiana; 
Daniel  Thomas,  a  mechanic,  died  in  early 
manhood,  leaving  a  wife  and  two  children^ 
all  now  deceased;  Oliver  H.  P.  was  one  of 
the  first  white  settlers  in  Pueblo,  Colorado, 
where  he  engaged  in  mining  and  speculating 
in  cattle,  in  which  occupations  he  has  been 
very  successful,  having  accumulated  a  fortune 
of  great  wealth.  He  is  now  retired  from 
active  business,  and  spends  most  of  his  time 
in  traveling,  has  been  twice  to  Europe,  and 
last  summer  was  in  Alaska.  William  Alex- 
ander died  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  in  1877; 
the  next  in  order  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
George  W.  is  a  resident  of  Indianapolis,  In- 
diana; Hayden  Hayes  is  in  the  cattle  busi- 
ness, near  Pueblo,  Colorado;  Edward  Arthur 
is  in  the  livery  and  undertaking  business  in 
Sangamon  county,  Illinois;  Leonidas  Napo- 
leon is  farming  the  old  Indiana  homestead; 
Havanna  Siloam  married  Robert  Williams,  a 
merchant  of  Madison,  Indiana;  Irena  Hazel- 
tine  died  in  early  childhood.  In  1854  the 
family  -were  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of 
the  devoted  wife  and  mother,  whose  life  had 
been  one  of  self-abnegation  and  subservience 
to  her  family's  welfare.  The  father  afterward 
married  her  sister,  and  to  this  union  one  son, 
Virgil,  was  born,  who  died  in  1861.  The 
father  died  in  August,  1861,  and  was  interred 
by  the  side  of  his  first  wife,  near  the  old 
home  in  Indiana.  He  was  a  prominent  man 
in  his  community  and  was  very  popular  among 


his  associates,  always  heading  every  movement 
for  the  moral  and  material  improvement  of 
his  locality.  The  second  wife  lives  on  the 
old  homestead.  She  is  a  lady  of  much  cul- 
ture and  refinement,  and  is  universally  be- 
loved. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in 
Indiana,  and  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  in 
the  peaceful  pursuits  of  rural  and  home  life 
spent  his  earlier  days.  This  happy  routine 
was  interrupted  by  civil  discord,  which  rent 
the  country,  and  on  July  14,  1861,  he  en- 
listed at  Madison,  Indiana,  in  Company  K, 
Twenty-second  Indiana  Infantry.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  Missouri  campaign,  the  first 
encounter  taking  place  at  Glasgow,  that  State, 
where  Major  Tanner  was  killed ;  and  also  took 
part  in  the  fight  at  Blackwater,  where  the 
Union  forces  took  1,300  of  the  enemy  prison- 
ers. Thence  he  accompanied  his  regiment, 
under  the  supervision  of  General  Fremont 
to  Springfield,  Missouri.  General  Hunter 
superseding  General  Fremont,  they  were  re- 
turned to  their  old  quarters,  under  the  imme- 
diate command  of  General  Curtis,  with  whom 
they  marched  to  Springfield  and  thence  to  the 
battle  at  Pea  Ridge,  where  the  right  flank 
suffered  severely.  Thence  they  went  to  Cor- 
inth,  Mississippi,  where  they  participated  in 
the  siege  of  Corinth,  after  which  they  returned 
to  luka,  that  State,  going  from  there  to  Flor- 
ence, Alabama,  and  back  again  to  Louisville, 
marching  400  miles  in  August  and  September, 
1862.  After  this  they  went  to  Perry  ville,  Ken- 
tucky, where  there  was  an  engagement,  in 
which  Mr.  Baxter  was  shot  through  the  left 
knee,  lying  on  the  battlefield  all  night  after 
being  wounded.  There  were  thirty-five  men 
in  his  company  on  going  into  battle,  and  on 
emerging  there  were  but  eight  unharmed,  ten 
having  been  killed,  thirteen  wounded  and  four 
taken  prisoners.  Mr.  Baxter  was  sent  to  the 


8CHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


839 


hospital  at  Louisville,  where  he  remained  from 
October  8, 1862,  to  February  of  the  following 
year.  He  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Mur- 
freesboro,  Tennessee,  and  there  received  his 
commission  as  First  Lieutenant,  being  pro- 
moted from  Duty  Sergeant  to  that  rank.  In 
the  absence  of  the  captain,  who  had  been 
wounded,  Mr.  Baxter  at  once  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  company.  His  regiment  re- 
mained in  Murfreesboro  until  June,  and  then 
went  on  the  Tullahoma  campaign,  following 
the  enemy  as  far  as  Chattanooga,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  historic  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga.  It  then  fell  back  to  Chattanooga, 
and  engaged  for  a  time  in  building  fortifica- 
tions. It  next  took  part  in  the  sanguinary 
battle- of  Missionary  Ridge,  at  which  it  was 
in  Sheridan's  division,  and  fought  in  the 
center.  The  following  morning  it  started  on 
a  forced  inarch  for  Knoxville,  to  relieve  Burn- 
side,  who  was  surrounded  by  Longstreet. 
During  this  rapid  march,  the  regiment  was 
short  of  rations  and  had  no  tents.  It  was 
encamped  on  Strawberry  Plains  for  six  weeks, 
while  the  ground,  the  greater  part  of  the  time, 
was  covered  with  snow.  At  this  place  the 
regiment  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  and  then 
returned  to  Chattanooga,  after  which  the  men 
were  given  a  veteran  furlough.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  their  leave  of  absence,  they  re- 
joined their  command  at  Chattanooga,  whence 
they  started  with  General  Sherman  on  his 
memorable  march  to  the  sea,  the  Twenty- 
second  Indiana  being  in  the  advance  brigade. 
The  enemy  were  met  in  force  at  Tunnel  Hill 
and  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  and  next  at  Resaca, 
Georgia,  whence  the  Union  forces  proceeded 
to  Snake  Creek  Gap,  where  Mr.  Baxter's  di- 
vision was  separated  from  the  main  army, 
and  sent,  under  General  Jefferson  C.  Davis, 
via  Rome,  Georgia.  Here  an  engagement 
was  fought,  at  which  Mr.  Baxter  was  again 


wounded  in  the  left  leg,  the  same  as  before. 
He  remained  about  a  month  in  Rome,  when 
he  secured  a  leave  of  absence  for  forty  days, 
finally  reporting  to  the  officer's  hospital,  in 
Cincinnati,  where  the  board  of  examiners 
ordered  his  discharge,  General  Slemmer 
being  the  chief  of  the  board.  On  being 
discharged,  August  29,  1864,  he  was  granted 
$8.50  a  month,  that  being  half  of  a  first 
lieutenant's  pension. 

In  February,  1865,  Mr.  Baxter  assisted  in 
raising  a  company  for  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-eighth  Indiana  Regiment,  of  which 
company  he  became  First  Lieutenant  and  af- 
terward Captain.  This  regiment  was  sent  to 
Columbia,  Tennessee,  where  it  did  patrol  duty 
until  September  6,  1865,  when  it  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service. 

Mr.  Baxter  then  returned  to  his  home  in 
Indiana,  and  was  subsequently  employed  for 
a  time  in  the  railroad  business  in  Indianapo- 
lis. December  15,  1866,  he  reached  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois,  near  which  place  he  taught 
school  two  years;  later,  he  taught  school  for 
another  two  years  at  Literberry,  same  State. 
He  was  afterward  engaged  in  selling  goods 
in  the  latter  place,  where  he  acted  at  various 
times  as  railroad  agent,  Postmaster  and  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  his  residence  there  extend- 
ing over  a  period  of  nine  years. 

In  1876  he  was  married,  and  included  the 
Centennial  Exposition  in  his  wedding  tour, 
visiting  in  old  Virginia  and  spending  a  week 
in  Washington  city.  Miss  Lydia  Ellen  Crum 
was  the  lady  of  his  choice,  a  daughter  of 
Abram  A.  and  Sarah  (Buchanan)  Crnm,  old 
and  highly  respected  residents  of  the  vicinity 
of  Literberry,  Illinois,  where  they  still  reside. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baxter  have  two  sons, — Albert, 
born  October  9,  1880,  and  William  Abram, 
born  September  18, 1887. 


340 


BIOGRAPHIC 'AL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


In  1881,  Mr.  Baxter  sold  ohut  is  mercan- 
tile interests  in  Literberry  and  removed  to 
his  present  farm,  five  miles  west  of  Ashland, 
where  his  father-in-law  had  given  him  $20,- 
000  worth  of  land.  He  owns  a  farm  of  760 
acres  on  the  garden  spot  of  Illinois,  and,  as 
for  that  matter,  of  the  world,  inasmuch  as 
there  is  no  more  fertile  country  on  the  globe 
than  that  included  in  the  Prairie  State.  This 
season  (1892),  he  has  260  acres  of  corn,  180 
of  wheat,  and  eighty  of  oats,  the  balance  being 
meadow  and  pasture  land.  He  has  here  a 
substantial  farm  residence,  neatly  and  com- 
fortably arranged;  large  barns  for  his  grain 
and  stock;  and  many  other  valuable  improve- 
ments. 

Mr.  Baxter  is  a  stanch  Republican  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  political  matters. 
He  has  been  a  candidate  for  various  offices, 
but  his  party  being  in  the  minority  he  was 
never  elected,  yet  succeeded  in  helping  to 
hold  the  party  organization  together. 

He  belongs  to  the  G.  A.  R.  and  was  the 
first  commander  of  John  L.  Douglas  Post, 
.No.  591,  at  Ashland,  having  served  two  terms 
in  that  capacity. 

Seven  of  Mr.  Baxter  s  brothers  were  in  the 
army,  no  two  of  whom  were  in  the  same  regi- 
ment, and  all  returned  home,  and  still  sur- 
vive. Dr.  Josiah  was  a  Surgeon  in  the  army ; 
and  Hayden  was  taken  prisoner,  stripped  of 
his  clothing  and  other  valuables,  paroled  and 
turned  loose,  walking  all  the  way  home  from 
Arkansas  Post.  Of  this  family  there  were 
one  Surgeon,  two  Captains  one  Lieutenant, 
and  three  privates  in  the  service.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  received  three  commissions, 
two  as  First  Lieutenant,  and  one  as  Captain, 
all  from  the  hands  of  the  famous  war  Gover- 
nor Oliver  P.  Morton.  Mr.  Baxter  received 
two  wounds  at  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  which 
compelled  him  to  spend  some  eight  months  in 


the  hospital.  During  the  total  period  of 
three  years  and  eight  months  he  served  two 
years  in  command  of  his  company;  and,  while 
he  was  one  of  the  youngest  soldiers  in  it,  he 
thinks  he  did  his  part. 

Had  this  family  lived  in  Napoleon's  time, 
they  would  have  been  greatly  honored,  inas- 
much as  he  valued  families  only  in  proportion 
to  the  number  of  sons  contributed  to  the  in- 
satiable monster  of  war.  It  is  the  disadvan- 
tage of  republican  forms  of  government, 
that  they  bestow  no  special  privileges  for 
services  rendered  by  their  inhabitants  other 
than  the  universal  gratitude  of  millions  living 
and  unborn,  which  is  supplemented,  in  the 
breasts  of  those  champions  of  liberty  in  the 
late  war,  by  a  deep  sense  of  duty  done,  which 
soothes  the  wounded  spirit  and  begets  a  peace 
which  passeth  understanding. 


fREDERICK  C.  LANG,  a  self-made  man 
and  one  of  the  prominent  merchants  of 
Virginia,  Illinois,  belongs  to  that  race 
of  people  — the  Germans — noted  this  world 
over  for  their  energy  and  thrift.  By  his  own 
well-directed  efforts  he  has  risen  to  a  position 
of  prosperity,  and  at  the  same  time  has  won  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
has  had  dealings,  being  now  classed  with  the 
substantial  business  men  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  Virginia.  It  is  with  pleasure 
that  we  present  the  following  facts  in  regard 
to  his  life  and  ancestry. 

Frederick  C.  Lang  was  born  on  the  river 
Tech,  village  of  Omden,  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Wiirttemburg,  Germany,  September  7, 1848. 
His  father,  Christopher  Frederick  Lang,  was 
born  in  the  same  locality.  His  grandparents, 
as  far  as  known,  spent  their  entire  lives  in 
Wiirttemburg.  Christopher  F.  Lang  was 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


341 


reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land  and 
there  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of 
a  weaver,  weaving  at  that  time  being  chiefly 
done  on  the  hand  loom.  He  followed  that 
trade  in  Germany  till  1855,  in  the  early  part 
of  which  year  lie  set  sail  from  Havre  de 
Grace,  with  his  wife  and  three  children,  and 
landed  in  America  in  March,  after  a  voyage 
of  nearly  three  months.  He  went  direct  to 
Indianapolis,  where  he  was  employed  at  va- 
rious kinds  of  work.  Finally  he  secured  a 
position  as  porter  in  a  wholesale  drug  store, 
and  was  thus  engaged  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  resided  in  Indianapolis  until  his  death,  in 
1887.  The  maiden  name  of  his  first  wife, 
mother  of  Frederick  C.,  was  Mary  Liebrich. 
She  was  also  a  native  of  Wiirttemburg.  She 
reared  three  children:  Frederick  0.,  George 
and  Mary. 

Mr.  Lang,  being  only  six  years  old  when 
he  came  to  America,  remembers  little  of 
any  other  save  his  adopted  country.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Indian- 
apolis, was  reared  to  habits  of  industry,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  was  apprenticed  to  Jacob 
Yoegtle,  a  tinsmith,  of  Indianapolis,  and  served 
four  years.  He  did  "jour"  work  in  Indian- 
apolis one  year,  after  which  he  went  to  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois,  and  was  employed  in  the 
same  kind  of  work  six  years.  He  was  very 
industrious,  saved  his  money,  and  in  1874 
came  to  Virginia  and  began  busines  for  him- 
self. He  first  opened  a  stock  of  stoves  and 
tinware,  and  in  1885  added  hardware.  He 
now  carries  a  full  line  of  shelf  hardware, 
stoves,  tinware,  etc.  In  connection  with  his 
store  he  also  conducts  a  repair  shop,  having 
first-class  machinery  for  doing  all  kinds  of 
job  work,  tin  roofing  and  the  like. 

In  1877  Mr.  Lang  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  Tendick,  a  native  of  Jacksonville, 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Deidrich  and  Sib- 


ilia  Tendick,  natives  of  Germany.  They 
have  four  children:  George,  Clara,  Flora  and 
Willie. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lang  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican. 


R.  GEORGE  A.  BYRNS  was  born  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  September  30,  1829. 
His  father,  John,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  his  father,  Michael,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  came  to 
America  a  young  man  and  followed  his  trade 
of  paper  maker,  and  he  met  his  death  in  1825, 
by  an  accident  in  the  mill  in  which  he  was 
working.  John  learned  the  same  trade,  fol- 
lowed the  trade  in  Cincinnati  for  a  few  years 
and  then  began  clerking  on  a  steamboat  run- 
ning on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  In 
a  very  early  day  he  came  to  Illinois  as  a  mem- 
ber of  a  surveying  party  and  assisted  in  mak- 
ing surveys  in  the  middle  of  the  State.  In 
1840  he  emigrated  thither  with  his  family  and 
settled  four  miles  north  of  Mt.  Sterling, 
bought  a  farm  and  followed  farming  until 
1849.  He  then  started  with  others  for  Cal- 
ifornia, and  after  six  months'  travel  with  ox 
teams,  landed  there  safely.  He  engaged 
there  in  mining  for  seven  years  and  then  re- 
turned to  Mt.  Sterling  and  lived  retired  until 
his  death,  in  1865.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812.  His  wife  was  Harriet  E. 
Hobbs,  born  in  Scott  county,  Kentucky, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Hobbs.  She  still  lives  in 
Mt.  Sterling  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six 
years. 

George  was  in  his  eleventh  year  when  he 
came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  schoools  of 
Cincinnati,  advanced  by  attendance  in  the 


342 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS  8, 


schools  of  Brown  county,  Illinois.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  began  teaching,  and  three 
years  later  began  the  study  of  medicine.  In 
the  winter  of  1851-'52  he  attended,  lectures 
at  Rush  Medical  College.  He  then  com- 
menced practice  at  Cooperstown.  In  1854 
he  returned  to  Rush  Medical  College  and 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1855,  then  resumed 
practice  at  Cooperstown  until  1862.  In  No- 
vember of  that  year  he  entered  the  United 
States  service  as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Illinois  Infantry, 
continuing  in  service  until  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  participating  in  all  the  marches  and 
campaigns  of  his  regiment.  He  was  honor- 
ably discharged  and  returned  home  and  was 
in  active  practice  at  Cooperstown,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  1866  to  1868,  when 
he  was  in  Mt.  Sterling,  until  1891,  when  he 
came  to  Mt.  Sterling  and  has  practiced  here 
since. 

He  married  in  1854,  Cynthia  A.  Henry, 
born  in  Cooperstown,  Brown  county,  Illinois. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Orris  M.  Henry,  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Brown  county,  and  for 
many  years  one  of  the  most  extensive  busi- 
ness men.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Byrns  have  seven 
living  children:  John  H.,  Robert  A.,  Elmer, 
Susan,  Candace,  Kate  and  Hattie.  "William, 
the  second  son,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
three  years.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of 
Isaac  McNeil  Post,  No.  289,  G.  A.  R.,  and  of 
Hardin  Lodge,  No.  44,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


iBNER  LEGRAND  NOBLE  has  been 
for  many  years  prominently  identified 
with  the  history  of  Schuyler  county, 
and  is  entitled  to  the  following  space  in  this 
volume.  He  is  a  native  of  Madison  county, 
Kentucky,  born  June  12,  1822,  a  son  of  Will- 


iam Noble  of  Lexington,  Kentucky;  the  fa- 
ther was  born,  reared  and  married  in  the  Blue- 
grass  State,  and  there  learned  the  trade  of 
house  painting,  which  he  pursued  many 
years.  He  resided  in  Kentucky  until  1835, 
and  then  with  his  wife  and  six  children  re- 
moved to  Illinois;  they  made  the  journey 
with  teams,  camping  along  the  way.  Mr. 
Noble  located  in  what  is  now  Bainbridge 
township,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  tim- 
ber land;  a  tew  acres  had  been  cleared  and  a 
two-story  house  had  been  built  of  hewn  logs; 
here  he  lived  several  years,  and  finally  sold 
the  place  and  purchased  another  near  by,  on 
which  he  lived  until  death.  He  married 
Eleanor  Ransom  of  Virginia,  and  a  daughter 
of  Ignatius  Ransom,  also  a  Virginian  by 
birth.  Abner  Legrand  Noble  was  a  lad  of 
twelve  years  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  Illinois,  and  remembers  well  many  of  the 
privations  and  hardships  endured  by  the  fam- 
ily. He  received  a  limited  education,  and 
in  early  youth  began  to  assist  his  father  on 
the  farm.  He  has  been  for  years  an  exten- 
sive reader,  and  has  made  up  for  the  deficien- 
cies of  his  early  training.  He  remained  with 
his  parents  until  attaining  his  majority;  he 
then  learned  the  cooper's  trade,  and  opened  a 
shop  in  Rushville,  manufacturing  and  selling 
to  the  trade  for  several  years;  he  was  com- 
pelled to  close  out  the  business  on  account  of 
ill  health. 

In  1847,  Mr.  Noble  was  elected  Constable, 
and  for  more  than  thirty-five  years  attended 
to  the  collections  of  this  office;  during  this 
time  he  served  three  terms  as  Deputy  Sheriff, 
one  term  as  County  Clerk,  and  one  and  a 
half  terms  as  a  member  of  the  County  Board 
of  Supervisors.  He  was  a  very  efficient  offi- 
cer, and  gave  entire  satisfaction  to  the  public. 

He  was  married  October  28,  1845,  to 
Catherine  Serrot,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


343 


daughter  of  Peter  and  Nancy  (Patton)  Serrot. 
Of  this  union  four  children  were  born,  two 
of  whom  survive:  Phoebe  Jackson,  Dora  and 
Ruth  Tetrick;  the  only  son,  William  H., 
died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years;  Mary  J., 
the  oldest,  married  William  D.  Sperry:  her 
death  occurred  in  1890.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  No- 
ble are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  early  days  Mr.  Noble  was  a 
member  of  the  Whig  party,  and  cast  his  suf- 
frage for  Lincoln ;  latterly  he  has  voted  with 
the  Democratic  party.  For  some  time  he  has 
held  the  office  of  Police  Magistrate. 


ANDREW  CUNNINGHAM,  of  town- 
ship 17,  range  9,  section  6,  Virginia 
post  office,  Illinois,  was  born  near  Edin- 
borough,  Scotland,  December  17,  1806.  His 
parents  were  James  and  Marion  (Wright) 
Cunningham,  natives  of  Scotland,  where  they 
lived  and  died.  His  father  was  a  baker  and 
miller  by  occupation  and  owned  and  operated 
a  flouring  mill  in  the  village  of  Bonnington, 
a  suburb  of  Edinborough.  They  had  eight 
children:  Archibald,  John,  Charles,  Georgef 
Andrew,  Margaret,  Jeanette  and  Mary,  now 
Mrs.  Russell,  living  at  Edinborough.  The 
eldest  brother  died  in  Scotland.  Charles,  who 
was  British  Consul  to  Russia  and  died  at  Gal- 
atz,  on  the  Black  sea.  John  and  George  died 
in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  leaving  families. 
Margaret  was  Mrs.  Blair  and  died  in  Edin- 
borough. Jeanette  became  Mrs.  Shaen  and 
died  in  England. 

Mr.  Cunningham  was  educated  in  his  own 
country,  where  he  learned  the  baker  trade,  and 
sailed  for  America  March  14,  1834.  He 
was  married  in  Canada,  in  1836,  to  Ellen 
Allen,  who  was  also  born  in  Scotland,  in  1812. 


She  died  in  1880.  In  1835  he  came  to  Cass 
county  to  look  up  a  location  and  in  the  be- 
ginning of  1837  settled  on  his  present  farm. 
He  entered  about  700  acres  of  land,  to 
which  he  has  since  added  by  purchase  until 
he  owns  about  1,000  acres  all,  adjoining 
his  present  home.  On  locating  here  he 
started  a  tannery  on  his  farm  and  followed 
that  business  until  after  the  war.  He  has 
since  superintended  his  large  estate  and  taken 
life  more  easily.  He  is  a  literary  man,  keeps 
himself  surrounded  with  newspapers  and 
books  and  has  a  valuable  library  where  he 
spends  most  of  his  time.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cun- 
ningham have  five  children:  William  went 
into  the  army  in  1862  in  the  Third  Illinois 
Cavalry,  Company  C,  and  died  at  Helena, 
Arkansas,  Decmber  12,  following;  Andrew 
died  in  infancy;  Margaret  married  Dr.  Al- 
fred S.  Dodds  of  Andrew  county,  Missouri; 
James  A.  lives  with  his  father  and  superin- 
tends the  farms;  Florence  married  a  lawyer, 
A.  G.  Jones,  at  Mt.  Pulaski,  Illinois.  She 
attends  the  college  at  Lincoln,  Illinois,  but 
Margaret  finished  her  education  in  England. 
The  boys  all  had  good  school  education.  An- 
drew afterward  attended  a  business  college  at 
Chicago.  Mr.  Cunningham  is  a  Unitarian 
in  religious  belief,  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  was  a  Whig  before  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  party.  His  first  presidental 
vote  was  cast  for  Clay.  He  has  been  a  School 
Trustee  and  Director.  Both  he  and  his  son 
James  are  mechanically  inclined.  He  has 
given  a  portion  of  his  leisure  time  to  sculpt- 
ure, having  now  on  exhibition  two  very  fine 
ideal  images  of  Venus  and  Hercules,  besides 
other  articles  of  animal  sculpture. 

James  Cunningham  settled  in  Charlestown, 
South  Carolina,  previous  to  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  at  first  served 
in  the  militia,  under  King  George,  and  sub- 


844 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


seqnently  joined   with    the  Colonial   forces, 
with  which  he  remained  during  hostilities. 

Mr.  Wright,  the  father  of  Marion  Wright, 
also  served  in  the  war  with  the  mother 
country. 


?OSHUA  HEDGCOCK  was  born  in 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  February  2, 
1843,  onthe  place  where  he  now  resides,  a 
son  of  John  and  Temperance  Hedgcock.  He 
received  his  education  at  the  public  schools, 
remaining  at  home  until  August,  1862,  when 
he  enlisted,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  as  a  private 
in  Company  G,  Seventy-second  .Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers,  Captain  H.  D.  French 
commanding  the  company.  His  was  the  first 
Board  of  Trade  regiment  made  up  in  Chicago, 
commanded  by  Colonel  F.  A.  Starring.  He 
was  in  the  battles  of  Champion  Hills,  Big 
Black,  Benton,  Mississippi;  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg;  Columbia  and  Spring  Hill,  Tennessee; 
Nashville,  December,  1864,  and  Spanish  Fort, 
Alabama,  in  April,  1865.  He  was  discharged 
as  Second  Sergeant  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
with  the  record  of  which  he  is  justly  proud. 
He  returned  home  in  August,  1865,  and 
lived  with  his  father  until  his  death,  May  20, 
1877,  aged  seventy-four  years,  and  now  occu- 
pies the  old  Spring  Hill  home  of  seventy- 
eight  and  one- half  acres,  which  his  father  first 
bought  and  settled  on  in  this  country.  He 
has  now  230  acres. 

Joshua  was  married  first  January  9,  1870, 
to  Miss  Susan  E.  Glover,  born  in  Hancock 
county,  and  died  here  January  9,  1872,  aged 
twenty-six  years.  She  left  one  son,  who  sur- 
vived her  eight  months.  Joshua  was  mar- 
ried for  the  second  time,  to  Miss  Anna  M. 
Totten,  April  10,  1879,  who  was  born  in 
Adams  county,  September  26,  1854,  and  by 


this  marriage  there  are  six  children.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hedgcock  attend  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  Post 
No.  302,  G.  A.  K.,  at  Augusta,  Illinois;  has 
been  Assessor  of  his  township.  His  first 
vote  was  cast  while  home  on  furlough,  for 
Lincoln,  and  every  president  he  has  since 
voted  for  has  been  elected,  except  one. 


EORGE  W.  McCOY,  an  extensive 
farmer  of  Mt.  Sterling,  Illinois,  was 
born  in  Adams  county,  Ohio,  January 
1,  1831.  His  father,  Samuel  McCoy,  was 
born  in  Cecil  county,  Maryland,  in  1796. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Alexander 
McCoy,  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry. His  parents  were  poor  and  he  com- 
menced very  early  to  earn  his  own  living, 
being  brought  up  to  work  in  a  factory.  He 
was  a  lad  in  his  'teens  when  he  came  to 
America  and  located  in  Maryland,  where  his 
parents  who  had  preceded  him  to  America 
were  then  living.  He  learned  the  cooper's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  some  time.  He 
was  twice  married  but  lost  both  of  his  wives 
before  coming  to  Ohio.  After  the  death  of 
his  second  wife  he  removed  with  his  children 

\ 

to  Ohio  and  lived  in  that  State  some  years, 
and  then  spent  his  last  years  in  Brown 
county.  The  father  of  our  subject  died  in 
1882,  in  the  eighty-fif  th  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  about  eighteen  years  old  when  he  went 
to  Ohio.  He  was  very  industrious,  saved 
his  earnings  and  finally  purchased  land  in 
Adams  county.  He  then  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits  but  still  fol- 
lowed his  trade  a  portion  of  each  year.  He 
resided  inAdams  county  until  1839,  and  then 
sold  his  farm  there  and  came  to  Illinois.  He 
was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  three  chil- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


345 


dren,  and  the  entire  journey  was  made  over- 
land. After  about  fifteen  days'  travel  they 
landed  in  Brown  county.  He  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  near  Versailles,  and  there  de- 
voted his  time  to  farming.  He  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Brown  county  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  as  before  stated. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our 
subject  was  Sarah  Pilston.  She  was  born  in 
in  Virginia,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Easter  Pilston.  She  died  in  Ohio  in  1834. 

The  subject  of  this  writing  was  in  his 
ninth  year  when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his 
parents.  At  that  time  the  country  was  wild 
and  deer,  wild  turkeys,  and  other  game  were 
quite  plentiful.  Farming  was  conducted  in 
the  most  primitive  manner.  All  the  grass 
was  cut  with  a  scythe,  and  the  grain  was 
either  cut  with  a  reap  hook  or  a  cradle  and 
trampled  out  with  horses  or  with  a  flail. 
There  were  no  fanning-mills,  and  in  order  to 
clean  the  grain  one  man  would  take  it  in  a 
seive  and  hold  it  high  and  two  others  would 
stand  by  with  a  sheet  with  which  they  fanned 
the  air  and  in  that  manner  separated  the 
grain  from  the  chaff. 

Mr.  McCoy  remained  with  his  father  until 
nineteen  years  of  age,  then  commenced  farm- 
ing on  rented  land.  When  he  attained  his 
majority  his  father  gave  him  $250,  and  with 
that  and  his  earnings  he  had  enough  to  pay 
cash  on  120  acres  of  land,  which  is  now  in- 
cluded in  the  farm  he  now  occupies.  The 
whole  price  of  the  farm  was  $680,  and  he 
paid  six  per  cent,  interest  on  the  balance. 
He  lived  in  a  log  cabin  and  in  that  humble 
abode  himself  and  wife  commenced  house- 
keeping. They  occupied  that  dwelling  about 
eighteen  months  and  then  built  a  brick 
house.  Since  that  time  he  has  erected  a 
commodious  frame  house  and  other  build- 
ings, planted  fruit  and  shade  trees  and 


placed  the  land  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  farmer  and 
has  purchased  other  land  at  different  times 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  about  500  acres,  all 
in  Brown  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  McCoy  took  place 
January  27,  1853,  to  Sarah  Harper.  She 
was  born  in  Ohio,  August  29,  1835,  and  was 
the  daughter  of  Elder  James  Harper.  Mrs.  . 
McCoy  died  November  2,  1868,  and  Mr. 
McCoy  subsequently  married  Lucinda,  a 
sister  of  his  former  wife,  October  28,  1869. 
She  was  born  in  Brown  county,  Illinois, 
April  17,  1847,  and  died  May  7,  'l890.  He 
was  married  to  Laura  J.  Putman,  October 
28,  1891.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  August  7, 
1841.  Her  father,  William  Putman,  was 
born  in  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  October 
16,  1797,  and  was  the  son  of  Zachariah  and 
Winnifred  (Collins)  Putman.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  McCoy  moved  to  Ohio  and  resided 
in  Champaign  county  for  some  years,  com- 
ing from  there  to  Illinois  in  1841,  at 
which  time  the  father  purchased  a  farm  in 
Mt.  Sterling  township,  which  he  occupied 
until  his  death,  July  24,  1880.  Mr.  McCoy 
has  five  children  by  his  first  marriage:  Elvira, 
Mahala,  Mary  Jane,  Turner  and  Martha.  Of 
his  second  marriage  there  are  William  and 
Arthur.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCoy  are  members 
of  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church  and  are 
good  pious  people.  In  politics  he  affiiliates 
with  the  Democratic  party.  He  has  served 
long  as  Supervisor  and  has  been  Chairman  of 
the  Board. 


fOHN    DIRREEN,     ex-Sheriff    of  Cass 
county,  was   born  in    Virginia  precinct, 
Cass  county,    Illinois,    July    29,    1840. 
He  is  one  of  the  representative    men   of  his 


346 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASH, 


county,  and  as  such  merits  biographical  men- 
tion in  this  work.  Briefly  given,  a  review 
of  his  life  is  as  follows: 

While  tradition  says  that  the  Dirreen  fam- 
ily originated  in  France,  their  ancestry  is 
traced  back  only  to  the  grandfather  of  John 
Dirreen,  who  was  born  in  Ireland.  Three  of 
his  children  came  from  the  Emerald  Isle  to 
America,  and  located  as  follows:  John  set- 
tled in  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  was  a 
customhouse  official  upwards  of  forty  years, 
at  the  end  of  that  time  retiring  on  half-pay. 
He  died  there,  aged  ninety-three  years. 
Michael  bought  a  farm  in  New  York  State, 
and  still  resides  on  it.  Edward  Dirreen  was 
born  iu  county  Callan,  Ireland,  and  was 
there  reared.  He  came  to  America  when  a 
young  man  and  settled  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  married.  He  subsequently  moved 
to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  came  to  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  about  1835,  settling  in  Vir- 
ginia precinct.  Here  he  entered  a  tract  of 
Government  land,  four  miles  from  the  site  of 
the  present  courthouse,  and  built  the  log 
cabin  in  which  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was 
born.  At  that  time  the  country  was  thinly 
settled  and  deer  and  wild  turkey  were  plenty 
in  this  region.  The  whistle  of  the  locomo- 
tive had  not  sounded  here,  and  Beardstowu 
was  the  market  seat  for  the  surrounding 
country.  In  1855  he  sold  his  farm  and 
bought  another  in  the  same  locality,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death.  His  widow,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Henphey,  still  re- 
sides on  the  old  homestead.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children:  Catherine,  Eliza, 
Alice,  John,  Richard,  Edward  and  Michael. 
Eliza  and  Eichard  are  deceased. 

John  Dirreen  received  his  education  in 
the  primitive  log  schoolhouses  of  his  native 
county.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  he 
assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  remaining 


under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was  twenty- 
one.  He  was  then  employed  for  three  years 
by  others,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  his  own  account.  In 
the  fall  of  1877,  on  account  of  the  ill  health 
of  his  wife,  he  went  to  Texas,  remaining  there 
till  January,  1878,  when  he  returned  to  Illi- 
nois. That  spring  he  was  made  a  Deputy 
Sheriff,  and  has  been  connected  with  the 
office  of  Sheriff  continuously  since.  In  1886 
he  was  elected  Sheriff,  and  served  one  term, 
which  is  the  limit  prescribed  by  law.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  term  he  was  again  ap- 
pointed deputy,  which  position  he  still  holds. 

Mr.  Dirreen  was  married  in  1871,  to 
Mary  Cunningham,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  a  daughter  of  George  and  Maria  (Lind- 
sey)  Cunningham,  natives  of  Scotland  and 
Kentucky  respectively.  Mrs.  Dirreen  died 
in  February,  1878,  and  in  November,  1886, 
he  married  Alice  Burrows.  By  his  first  wife 
he  has  one  daughter,  Josephine,  and  by  the 
second,  a  son,  Edward. 

Mr.  Dirreen  is  a  member  of  Virginia 
Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W. 


1LLIAM  JOCKISCH,  a  retired 
farmer,  of  Beardstown,  was  born  in 
Liepsic,  Saxony,  Germany,  in  1829. 
His  parents,  Carl  G.  and  Eliza  (Jacob)  Jock- 
isch,  were  born  in  Saxony.  Mr.  Jockisch, 
Sr.,  was  a  farmer  and  distiller  for  some  years 
before  he  and  his  family  embarked  for  the 
United  States  in  1834.  They  went  to  New 
Orleans,  and  then  worked  their  way  up  the 
Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis,  and  there  the 
mother  died  at  the  birth  of  her  tenth  child. 
Mr.  Jockisch  was  left  with  his  small  children 
to  make  the  rest  of  the  trip  alone.  He 
stopped  in  Cass  county  for  some  time,  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


347 


then  was  married  a  second  time  to  Mrs. 
Christina  Long,  of  Germany.  Mr.  Jockisch 
died  in  this  county,  and  his  wife  followed 
him  some  ten  years  later.  They  were  at  first 
Lutherans,  and  later  Methodists. 

William  Jockisch  is  the  youngest  but  one 
of  nine  children  that  grew  to  maturity.  Two 
of  his  brothers  are  in  the  same  county.  He 
began  farming  at  an  early  age,  and  by  his 
good  management  has  amassed  a  small  for- 
tune, which  he  now  enjoys  in  retirement  in 
his  comfortable  and  pleasant  home  on  the 
corner  of  Sixth  and  Edwards  streets.  He 
owns  300  acres  of  good,  tillable  land,  be- 
sides other  lands  which  lie  southwest  of 
Beardstown.  The  building  of  the  railroad 
has  aided  him  greatly  in  making  his  fortune, 
as  much  of  the  land  he  owned  was  increased 
by  the  building  of  the  road. 

He  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Rohn,  of 
Beardstown,  Illinois.  She  was  bom  in  1839, 
in  Beardstown,  and  lived  there  till  1855. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  John  and  Catharine 
(Stier)  Rohn,  of  Hesse- Darmstadt.  They 
came  to  the  northwest,  early  in  life,  and  were 
married  in  Beardstown.  Mrs.  Rohn  is  still 
living,  and  is  nearly  eighty-nine  years  of 
age.  Mr.  Rohn  was  a  plasterer  by  trade,  and 
was  the  proprietor  of  the  ferry  at  Beardstown 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  a  Lutheran  in  religion. 

Mrs.  Jockisch  is  the  eldest  of  four  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jockisch  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  dead,  Mary  A.  and 
Rosena  A.  Those  living  are:  Elizabeth,  now 
the  wife  of  J.  T.  Brines,  a  farmer  in  Schuyler 
county;  J.  Victor,  at  home,  and  clerking  for 
Phil  Kuhl;  Anna  A.,  now  Mrs.  Cad  Allard 
(see  biography);  Rosa,  now  Mrs.  Dr.  J.  C. 
Henny,  of  Beardstown,  the  leading  dentist; 
Rudolph,  deputy  clerk  in  the  post  office  of 
Beardstown.  The  children  have  all  been 


well  educated.  They  are  all  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Jockisch 
has  been  Trustee  for  four  years,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  building  committee  of  the  new 
church  that  has  just  been  erected. 

Mr.  Jockisch  is  one  of  the  promoters  and 
a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Beardstown,  as  well  as  one  of  the  heaviest 
stockholders  in  the  same.  He  was  appointed 
Public  Administrator  in  and  for  the  county 
of  Cass  September  13,  1892.  He  is  a  worthy 
citizen  of  this  thriving  place,  and  as  he  has 
lived  in  the  county  since  his  fourth  year,  and 
in  the  town  for  the  last  twenty  years,  he  is 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  place  and  is  a  pio- 
neer of  whom  Illinois  may  well  be  proud. 


>ENRY  VENT  RES  was  born  in  Smith 
county,  Tennessee,  January  25,  1812. 
His  parents,  Asa  and  Nancy  (Wake- 
field)  Ventres,  were  of  Welsh  and  English 
ancestry  respectively.  The  former  was  born 
December  24,  1793,  and  the  latter  was  boru 
about  the  same  time.  Soon  after  the  war  of 
1812,  in  which  he  was  a  soldier,  he  located 
in  St.  Glair  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died 
about  1818. 

Henry  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living.  He 
learned  the  brick-  making  trade  in  early  man- 
hood, and  worked  at  that  and  brick-laying  up 
to  the  time  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  has 
engaged  in  it  since  coming  to  this  State. 
Coining  to  Illinois  at  such  an  early  date,  the 
family  have  witnessed  a  wonderful  growth  in 
the  country.  The  Black  Hawk  band  was 
located  on  Rock  river,  and  frequently  infested 
the  settlers.  Mr.  Ventres  has  held  the  vari- 
ous township  offices,  and  given  satisfaction 
in  every  one.  He  settled  on  his  present 


348 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF.  C  ASS, 


farm  in  1834,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
of  the  county.  There  was  only  an  occasional 
log  cabin  in  the  county.  The  land  which  he 
took  up  was  a  military  tract,  which  he  pur- 
chased, consisting  of  160  acres  of  land,  to 
which  he  has  added  forty  acres  since. 

He  was  married  in  Monroe  county,  Ken- 
tucky, to  Miss  Elizabeth  Jones,  January  27, 
1833.  In  1883  they  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding,  and  are  looking  forward  to  the  cele- 
bration of  a  diamond  one.  They  have  had 
nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  still  living, 
namely:  William  C.,  a  miller  and  merchant, 
located  in  Kansas;  Ophelia,  now  Mrs.  A.  R. 
Marshall,  of  Gove  county,  Kansas:  her  hus- 
band is  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser;  Sarah, 
now  Mrs.  T.  Shippy,  of  Plymouth,  Illinois: 
her  husband  is  a  teacher  by  profession;  Lucy 
A.,  now  Mrs.  Beck,  of  Pueblo,  Colorado:  her 
husband  is  a  merchant;  Walter  Maro  resides 
on  a  farm  adjoining  his  father's:  he  married 
Miss  Maggie  Diamond.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ven- 
ters have  been  consistent  members  of  the 
Christian  Church  for  sixty  years.  Mr.  Ven- 
ters has  been  a  life-long  Democrat,  but  is 
disgusted  with  both  the  old  parties.  He  has 
been  a  man  of  exemplary  habits,  not  using 
any  kind  of  intoxicants  or  tobacco  in  any 
form.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Venters  are  comfort- 
ably situated,  and  are  enjoying  the  fruits  of 
their  early  labors. 


}RS.  SALLIE  (BRYANT)  LUT- 
TERELL,  of  section  9,  Browning 
township,  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1792.  She  is  the  oldest  person  in  Schuyler 
county,  and  there  are  very  few  in  the  State 
who  can  boast  of  being  100  years  old.  Should 
she  live  until  the  25th  of  June  she  will  be 
100  years  old.  She  came  to  Sehuyler  county 


in  1830,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county 
ever  since.  Her  husband,  Shelton  Lutterell, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  fought 
at  the  battle  of  Horse  Bud  and  various  other 
points.  They  were  married  November  13, 
1813,  and  their  married  life  lasted  for  sixty- 
nine  years,  four  months  and  seventeen  days, 
when  Mr.  Lutterell  died,  in  the  house  where 
his  widow  still  resides.  He  was  born  May 
12, 1794.  They  were  among  the  first  settlers 
of  Browning  township,  where  Mr.  Lutterell 
owned  a  farm.  Mrs.  Luttereli's  parents  were 
natives  of  Patrick  county,  Virginia.  Mrs. 
Lutterell  raised  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
and  she  has  survived  all  but  three  of  them, — 
Sarah  Skiles,  Nancy  Wright  and  Oil ie  Thorn- 
ton. Mrs.  Lutterell  has  lived  with  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Thornton,  since  the  death  of  her 
husband.  Mr.  Thornton,  the  husband  of  her 
daughter,  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Ten- 
nessee, September  10,  1819,  and  he  was  the 
son  of  Felix  and  Celetha  (Holly)  Thornton. 
They  were  born  and  reared  to  maturity  in 
Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  but  came  to  this 
county  iu  1829,  and  located  on  a  farm  near 
Mr.  Luttereli's.  They  had  five  sons  and  the 

•r 

same  number  of  daughters,  but  only  five  of 
them  are  living.  Mr.  Thornton  was  married 
in  Browning  township,  June  23,  1844,  to 
Miss  Ollie  Lutterell.  They  have  eight  chil- 
dren, but  only  four  are  living:  William  I., 
deceased;  Sarah  C.,  wife  of  John  Flemmiug, 
and  lives  in  Browning  village;  Delilah  J., 
deceased;  Patsy  Ann,  wife  of  David  Stead- 
man,  and  lives  in  Browning  township;  Mar- 
tha Ellen  married  William  Thornton,  and 
lives  in  the  same  place;  John  A.  lives  in 
Browning.  Two  children  died  in  infancy. 
A  grandson,  Chester  R.,  lives  with  his  grand- 
mother. 

Mrs.  Luttereli's  father  was  a  John  Bryant, 
and   was   the  son  of   another  John   Bryant. 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


349 


Her  mother  was  Judy  Wentfrey.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church,  as  are  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thornton,  and  she  has  been  one  for 
fifty  years.  Mr.  Thornton  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  township  for  sixty-three  years, 
and  he  has  seen  many  wonderful  changes 
take  place  in  the  county.  He  has  traveled 
in  the  States  of  Kentucky,  Iowa,  Missouri, 
Arkansas,  Mississippi,  Louisiana  and  Illinois. 
He  has  always  been  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  his  sons 
are  Democrats  in  their  political  views. 


JVERTON  PARKE,  a  substantial  farmer 
and  influential  citizen  of  Woodstock 
township,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  was 
born  in  Brown  county,  of  the  same  State, 
October  8,  1841.  His  parents  were  Perry  and 
Mary  (Logsdon)  Parke.  (See  sketch  of  Perry 
and  Joseph  Logsdon  for  history  of  the  Logs- 
dons.)  They  were  both  natives  of  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Illinois  at  an  early  day,  and  still 
reside  in  "Woodstock  township,  near  the  home 
of  our  subject. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  and  attended  the  country  schools 
of  his  district  during  the  winters.  He  re* 
maiued  at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age,  assisting  his  father  and  going  to  school, 
when,  on  August  11,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth 
Illinois  Infantry,  serving  in  the  Civil  war  un- 
til its  close,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
weeks,  during  which  he  was  in  the  hospital 
at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  these  few  weeks  he  served  with  his 
regiment  through  every  skirmish  and  battle 
until  the  great  conflict  was  over.  After  the 
war  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Schuyler 
county,  where  he  rented  a  farm  for  a  year, 

24 


when,  in  the  fall  of  1866,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Rosanna  C.  Reddick.  She  was  a  native 
of  Woodstock  township,  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  where  she  was  born  April  25,  1851, 
her  parents  being  pioneers  and  prominent 
people  of  this  county,  viz. :  John  J.  and  Mary 
(Clark)  Reddick.  (See  sketch  of  John  Clark 
for  history  of  Clark  family.)  John  J.  Red- 
dick was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Reddick,  and 
came  to  this  county  with  his  parents  when 
he  was  only  about  one  or  two  years  of  age. 
His  parents  came  from  Kentucky  about  1830 
and  located  in  Schuyler  county,  being  among 
the  earliest  settlers  of  that  county,  where  they 
resided  until  their  death.  They  were  among 
the  most  prominent  and  successful  agricult- 
urists of  their  vicinity,  and  highly  respected 
by  all  who  knew  them.  It  is  on  their  home- 
stead that  our  subject  now  resides,  which  is 
one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  country,  well 
improved  with  substantial  house  and  large 
barns  for  grain  and  stock,  while  the  land  is 
highly  cultivated,  and  supplied  with  all  the 
modern  machinery  and  appliances  for  the 
sowing  and  harvesting  of  their  products.  But, 
immediately  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Parke 
had  no  such  splendid  home,  living  for  several 
years  on  a  part  of  his  father's  farm,  which  he 
rented.  He  and  his  wife  resided  here  until 
the  death  of  her  parents,  since  when  they 
have  lived  in  the  present  home,  which  through 
the  energy  and  enterprise  of  our  subject  has 
been  greatly  improved,  and  which  comprises, 
at  the  present  writing,  more  than  300  acres 
of  the  finest  agricultural  land  in  the  country. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parke  have  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  John 
E.,  Maggie  A.,  Elizabeth,  Nettie  C.  and 
Rosanna  C. 

Politically  Mr.  Parke  is  a  Republican,  and 
ever  since  his  first  vote  for  General  U.  S. 
Grant  he  has  voted  the  straight  Republican 


350 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF   .CASS, 


ticket.  Pie  is  a  member  of  the  Gr.  A.  R. 
Post  at  Rushville,  Illinois.  He  and  his 
estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  church, 
for  the  cause  of  which  they  are  earnest 
workers,  as,  indeed,  they  are  in  every  worthy 
cause.  Both  are  ardently  interested  in  the 
advancement  and  welfare  of  their  county  and 
the  country  at  large,  and  both  enjoy  alike  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  the  community  in 
which  they  live. 


FRANCIS  MARION  STOUT,  a  large 
land-owner  of  Mount  Sterling,  was  born 
near  Georgetown,  Scott  county,  Ken- 
tucky, January  29,  1823.  His  ancestors  were 
English,  his  great-grandfather  coming  from 
England,  settling  in  New  Jersey  at  a  very 
early  date.  His  grandfather,  Eli  Stout,  came 
from  New  Jersey  to  Kentucky  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  present  century.  He  journeyed 
down  the  Ohio  river,  exposed  to  considerable 
danger  from  the  Indians,  on  the  banks  of  the 
stream.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  Fayette  county, 
Kentucky,  and  died  in  Owen  county,  same 
State.  Isaac  Stout,  father  of  subject,  was 
boru  in  Scott  county,  Kentucky,  where  he 
was  reared,  educated  and  married.  The 
latter  event  occurred  when  he  led  to  the 
altar  Miss  Lydia  Baxter,  native  of  the  same 
State.  He  died  in  Leesburg,  Harrison  county, 
Kentucky,  of  cholera,  in  1833,  his  wife  hav- 
ing died  a  few  days  previous. 

Francis  M.  Stout  was  the  oldest  of  four 
children,  and  was  only  ten  years  old  when  his 
parents  died.  He  was  reared  by  his  paternal 
grandfather  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Scott 
county,  Kentucky,  and  in  Owen  county 
where  he  attended  the  subscription  schools, 
and  high  schools,  at  Owenton,  Kentucky.  In 
1844  he  came  to  Illinois,  landing  in  Brown 


county  in  June  of  that  year.  Pie  first  taught 
school  a  few  years  and  then  began  the  pot- 
tery business,  in  Ripley,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  over  thirty  years.  He  also  em- 
barked in  mercantile  pursuits  and  continued 
in  that  busines  for  about  the  same  length  of 
time.  He  has  now  retired  from  these  pur- 
suits and  resides  on  his  fine  farm  in  Ripley, 
where  he  is  a  large  landowner. 

Mr.  Stout  was  married,  the  first  time  to 
Margaret  Alexander,  native  of  Tennessee, 
and  this  event  took  place  December,  1846. 
This  wife  died,  September,  1851,  and  in 
January,  1853,  he  married  Nancy  C.  Alex- 
ander, a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  who  has  proven 
herself  a  good,  faithful  wife. 

Mr.  Stout  cast  his  first  vote  for  Zachary 
Taylor,  and  has  been  a  Republican  since  the 
formation  of  the  party.  He  is  a  devout  fol- 
lower of  the  teachings  of  Alexander  Camp- 
bell. 

This  gentleman  is  a  representative  citizen 
of  this  part  of  the  great  State  of  Illinois, 
and  he  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
his  neighbors  and  friends. 


fOSEPH  L.  COSNER,  one  of    the  lead, 
ing  merchants  of  Virginia,  was   born  on 
a  farm   in  Philadelphia    precinct,    Cass 
county,  Illinois,  June  26,  1855.     Of  his  life 
and  ancestry    we  record   the  following   facts: 
Thomas  Jefferson    Cosner,  his  father,  was 
born  in  Lincoln  county,  North  Carolina,  July 
31, 1815,  son  of  Henry  Cosner,  who  is    sup- 
posed to  have  been  a  native  of  the  same  State. 
The  latter  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  at  which 
he  worked  in  Lincoln  county  till  about  1830, 
when  he  went  to  Indiana,  being  accompanied 
by  his  wife  and  six  children,  camping  along 
the  way  and  being  six  weeks  in  making  the 


SGHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


351 


journey.  He  became  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Monroe  county;  bought  a  claim  and  en. 
tered  a  tract  of  Government  land  two  and 
one-half  miles  west  of  Mt.  Tabor.  There  was 
a  log  house  on  the  place  and  a  garden  spot 
cleared.  He  worked  at  his  trade,  devoted 
his  spare  time  to  the  improvement  of  his  land, 
and  lived  there  until  his  death.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  first  wife,  grandmother  of  Joseph 
L.,  was  Elizabeth  Isahower.  She  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  and  died  in  Monroe  county, 
Indiana.  She  reared  seven  children,  viz.: 
Elizabeth,  Sally,  Joseph,  Thomas  J.,  Andrew, 
Lewis  and  Maria.  Thomas  J.  was  fifteen 
years  old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Indiana, 
and  he  remained  there  with  his  father  till 
1836,  when,  in  company  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  Martin  Goble,  he  came  to  Illinois,  mak- 
ing the  journey  by  team.  Here  he  was  em- 
ployed at  farm  work,  first  receiving  $9  per 
month,  and  later  $13.  He  continued  to 
work  for  one  man,  Jacob  Epler,  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  for  a  dozen  years.  He  then 
purchased  120  acres  of  raw  prairie  land,  built 
a  small  frame  dwelling,  and  commenced 
housekeeping.  He  was  successful  as  a  farmer, 
bought  other  lands,  and  is  now  the  owner 
of  436  acres,  all  in  township  17.  He  erected 
a  good  set  of  frame  buildings  on  his  farm, 
and  continued  his  residence  there,  with  the 
exception  of  short  periods  spent  in  Virginia, 
until  1887,  when  he  removed  to  Virginia,  and 
now  lives  retired.  He  was  married  in  1850, 
to  Emily  (Stevenson)  Beard,  who  was  born 
one  mile  from  Lexington,  Fayette  county, 
Kentucky,  December  20,  1827.  Her  father, 
Thomas  Stevenson,  is  supposed  to  have  been 
a  native  of  the  same  county,  his  father  having 
been  a  pioneer  of  Fayette  county,  where  he 
spent  his  last  years.  Thomas  Stevenson  spent 
his  life  on  a  farm,  and  died  near  Lexington 
in  1831.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 


Lucy  Wyatt,  she  being  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  a  daughter  of  Walter  Wyatt.  Her  father 
was  a  Virginian  by  birth.  He  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Fayette  county,  and  from  there, 
in  1835,  moved  to  Illinois,  settlingon  Indian 
creek  in  Morgan  county,  where  he  bought 
land,  improved  a  farm,  and  resided  there  till 
his  death.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Julia  Bliss.  She,  too,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  died  in  Morgan  county,  Illinois. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Wyatt  she  was  mar- 
ried to  John  Creel,  and  came  to  Illinois  in 
1837,  settling  ten  miles  northeast  of  Jackson- 
ville, where  t>he  resided  till  her  death.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  ten  years  old  when 
she  came  to  Illinois  with  her  parents,  and  re- 
members well  the  incidents  of  the  overland 
journey  and  of  pioneer  life  here.  She  assisted 
her  mother  in  the  household  duties  when 
quite  young,  and  learned  to  card,  spin  and 
weave.  After  the  death  of  her  mother  she 
went  to  live  with  her  sister,  with  whom  she 
made  her  home  until  her  seventeenth  year, 
when  she  was  married  to  Maston  Beard.  He 
was  a  farmer  of  Morgan  county,  and  died 
there.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Cosner  are  both 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Cliurch, 
They  reared  seven  children,  viz.:  John  T.and 
Jacob  deceased;  Henry,  Joseph  L.,  Lucy, 
George  and  Mollie. 

Joseph  L.  Cosner  was  reared  on  a  farm. 
He  attended  the  district  school  a  portion  of 
each  year,  and  subsequently  advanced  his  edu- 
cation by  a  two  years'  course  at  Virginia. 
In  1874  he  commenced  his  mercantile  career 
as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  William  B.  Payne, 
and  clerked  five  years.  In  1879  he  started 
for  the  gold  fields  of  Colorado;  prospected 
and  mined  about  a  year;  had  little  success  in 
finding  gold,  and  returned  home  and  engaged 
in  farming.  A  year  later  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  J.  J.  Bergen,  with  whom  he  was 


352 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Off    GASS, 


associated  in  the  mercantile  business  three 
years,  after  which  the  partnership  dissolved. 
He  then  bought  out  the  firm  of  Bergslesser  & 
Jones,  and  has  since  conducted  business 
alone.  He  carries  an  extensive  stock  of  dry 
goods,  clothing,  hats,  boots  and  shoes,  fancy 
goods,  etc.,  and  does  a  large  business. 

Mr.  Cosner  has  an  inherent  love  for  fine 
horses,  and,  in  company  with  his  brother 
George,  is  engaged  in  breeding  the  same. 

He  was  married  June  26,  1888,  to  Mary 
Gale  Armentrout,  who  was  born  in  Rood- 
house,  Illinois,  daughter  of  Adam  C.  and 
S.  E.  Armentrout.  She  departed  this  life 
January  8,  1892,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years,  six  months  and  twenty-two  days.  Mrs. 
Cosner  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 


[jARTHA  J.  HARBISON,  the  esti- 
mable lady  whose  biography  it  is  our 
pleasure  to  present  to  our  readers, 
was  born  in  Greenbriar  county,  Virginia, 
November  29,  1844,  daughter  of  John  and 
Emily  (Milliner.)  Mason.  The  former  born  in 
Virginia,  came  West  in  1853,  by  wagon  and 
boat,  landing  at  Keoknk,  Iowa.  There  he 
obtained  teams  and  went  to  Mount  Pleasant, 
where  he  only  remained  a  short  time,  and 
then  came  to  Illinois,  by  team,  settling  where 
his  daughter  now  lives.  He  bought  120 
acres  of  wild  timber  land,  on  which  he  built 
a  log-house,  and  there  the  family  lived  for 
many  years,  then  sold  and  then  rented  and 
finally  removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. The  subject's  mother  died  in  Mis- 
souri, when  about  seventy  years  of  age,  hav- 
ing been  a  native  of  Virginia,  also.  All  the 
family  on  both  sides  were  farmers,  as  far  as 
can  be  discovered,  except  one  member  of  the 


family,  who  operated  a  woolen  mill  in  Vir- 
ginia. Mrs.  Harbison's  grandfather,  Milli- 
ner, was  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Our  subject  remained  at  home  until  her 
marriage,  which  occurred  September  23, 

1863.  After  marriage  her  husband  settled 
on  the  farm   where  she  now  resides  in  a  fine 
brick   residence  that  her  husband  built  prior 
to    his   death,  which    occurred    August    28, 
1890.     Mr.  Harbison  was  born  September  5, 
1837,  brother  of  Moses  Harbison  (see  sketch). 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harbison  had    four  children, 
one  of  whom  they  lost,  a  daughter,  Dolly,  at 
the  age  of   one  year  and  six  months.     The 
living  ones  are:    John  W.,  born  August  16, 

1864,  at  home  renting  the  old  farm,  married 
to  Maggie  Smith,  in    1889.     She  was  born 
February  26,  1871,  daughter  of    Henry  and 
Elizabeth  (Lindsay)  Smith.     They   have  one 
child,  James,  born  October  10,  1890.     Mrs. 
Harbison's  second  child,  Ella  M.,  was  born 
July    9,    1867,    and    married    Frank  Wood, 
February,  1890,  have   one  girl,  Lena,  born 
March   8,   1891.     The  third  child,   Ida  F., 
was  born  February  24,  1870,  and  she  married 
Fred  Lippert,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ernest 
E.,  born  March  16,  1891. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harbison  were  members  of 
the  Christian  Church  and  all  the  family  are 
church  people.  The  son,  James,  is  a  strong 
Democrat.  This  lady  is  one  of  the  best 
known  and  well  liked  in  the  county  and  well 
deserves  a  place  in  these  pages. 


LANCASTER  was  born  on  a 
farm  twelve  miles  north  of  George- 
town, Kentucky,  June  14,  1842.  His 
father,  Lewis  Lancaster,  was  a  native  of  same 
locality,  and  his  grandfather,  Reuben  Lancas- 
ter, for  whom  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


353 


named,  was  born  in  the  State  of  Virginia, 
was  reared  and  married  in  the  Old  Dominion 
and  from  there  removed  to  Kentucky,  locat- 
ing in  Scott  county,  where  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  timber  land,  and  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness developed  a  tine  farm.  At  the  time  of 
his  settlement  on  it  there  were  no  railroads  in 
Kentucky,  and  Cincinnati,  sixty  miles  dis- 
tant, was  the  nearest  market  and  depot 
for  supplies.  Lewis  Lancaster  was  reared  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  After  reaching  his 
majority  he  bought  a  tract  of  partially  cleared 
land  near  the  old  home,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  September,  1852, 
had  amassed  quite  a  fortune  in  lands  and 
negroes.  His  wife,  Jane  Mallory,  was  born 
in  Scott  county,  Kentucky,  the  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Mary  Mallory,  and  died  in  Au- 
gust, 1852,  about  one  month  prior  to  the 
death  of  her  husband,  leaving  seven  children: 
Eliza,  John,  Bettie,  Reuben,  Thomas,  James 
and  Sylvester. 

After  the  death  of  his  parents,  the  subject 
of  our  sketch  lived  with  an  uncle,  Abram 
Mallory,  one  year  after  that  with  another 
uncle,  Green  Mallory,  three  years.  He  then 
chose  as  his  guardian  Aaron  Dills,  of  Har- 
rison county,  Kentucky,  with  whom  he  lived 
until  September,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  B,  Sixth  Kentucky  Cav- 
alry, in  the  service  of  the  Union.  In  1864, 
he  was  commissioned  Captain  of  his  com- 
pany, and  remained  in  command  until  after 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge, 
siege  of  Atlanta  and  all  of  the  principal  en- 
gagements of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland 
After  the  surrender  of  Lee,  he  was  detached 
with  his  company  to  capture  Jefferson  Davis, 
and  was  only  five  miles  distant  when  the  rebel 
chieftain  was  captured,  and  saw  him  taken 
into  Macon,  Georgia,  a  prisoner.  Captain 


Lancaster  was  honorably  discharged  with  his 
regiment  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1865,  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Har- 
rison county,  Kentucky.  In  February,  1866, 
he  came  to  Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  engaged 
in  farming  near  Ashland,  continuing  there 
till  December,  1874,  when  he  was  appointed 
Deputy  by  Sheriff  William  Epler,  and  con- 
tinued as  such  till  December,  1876,  the 
expiration  of  Mr.  Epler's  term  of  office. 
From  that  time  till  February,  1890,  he  was 
engaged  in  the  livery  business.  In  1890,  he 
received  the  appointment  of  Postmaster,  at 
Virginia,  which  position  he  now  holds. 

In  March,  1880,  Captain  Lancaster  mar- 
ried Miss  Sue  Heaton,  a  native  of  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  J.  Heatori.  They  have  two  children, 
Earl  and  Iva. 

Politically,  he  has  always  been  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  Dawning 
Post,  No.  321,  G.  A.  R.,  Department  of  Illi- 
nois. Mrs.  Lancaster  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church. 


HOMAS  JONES,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Schuyler  county,  residing  at  Rushville, 
was  born  in  Herefordshire,  England, 
October  7,  1825.  His  father,  John  Jones, 
was  a  native  of  Radnorshire,  Wales,  and 
when  a  young  man  removed  thence  to  Here- 
fordshire, England,  where  he  was  married. 
He  remained  there  until  1850,  when  he  emi- 
grated to  America;  for  a  few  months  he  lived 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  thence  came  to  Illinois 
and  located  in  Brown  county;  he  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land  near  Mount  Sterling,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits;  later  he  moved  to  Mount 
Sterling,  and  died  there,  in  the  ninetieth  year 


354 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GA8S, 


of  his  age.  His  first  wife,  the  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  notice,  was  Lydia  Trull,  a  na- 
tive of  Herefordshire,  England;  she  died  in 
Brown  county,  Illinois,  having  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  four  children,  —Eliza,  Thomas,  John 
and  William, —  all  of  whom  emigrated  to  the 
United  States.  Thomas  Jones  was  reared  in 
Herefordshire,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
went  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  serving 
an  apprenticeship  ot  three  years.  In  1850 
he  crossed  the  sea  to  America  with  his  fam- 
ily; they  sailed  from  Liverpool  in  March,  on 
the  vessel  William  Eathbun,  and  landed  at 
New  York  city  after  a  voyage  of  two  months. 
Mr.  Jones  went  directly  to  Newcastle,  Penn- 
sylvania. His  means  were  exhausted,  in  fact 
were  worse  than  exhausted,  as  he  had  bor- 
rowed the  money  for  his  passage  to  America. 
He  worked  at  his  trade  in  this  place  until  the 
following  year,  and  then  came  to  Illinois;  he 
traveled  by  stage  and  canal  to  Pittsburg,  and 
thence  via  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers  to  Meredosia,  and  thence  by  team  to 
Mount  Sterling.  He  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  Brown  county,  the  greater  portion 
of  which  was  heavily  timbered;  there  he  be- 
gan his  career  as  a  farmer,  and  has  met  with 
more  than  ordinary  success;  he  rented  a 
a  house  for  a  time,  but  finally  built  on  his 
own  place,  and  as  his  means  increased  made 
additional  investments  in  land  until  he  is  now 
the  proprietor  of  430  acres;  he  also  owns  a 
residence  in  Eushville,  built  after  a  modern 
style  of  architecture  and  surrounded  by  beau- 
tiful grounds.  Here  Mr.  Jones  lives  a  re- 
tired life,  having  earned  the  repose  due  his 
years. 

He  has  been  three  times  married:  In  Here- 
fordshire, England,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years,  he  was  united  to  Jane  Preece,  a  native 
of  that  shire;  she  died  March  27,  1871.  The 
second  wife  was  Minerva  Gillenwaters,  of 


Schnyler  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Joel 
and  Margaret  Gillenwaters,  pioneers  of  the 
county;  she  died  January  3,  1890.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1890,  he  was  united  to  Ann  J,  (Nail) 
Ford,  who  was  born  in  Rushville  township, 
July  24, 1835,  a  daughter  of  Gabriel  Nail. 
Mr.  Jones  has  eleven  children  living:  by  the 
first  marriage  were  born ;  America  J.,  wife  of 
Henry  Bartlett;  Elmina  A.,  wife  of  Henry 
Henhoff;  Henry  Clay;  Walter  W.;  Thomas 
P.;  Orvilla  A.;  Susan  W.  and  Lilly  May;  the 
children  of  the  second  union  are,  Robert  W., 
John  P.  and  Margaret  M.  Mrs.  Jones  has 
one  child  by  her  first  marriage,  George  Will- 
iam Tutt.  Mr.  Jones  was  reared  to  the  faith 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  in 
later  life  he  joined  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
In  early  days  he  was  a  Whig,  but  for  many 
years  past  he  has  affiliated  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

Gabriel  Nail,  father  of  Mrs.  Jones,  was 
born  in  Scott  county,  Kentucky,  December 
23,  1811,  a  son  of  Lewis  Nail,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Scott  county, 
Kentucky.  Her  grandfather  purchased  land 
nine  miles  west  of  Georgetown,  and  there 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days;  his  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Nail,  also  a  Virginian 
by  birth.  Gabriel  Nail  emigrated  from 
Scott  couuty,  Kentucky,  to  Illinois,  in  1835, 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits;  he 
owned  different  tracts  of  land,  and  was  very 
successful;  in  1887  he  retired  from  active  pur- 
suits and  carne  to  Rushville  to  live.  He  was 
married  in  1834,  to  Catherine  Curtis,  who 
was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Kentucky, 
April  25,  1818.  Four  children  were  born  to 
them:  Ann,  Drusilla,  Marietta  and  William 
F.  They  have  twenty-six  grandchildren  and 
six  great-grandchildren.  Mrs.  Jones  has  been 
married  three  times;  her  first  husband  was 
George  W.  Tutt,  a  native  of  Kentucky;  he 


SGHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


355 


died  in  1852;  the  second  marriage  was  to 
Jared  P.  Ford,  a  native  of  Indiana,  who  came 
to  Illinois  in  1857;  he  died  in  1881.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nail  are  consistent  and  worthy 
members  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church. 


^ENRY  S.  SAVAGE  was  born  in  Mor- 
gan county,  Illinois,  April  22,  1824. 
His  father,  John  Savage,  was  a  native 
of  New  York  State.  He  emigrated  from 
there  to  Illinois,  making  the  journey  with 
teams,  and  becoming  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  Morgan  county.  He  located  at  Diamond 
Grove,  near  Jacksonville,  and  worked  at  the 
trade  of  carpenter  for  some  time.  He  built 
the  first  frame  house  ever  erected  in  Jackson- 
ville. From  Morgan  he  came  to  Cass  county, 
and  settled  six  miles  south  west  of  the  present 
site  of  Virginia.  Here  he  bought  a  tract  of 
land,  built  a  log  house,  and  subsequently  a 
frame  one,  and  passed  the  rest  of  his  life  on 
this  farm.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  until 
the  organization  of  the  Republican  party, 
when  he  identified  himself  with  it.  He 
served  as  Sheriff  of  the  county.  His  wife, 
Elizabeth  Smith,  daughter  of  Guy  Smith, 
Esq.,  was  a  native  of  New  York.  She  died 
on  the  home  farm.  The  names  of  their 
seven  children  are  as  follows:  Ernily,  wife  of 
Hon.  John  W.  Pratt;  Spencer;  George; 
Henry;  Harriet,  wife  of  O.  J;  Silverthorn; 
John  W. ;  and  Charles  W. 

Henry  S.  was  reared  and  educated  in  Cass 
county.  He  remained  on  the  farm  till  he 
was  sixteen,  when  he  engaged  in  clerking  in 
Virginia.  He  clerked  here  some  years 
and  was  then  employed  in  the  same  capacity 
in  Beardstown.  He  subsequently  purchased 
a  farm  south  of  Virginia,  and  devoted  his 
time  to  farming,  residing  thereat  the  time  of 


his  death,  March  29,  1865,  meeting  death  by 
accident,  having  been  thrown  from  a  horse. 
Like  his  father,  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  after- 
ward a  Republican. 

January  10,  1844,  he  married  Sarah 
Frances  Ward,  who  was  born  in  Scott  county, 
Kentucky,  August  8,  1828.  Her  father, 
Jacob  Ward,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1800, 
his  parents  being  natives  of  Virginia  and 
pioneers  of  Scott  county,  Kentucky.  Grand- 
mother Ward  died  in  Scott  county,  and 
grandfather  Ward  afterward  moved  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  spent  his  last  years.  Jacob 
Ward  was  reared  and  married  in  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Illinois  in  1830,  making  the 
journey  overland  with  teams.  He  located 
near  the  present  site  of  Arcadia,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  a  short  time,  after 
which  he  moved  into  the  village  of  Arcadia 
and  opened  a  dry-goods  and  grocery  store,  at 
the  same  time  operating  a  blacksmith  and 
wagon  shop  and  conducting  a  hotel.  Indeed, 
he  was  the  proprietor  of  the  greater  portion 
of  the  business  there.  A  number  of  years 
later  he  moved  to  Cass  county,  and  bought  a 
farm  three  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Vir- 
ginia. From  this  he  subsequently  moved  to 
a  farm  on  the  State  road,  near  Virginia,  and 
was  a  resident  there  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  was  a  prominent  and  influential  man. 
He  served  as  Associate  Judge  of  the  county, 
having  been  elected  in  1851.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Eliza  J.  Stevenson. 
She  was  born  in  Kentucky,  in  1807,  spent 
her  last  years  in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  and 
died  on  the  farm  near  Virginia. 

Mrs.  Savage  was  small  when  her  parents 
moved  to  Illinois.  She  remembers  well  the 
incidents  of  their  pioneer  life  here,  and 
vividly  describes  the  primitive  log  school 
houses  with  their  rude  furnishings.  She 
resided  with  her  parents  till  her  marriage, 


356 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    C ASS, 


and  for  some  years  past  has  occupied  a  beauti- 
ful home  in  Virginia.  She  has  live  children 
living,  viz.:  Charles  W.,  Edward  E.,  Lewis 
L.,  Ella  Belle  and  Henry  S.  Charles  W. 
married  Kittie  Kelly  and  has  live  children; 
Louise,  Bertha  May,  Harriet,  Katie  and 
Chase.  Edward  E.  married  Alice  Heaton 
and  has  four  children:  Henry  H.,  Walter  W., 
Bessie  and  Zella.  Lewis  L.  married  Emma 
L.  Stribling  and  has  five  children:  Ada  F., 
Charles  J.,  Fred  D.,  Lewis  L.  and  Tom. 
Ella  Belle  is  the  wife  of  Henry  W.  Collins, 
her  children  being  G.  Ward  and  Elizabeth. 

Mr.    and  Mrs.    Savage    both    joined    the 
Christian  Church  before  their  marriage. 


jEV.  FATHEE  MERSCHER,  the  pop- 
ular and  efficient  pastor  of  St.  Augus- 
tine's Catholic  Church,  Ashland,  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  Clinton  county,  this  State, 
December  4,  1853.  His  parents  were  natives 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  who  came  to  America 
in  1845,  landing  in  New  Orleans,  in  January 
of  that  year.  From  there  they  came  to  Clin- 
ton county,  Illinois,  where  they  located  on  a 
farm  which  the  Rev.  Merscher's  lather  con- 
tinued to  conduct  until  about  1882,  when  he 
removed  toNodaway  county,  Missouri,  where 
he  lived  until  his  death,  ten  years  later,  Jan- 
uary 14,  1892.  It  may  be  truly  said  of  him 
that  he  inherited  all  of  the  good  qualities 
for  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  Fatherland 
are  noted,  being  thoroughly  industrious,  hon- 
est, intelligent,  and  extremely  kind-hearted, 
in  consequence  of  which  he  was  universally 
esteemed  by  his  associates,  who  greatly  la- 
mented his  death.  Three  years  previous  to 
his  death,  the  family  were  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  the  devoted  wife  and 
mother,  who  expired  February  2,  1889.  Her 


devout  spirit,  loving  heart,  and  rare  Chris- 
tian virtues,  deeply  impressed  all  who  knew 
her,  and  she  enjoyed  the  esteem  of  a  wide 
circle  of  acquaintances  and  friends.  The 
only  brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  B. 
Henry  Merscher,  died  six  months  after  his 
mother's  death,  August  24, 1889,  in  the  same 
place,  Nodaway,  county. 

Our  subject,  whose  Christian  name  is  John 
William,  obtained  his  elementary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Clinton  county.  He 
then  went  to  St.  Joseph's  College,  atTeutop- 
olis,  Illinois,  entering  in  1866,  and  attend- 
ing four  years.  After  this,  he  attended  St. 
Francis'  Seminary,  at  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
graduating  at  that  noted  institution  in  1876. 
While  at  this  latter  center  of  learning,  he 
enjoyed  the  tutorage  of  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  men  of  the  Catholic  world, 
among  whom  were  the  late  lamented  Bishop 
Flasch,  of  LaCrosse,  and  Archbishop  Katzer, 
of  Milwaukee. 

Thus  fully  equipped,  both  by  instruction 
and  example,  he  began  his  ministerial  duties 
in  January  12,  1877,  at  Olney,  Illinois,  and 
conducted  the  services  in  three  churches  in 
that  vicinity,  at  Olney,  Stringtown  and 
Bridgeport,  continuing  in  their  charge  until 
February,  1884.  He  was  then  transferred 
to  Petersburg,  of  the  same  State,  and  con- 
ducted services  there  and  at  Ashland,  with 
his  residence  at  the  former  place.  In  1885, 
these  churches  were  placed  in  separate  juris- 
dictions, and  Father  Merscher  removed  to 
Ashland,  where  he  has  since  remained,  hav- 
ing taken  charge  of  the  church  in  February, 
1884.  Here  he  has  everything  to  encourage 
him  in  his  work,  a  beautiful  church  and  an 
attractive  parsonage,  of  modern  architectural 
design,  both  of  which  are  handsomely  finished 
and  neatly  furnished.  He  has  charge  of  a 
large  and  intelligent  congregation,  number- 


SCHUTLER    AND    BUOWN    COUNTIES. 


357 


ing  some  eighty-five  or  ninety  families, 
among  whom  lie  has  many  sincere  friends 
and  well  wishers. 

Thus  pleasantly  situated,  and  in  the  steady 
pursuance  of  the  path  of  duty  as  spread  out 
before  him,  his  time  is  usefully  and  happily 
passed,  finding  in  good  works  a  companion- 
ship for  his  otherwise  lonely  life. 


WILLIAM  H.    BRACKEN  KIDGE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
in  Washington  county,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 28,  1835.  His  father,  William,  was  born 
in  Scotland,  in  1805,  and  came  from  his  na- 
tive land  to  Illinois,  in  1829,  when  twenty- 
four  years  of  age.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  was 
married  to  Margaret  Harvey,  who  died,  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1845,  leaving  our  subject,  the  only 
child.  She  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and 
made  a  good,  faithful  wife  the  short  time  she 
lived.  Her  husband  was  married  a  second 
time,  to  Ellen  Reid,  of  Virginia,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children. 

W.  H.  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  like 
hundreds  of  other  farmer  boys  he  received  a 
common-school  education.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-two  he  entered  a  store  in  Missouri,  as 
a  clerk,  where  he  remained  four  years,  and 
then  came  to  Versailles,  May,  1861.  Here 
he  volunteered  in  defense  of  his  country, 
August,  1862,  entering  the  One  Hundred  and 
Nineteenth  Illinois  Infantry,  Company  D,  as 
a  Second  Lieutenant,  being  honorably  dis- 
charged after  two  years  and  four  months  of 
service,  on  account  of  failing  health.  He 
then  returned  to  Versailles  and  resumed  his 
clerking,  after  he  had  recovered  his  health. 
Mr.  Brackenridge  was  married,  October, 
1865,  to  Amanda  0.  Vandeventer,  daughter 


of    Jethro    Vandeventer    and   Jane    Olford, 
natives  of  Virginia. 

Mr.  Brackenridge  began  the  mercantile 
business  for  himself,  in  1866,  and  has  con- 
tinued doing  a  thriving  business  most  of  the 
time  since.  In  1884,  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  and  was  one  of  the  immortal 
103  who  supported  John  A.  Logan,  whom  he 
admired  extremely  and  whose  memory  he  re- 
veres. It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that 
Mr.  Brackenridge  has  been  a  Republican  of 
the  first  order,  main  tain  ing  the  principles  of 
that  party  through  thick  and  thin.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a 
Blue  Lodge  Mason.  He  and  his  estimable 
wife  are  highly  respected  and  esteemed 
throughout  Versailles. 


HRISTIAN  DUCHARDT  was  born  in 
Hesse- Darmstadt,  Germany,  June  25, 
1818.  Both  his  parents  and  grandpar- 
ents were  natives  of  that  country  and  passed 
their  lives  there.  His  father,  Karl  Duchardt, 
was  a  butcher  by  trade  and  carried  on  that 
business.  Of  his  eight  children,  four  came 
came  to  America,  viz.:  John,  who  settled 
in  Beardstown  and  died  there;  Christian; 
William,  a  resident  of  Beardstown;  and  Mary 
who  was  married  and  died  in  that  place. 

Christian  Duchardt  attended  school  until 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  America;  sailed  from  Hamburg 
in  September,  1836,  on  the  Franklin,  and  six 
weeks  later  landed  at  New  York,  from  whence 
he  came  direct  to  Beardstown,  Illinois,  land- 
ing here  a  poor  boy.  The  journey  from  New 
York  to  this  place  was  made  via  the  Hudson 
river,  Erie  canal,  the  lakes  and  canal,  and  the 
Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers.  At 
that  time  Beardstown  was  a  small  place  and 


358 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Cass  county  was  sparsely  settled,  much  of  the 
land  being  owned  by  the  Government  and  for 
sale  at  f  1.25  per  acre. 

Mr.  Duchardt  worked  at  his  trade,  that  of 
butcher,  until  his  marriage,  when  he  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land,  in  section  22,  township 
18,  range  10,  covered  at  the  time  of  purchase 
with  a  growth  of  brush.  He  bought  a  log 
cabin  in  Virginia,  moved  it  to  this  place,  and 
commenced  at  once  the  work  of  clearing  and 
improving  his  farm,  and  here  he  has  since 
lived.  He  has  bought  other  land  at  differ- 
ent times,  prosperity  has  rewarded  his  efforts 
and  he  is  now  regarded  as  one  of  the  substan- 
tial men  of  his  vicinity.  Nor  has  his  whole 
time  and  attention  been  given  to  making 
money.  He  devotes  much  time  to  reading 
and  is  well  posted  on  the  general  topics  of  the 
day;  is  public-spirited  and  generous,  always 
supporting  those  measures  that  tend  to  ad- 
vance the  best  interests  of  the  community 
where  he  lives. 

In  1846  Mr.  Duchardt  married  Mary  A. 
Nellsch,  a  native  of  Wittenberg,  Germany. 
They  have  two  children,  John  and  Lizzie. 
John  was  born  February  28,  1851.  He  has 
the  management  of  the  home  farm.  Lizzie 
was  married  March  21,  1882,  to  William 
Needham,  and  has  one  child,  Mary  Ann. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duchardt  and  their  daughter, 
Mrs.  Needham,  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church. 


|AUL  P.  PHILIPPI,  one  of  the  leading 
and  successful  young  farmers  of  Cass 
county,  lives  on  a  farm  consisting  of 
200  acres  on  sections  8  and  5,  township  17, 
range  11,  where  he  was  born  October  16, 
1854.  He  was  reared  here  by  good  parents 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  a 


German  institute  in  St.  Louis.  He  has  al- 
ways been  a  farmer  and  also  very  industrious, 
and  as  he  is  yet  a  young  man  the  prospect 
looks  very  bright  for  him.  He  is  the  young- 
est of  a  family  of  ten  children,  five  yet  living. 
One,  Louisa,  wife  of  John  E.  Fuhr,  a  farmer 
of  Christian  county,  Missouri.  The  eldest, 
Mrs.  Annie  Bohema,  is  now  deceased,  and  one 
brother,  Victor,  fought  through  the  Rebellion 
for  over  four  years  as  a  private  volunteer. 
He  was  never  wounded  or  captured,  but  had 
a  sunstroke  in  battle  and  is  now  dead,  leaving 
a  wife  and  eight  children.  Herman,  a  farmer 
in  this  county,  married  Mary  Winhold; 
Bertha  is  the  wife  of  Ferdinand  Winhold,  a 
farmer  in  this  county;  Armeda  now  lives 
with  Paul.  Bertha  Amelia  died  when  small, 
and  Charles  died  aged  24. 

The  father,  Pompeius  Philippi,  was  a  native 
of  Hamburg,  being  the  eldest  of  the  family 
of  whom  the  mother  and  all  the  children 
came  to  the  United  States,  the  father  having 
died  in  Germany.  Pompeius  Philippi  was 
th'e  inventor  of  several  improvements,  which 
were  patented.  The  last  patent  issued  to  him 
was  dated  January  24,  1882,  for  what  is  now 
the  leading  automatic  straw-stacker.  The 
family  left  April  24,  1834,  and  after  a  jour- 
ney of  sixty-two  days  landed  in  New  York. 
The  mother  had  her  three  sons,  Pompeius, 
Julius  and  Victor  and  her  one  daughter, 
Louisa.  From  New  York  they  came  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  and  later  joined  the  twin 
brothers,  Csesar  and  Alexander,  at  Hamilton, 
where  they  had  settled  when  they  came  over 
some  time  before.  The  family  all  came 
West  in  1834.  Caesar  went  to  New  Or- 
leans, where  he  was  married  and  where  he  has 
since  lived,  being  a  book-keeper  in  the  Con- 
sumers' Ice  Company.  He  is  now  eighty 
years  old.  The  other  living  children  are  Dr. 
Julius,  who  is  a  widower  with  two  sons  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


359 


is  eighty-four  years  old,  and  is  yet  smart 
and  active.  Another  brother,  Alexander,  is 
now  eighty  years  old,  is  married  and  in  St. 
Louis.  The  family  is  remarkable  for  its 
health  and  activity.  They  all  are  free- 
thinkers. One  brother,  Victor,  noted  for  civil 
engineering,  died  in  year  1842.  Tne  mother 
died  when  an  old  lady  at  Arenzville. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  faithful 
man.  He  was  married  in  Germany  to  Caro- 
line Richelman  of  Hamburg,  Germany.  She 
was  a  very  beloved  woman  in  all  respects, 
who  came  with  her  husband  to  the  United 
States  in  1834  and  afterward  lived  in  Cass 
county.  Here  she  and  her  husband  improved 
a  large  farm  of  200  acres,  now  owned  by  our 
subject  and  named  Fair  View.  Here  the 
father  and  mother  died,  the  former  in  1887 
and  the  latter  eleven  months  later.  The 
father  was  eighty-one  years  old  at  death. 
They  had  been  married  fifty-four  years  and 
the  wife  was  seventy-seven  years  old  at  her 
death.  They  were  good  people  and 
Freethinkers.  Mr.  Philippi  was  a  Re- 
publican, but  not  an  office  seeker.  They 
were  recognized  as  pioneers  who  helped  build 
up  the  county. 

Our  subject  and  brothers  are  all  Republi- 
cans in  politics.  He  has  never  married  and 
is  a  reliable  good  farmer  of  the  county. 


JJSRAEL  HILL,  one  of  the  pioneer  farmers 
fl  of  Oakland  township,  was  born  in  Indi- 
^  ana,  in  1827,  a  son  of  Ishmael  Hill,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  born  in  October,  1808; 
when  the  latter  was  a  child  of  seven  years  he 
was  taken  to  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  until 
a  youth  of  seventeen.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Ephraim  Hill,  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  distiller  in  Tennessee.  He  re- 


moved to  Indiana  about  1825,  and  here  his 
son,  Ishmael,  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Wright,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Catherine  (Rusher) 
Wright.  This  young  couple  emigrated  to 
Illinois  in  1828  with  their  infant  son,  Israel; 
they  made  the  journey  overland  in  the  early 
spring,  and  came  directly  to  Rushville  where 
they  settled  on  a  squatter's  claim  of  160 
acres,  eight  miles  north  of  the  village. 
Some  years  later  Mr.  Hill  bought  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Oakland 
township.  It  was  wild  and  heavily  tim- 
bered, but  he  went  to  work  with  a  will,  and, 
assisted  by  his  son,  succeeded  in  making  one 
of  the  most  desirable  farms  in  this  section. 
He  resided  here  until  1878,  when  he  sold 
the  farm  to  his  son,  and  bought  another 
tract  south  of  Macomb  in  McDonough 
county,  where  he  spent  the  last  years  of 
his  life.  His  wife  died  in  1875,  leaving 
him  with  a  family  of  eight  children;  they 
buried  two  infant  sons;  the  names  of  the 
other  children  are  as  follows:  Rhoda,  Mary, 
Sarah,  Martha,  Margaret,  Millie  A.  and 
Nancy;  all  are  married  and  have  families. 
Mr.  Hill  is  the  only  son. 

He  was  married  April  4,  1850,  to  Miss 
Louisiana  Pemberton,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Pembertou  of  Kentucky;  the  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Deborah  Moore,  and  she  was  a 
daughter  of  Ephraim  Moore,  also  of  Ken- 
tucky. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  have  had  a  family 
of  ten  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy; Minerva  J.,  wife  of  Thomas  Schroder, 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  leaving 
one  daughter;  Amanda  is  now  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Schroder;  Eliza  married  A.  J. 
Heaton;  Columbia  A.  is  at  home;  Deborah, 
wife  of  George  W.  Young;  Cora  and  John 
are  at  home;  J.  N.  married  a  Miss  Smith, 
and  they  have  three  children,  Wilmar,  aged 


360 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OA8S, 


six  years,  Myrtle,  aged  four,  and  Roscoe, 
aged  thirteen  months.  Mr.  Hill  bought  120 
acres  in  1858,  to  which  he  added  80  acres  in 
1871;  in  1878  he  purchased  his  father's 
farm  and  later  added  eighty-six  acres  to  the 
original  purchase  of  120  acres.  inNovember, 
1891,  he  bought  a  home  in  Vermont,  where 
he  lives  retired  from  active  life. 

He  has  served  his  town  as  Supervisor  sev- 
eral terms,  and  has  held  other  minor  offices. 
He  was  in  his  early  days  a  Whig,  but  now 
affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  business,  and 
from  a  small  beginning  he  has  accumulated 
a  large  estate;  he  owns  415  acres  of  good 
jand,  well  improved,  and  by  a  life  of  honor 
and  integrity  has  attracted  to  himself  a  large 
number  of  warm  friends,  and  has  won  the 
confidence  of  the  entire  community. 


flELDS  E.  DAVIS,  who  has  been  for 
many  years  identified  with  the  leading 
farmers  of  Schuyler  county,  is  a  native 
of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  born  in  Greene 
county,  in  1827,  a  son  of  Paul  Davis;  the 
paternal  grandfather  was  Fields  Davis.  Paul 
Davis  was  reared  in  Tennesseee,  and  there 
married  Sarah  Huff,  a  daughter  of  Elias 
Huff.  In  1827,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
child  he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and  located  in 
what  is  now  Rushville  township.  He  re- 
mained here  a  few  months  and  went  to  In- 
diana, and  lived  near  New  Albany  until  1837, 
and  then  returned  to  Schuyler  county,  and 
rented  land  on  which  he  passed  the  last  days 
of  his  life.  Elias  Huff  removed  from  Ten- 
nessee to  Illinois  in  1827,  and  settled  in 
Schuyler  county;  after  a  few  years  he  re- 
moved to  McDonough  county,  Illinois, 


where  he  died.  Mrs.  Sarah  H.  Davis  died  in 
Hancock  county,  Illinois.  Fields  E.  Davis 
was  an  infant  when  his  parents  first  pene- 
trated the  wilds  of  Schuyler  county,  and  was 
a  lad  of  ten  when  they  returned  to  the  State. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  pioneer 
schools,  and  has  a  vivid  recollection  of  the 
puncheon  floors,  puncheon  seats  and  punch- 
eon desks,  the  finishings  and  furnishings  be- 
ing of  almost  the  same  pattern.  He  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  old,  when  he  went  to  learn 
the  cooper  trade;  this  he  followed  until  1846, 
when  he  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  war.  He 
soon  fell  ill,  and  was  discharged  on  account 
of  disability;  he  was  in  Texas  at  this  time, 
but  returned  to  his  home,  and  resumed  his 
former  occupation.  This  he  pursued  until 
1851,  when  he  took  a  trip  to  the  Territory  of 
Minnesota,  going  via  the  river  to  St.  Paul 
which  was  then  a  rather  straggling  village. 
He  returned  in  the  .autumn  of  the  same  year, 
worked  at  his  trade,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1855,  started  for  California.  This  long  and 
weary  journey  was  made  across  the  plains 
with  ox  teams,  when  there  were  no  settle- 
ments between  the  Missouri  river  and  the 
Pacific  coast,  excepting  the  military  posts 
and  the  Mormons  at  Salt  Lake.  He  started  in 
March,  and  reached  the  Golden  State  in  the 
following  August.  He  first  engaged  in  min- 
ing, the  all-absorbing  occupation,  and  after- 
ward followed  farming.  In  1857  he  returned 
to  the  East,  coming  via  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama. He  worked  at  his  trade  for  two  years, 
and  then  purchased  a  farm  consisting  of  160 
acres;  this  he  has  by  industry  and  toil  brought 
to  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  he  has  made 
many  valuable  improvements;  he  has  erected 
good,  substantial  buildings,  all  conveniently 
arranged  for  farming  purposes.  He  is  a 
thoroughly  self-made  man,  and  it  is  through 


SCHUYLER    AND    BHQWN    COUNTIES. 


361 


bis  own  efforts  that  he  has  arisen  to  a  pos- 
ition of  financial  independence. 

Mr.  Davis  was  united  in  marriage  April  1, 
1860,  to  Miss  Lydia  E.  Smith,  a  native  of 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  and  Nancy  Smith,  whose  history 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Eight  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  this  union  :  Charles  J., 
Mary,  Virginia  E.,  William,  Margaret,  Sam- 
uel, Fanny  and  John.  Mr.  Davis  is  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Missionary  Baptist 
Church,  and  is  highly  respected  by  the  cit- 
izens of  his  county. 


PHOMAS  M.  REDFIELD  was  born  in 
Cayuga  county,  New  York,  August 
27,  1816.  His  father  was  Richard 
Redfield,  born  in  Connecticut  in  1768.  He 
was  a  blacksmith  all  his  life.  He  had  but 
one  brother,  Reuben.  Richard  was  married 
twice  and  Thomas  was  a  child  of  the  second 
marriage.  His  mother's  name  was  Mrs.  Lucy 
Brown,  nee  Main,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Lucy  (Taylor)  Main,  of  Connecticut,  where 
she  was  born.  Mr.  Redfield  had  one  brother, 
Charles,  who  died  young,  and  a  sister,  Mrs. 
Charles  Hulett,  the  mother  of  ten  children 
who  died  in  Brown  county,  aged  forty-six: 
only  two  of  these  now  survive.  The  father 
and  mother  of  Thomas  came  to  Illinois  from 
Indiana  with  a  hired  team  and  wagon  in  the 
fall  of  1830.  They  lived  about  a  year  at 
Rushville,  where  in  1827  he  had  bought  eight 
lots.  He  sold  these  off  and  moved  fire  miles 
southwest  of  Rushville  and  cleared  up  a  farm 
on  school  lands.  They  moved  from  these 
lands  to  a  new  place  in  La  Grange,  then  in 
Schuyler,  but  now  in  Brown.  In  1836  they 
came  to  Brooklyn  and  obtained  forty  acres  of 
Government  land, 


Thomas  lived  at  home  until  he  was  married, 
in  1839,  to  Mary  Pyle,  daughter  of  Nicholas 
and  Mary  Pyle,  who  came  from  Kentucky  to 
Illinois  about  1832.  Mr.  Redfield  began 
married  life  on  a  farm  of  forty  acres  about 
one  mile  northeast  of  the  village  site,  and  in 
1852  he  moved  to  the  village  where  they 
lived  until  1869,  when  they  sold  the  home 
and  moved  to  his  present  place,  September  15. 
He  bought  120  acres  of  land  at  $3  an  acre. 
Mr.  Redfield  lost  his  wife  February  17,  1884. 
She  was  in  her  sixty-sixth  year  and  left  five 
living  children.  They  buried  four,  Nancy, 
an  infant;  Lucy;  Mrs.  George  W.  Logan, 
who  died  in  early  married  life,  and  her  infant 
with  her;  and  Melissa,  who  was  Mrs.  Daniel 
Gross;  she  was  first  married  to  George  A. 
Brown,  who  was  Lieutenant  of  Company  A, 
Seventy-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  killed  during  the  war.  Her  second 
husband  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  army.  She 
died  in  1873,  aged  about  thirty-three,  leaving 
live  children.  Sarah,  Mrs.  John  Krieble,  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren. The  living  children  are:  Ovandea,  at 
home  with  her  father;  George,  in  McDonough 
county;  Lovisa  D.  Camp,  a  widow.  Mr. 
Redfield  has  been  School  Director,  a  life-long 
Republican  and  he  is  a  Universalist.  Mary, 
another  of  his  daughters,  now  Mrs.  Logan, 
lives  in  Sacramento,  California;  and  Thomas, 
Jr.,  lives  on  part  of  the  farm.  Mr.  Redfield 
has  twenty-five  grandchildren  and  four  great- 
grandchildren. 


ILLIAM  H.  BURNSIDE,  one  of  the 
most  substantial  farmers  in  Schuy- 
ler county,  resides  on  section  29, 
Buena  Vista  township.  He  was  born  in 
Bainbridge  township,  this  State,  on  July  3, 


363 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF  .CASS, 


1848,  his  parents  being  Thomas  and  Sarah 
J.  (Henry)  Burnside,  natives  of  Ireland  and 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  respectively.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1816,  coining  to  the  United  States  when  sev- 
enteen years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  a  family 
of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, named  William,  James,  Thomas,  Mary, 
Lillie  and  Margaret.  On  arriving  in  the 
United  States,  he  went  to  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  worked  at  the  trade  of 
cabinet-maker,  afterward  going  into  business 
for  himself  in  that  city,  but  later  lost  every- 
thing, and  in  1843  came  to  Illinois,  a  poor 
man.  He  worked  for  a  time  at  his  trade  in 
Enshville,  this  State,  and  afterward  engaged 
in  farming,  in  which  he  was  very  successful, 
eventually  becoming  the  owner  of  345  acres 
of  land,  highly  improved  with  good  house  and 
barns,  the  land  being  well  cultivated  and  de- 
voted to  mixed  farming.  He  died  in  1876, 
his  wife  dying  a  few  months  previous.  They 
had  seven  children:  Lillie,  who  married 
Washington  Lawler,  of  Woodstock  township; 
William  H.,  the  subject  of  our  sketch;  Sarah, 
who  resides  on  the  homestead;  James,  also  a 
resident  of  the  homestead;  Thomas,  living  in 
Buena  Vista  township;  Robert,  a  resident  of 
Bainbridge  township;  and  Margaret,  living 
on  the  homestead. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  and  attended  the  country  schools.  He 
resided  at  home  until  1883,  when  he  located 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides.  This 
land  he  purchased  in  1882,  which  then  com- 
prised 320  acres,  to  which  he  has  since  added 
fifty  acres  more,  making  altogether  370  acres 
of  well  impros-ed  land,  which  he  now  owns. 
He  has  erected  good  buildings,  a  residence 
and  barns  for  grain  and  stock  and  other  mod- 
ern improvements,  and  has  put  his  land  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Besides 


agriculture,  he  also  raises  stock,  principally 
short-horn  cattle,  in  which  latter  pursuit  he 
is  very  successful. 

He  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party, 
but  is  riot  an  office-seeker,  taking  only  such 
interest  as  all  good  citizens  feel  in  the  ad- 
vancement and  welfare  of  their  native  county 
and  State. 

Beginning  life  with  only  such  means  as 
his  father  could  spare  from  the  care  and 
support  of  a  large  family,  he  has  by  economy 
and  thrift  become  one  of  the  largest  land- 
owners and  stock-raisers  of  the  county. 
Honest  in  dealings,  courteous  in  manners 
and  cordial  to  all.  he  enjoys  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  the  community  and  has  a  host  of 
warm  personal  friends. 


LFRED  M.  SMITH,  a  well-known  citi- 
zen and  an  honored  veteran  of  the  late 
war,  now  residing  in  Ashland,  Illinois, 
was  'born  in  Brown  county,  Ohio,  June  30, 
1849.  His  parents  were  Wesley  and  Mary 
M.  (Moore)  Smith,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  the 
former  of  Chillicothe  and  the  latter  of  Fees- 
burgh.  They  had  nine  children,  five  now 
living:  Margaret  C.,  wife  of  Charles  Wig- 
gins, resides  in  Ashland;  James  Monroe 
served  four  years  and  three  months  in  the 
Union  army,  enlisting  in  the  Twenty-third 
Kentucky  Regiment,  and  participated  in  all 
the  principal  engagements  in  which  the 
Twenty-fourth  Corps  took  part;  he  died,  un- 
married, of  smallpox,  in  Hamilton  county, 
Ohio,  in  1876.  John  Wesley  served  in  the 
Fifty-fourth  Kentucky  (Union)  Regiment,  is 
married,  and  lives  in  Tallula,  Menard  county, 
Illinois;  the  next  in  order  of  birth  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  William  Henry  is 
married,  and  is  a  Methodist  Episcopal  minis- 


SCHUTLKH    AM>    BROW  A     COUNTIES. 


863 


terin  Akron,  Ohio;  Alice  Virginia  married 
John  K.  Hull,  and  lives  in  Bracken  county, 
Kentucky;  Mary,  Joseph  and  Eliza  died  in 
childhood.  In  1858,  the  parents  removed  to 
Kentucky,  where  the  father  died  in  1861, 
leaving  a  large  family  of  children  to  the  care 
of  the  mother.  She  afterward  married  Sove- 
reign Greene,  who  also  died  in  Kentucky. 
She  then  removed  with  her  children  to  Fred- 
erick, Illinois,  where  she  married  Martin 
Bridgman,  surviving  her  marriage  only  about 
a  year,  dying  in  Frederick  in  1874. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  nine 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
Ohio  to  Kentucky,  at  that  time  a  new  and 
sparsely  settled  county.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  and  followed  that  vocation  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war.  Those  happy,  peace- 
ful days,  spent  in  rural  scenes  and  homely 
duties  and  pastimes,  were  interrupted  by  his 
enlisting,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  and  seven 
months,  in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and 
Ninety-sixth  Ohio  Infantry,  for  the  period  of 
one  year,  which  he  served  in  full,  being  un- 
der the  command  of  General  Hancock,  in  the 
Second  Army  Corps.  He  took  the  measles 
while  in  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  and  was  dis- 
charged from  the  hospital  to  accompany  his 
regiment  to  the  front,  when  he  took  cold,  and 
the  disease  settled  in  his  eyes  and  lungs,  de- 
stroying the  sight  of  his  right  eye,  severely 
injuring  the  other,  and  superinducing  neu- 
ralgia, from,  which  he  greatly  suffered.  He 
now  receives  a  pension  for  these  disabilities. 

On  September  11,  1865,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where- 
upon he  returned  to  his  widowed  mother  in 
Pendleton  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  ex- 
perienced some  exciting  scenes,  caused  by  the 
return  of  the  disbanded  rebel  army  of  that 
vicinity.  It  was  while  he  was  at  home  that 
his  mother  became  a  widow  a  second  time. 


after  which  Mr.  Smith  accompanied  her  to 
Frederick,  Illinois,  where  she  spent  the  rest 
of  her  life.  She  is  now  buried  in  the  Messer 
cemetery,  near  Frederick. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  in  Springfield, 
Illinois,  April  1,  1878,  to  Miss  Anna  Ratliff, 
an  estimable  lady,  and  a  native  of  Morgan 
county,  Illinois.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Mary  (Bridgman)  Ratliff,  both  of 
whom  had  been  previously  married,  the  father 
having  one  son  and  three  daughters:  Lucy 
J.,  Mary  Ellen,  Isaac  Wesley,  and  Lucretia. 
The  mother  was  formerly  married  to  a  Mr. 
Houston,  to  which  union  three  children  were 
born:  llezekiah,  Isaac  and  William  Thomas. 
All  of  these  children  of  both  marriages  are 
now  living,  except  Lucy  J.,  and  all  are 
married.  To  the  marriage  of  Mrs.  Smith's 
parents,  four  children  were  born,  of  whom 
she  is  the  eldest:  Anna  Nancy  J.,  now  Mrs. 
E.  T.  Welch,  resides  in  Amarillo,  Texas; 
Mary  M.,  married  James  Allen,  of  Ashland, 
Illinois;  James  Albert,  unmarried,  is  a 
farmer.  The  mother  still  lives,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years,  and  is  comfortably  situated 
in  Ashland.  The  father,  Hezekiah  Bridgman, 
was  a  prominent  citizen  and  esteemed  pio- 
neer of  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  who  died  in 
Concord,  that  county,  in  1884.  He  was 
was  widely  known  throughout  this  vicinity 
and  was  deeply  mourned  by  a  large  com- 
munity. 

Since  the  war,  Mr.  Smith  has  been  in  rather 
poor  health.  Thinking  a  change  might  prove 
beneficial,  he  traveled  through  the  South  for 
two  years,  visiting  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Mis- 
sissippi, Arkansas,  Louisiana,  Tennessee, 
Georgia  and  Alabama.  Some  of  the  time  he 
is  able  to  work,  while  often  he  is  incapacitated 
for  active  pursuits. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  five  children: 
Jessie,  Clarence,  Randolph,  Mary  Alice, 


3C4 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


William  Ellsworth  and  Ada  Belle,  all  at  home 
with  their  parents.  Miss  Jessie  Smith  is 
particularly  intelligent  and  active.  She  is 
now  at  that  age  commonly  known  as  "  sweet 
sixteen,"  and  is  attending  the  high  school  in 
Ashland,  hoping  some  day  to  become  a 
teacher.  She  is  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  takes  an  active  part  in 
church  and  Sunday-school  work,  never  having 
missed  a  session  of  Sunday-school  for  two 
years.  Mrs.  Smith  is  also  a  most  devoted 
and  useful  member  of  the  same  church. 

Mr.  Smith  is  Democratic  in  his  political 
affiliations,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  State  and  county. 

He  is  a  member  of  Dick  Johnson  Post, 
No.  381,  of  Tallula,  Illinois,  and  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  United  Friends,  as  well  as  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Having  followed  his  career  thus  far,  which 
has  been  most  honorable,  it  is  reasonable  to 
prognosticate  a  fitting  close,  as,  surrounded 
by  sympathetic  friends,  to  whom  his  many 
sterling  qualities  have  endeared  him,  and 
vindicated  at  the  tribunal  of  his  own  search- 
ing conscience,  he  peacefully  pursues  his 
pathway  through  life. 


(REGORY  WAGNER,  JE.,  farmer  and 
resident  of  Mt.  Sterling  township,  was 
born  in  Owen  county,  Indiana,  March 
24,  1853.  His  father,  Gregory,  was  born  at 
Baden,  Germany,  February  24,  1820,  and 
his  father  was  also  born  in  Baden,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  weaver  and  there  fol- 
lowed it.  He  came  to  America  about  1827, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  six  children.  He 
lived  in  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Pitts- 
burg,  where  he  worked  in  the  iron  works  for 
some  years.  From  there  he  went  to  Co- 


shocton  county,  Ohio  and  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  there.  He  continued  on  the 
land  he  then  bought  until  his  death  in  1837. 
This  was  occasioned  by  the  bite  of  a  rattle- 
snake. His  wife's  name  was  Magdaline  Ril- 
ing, also  of  Baden.  After  her  husband's 
death  she  came  to  Brown  county  and  died 
here  about  1862.  Gregory,  Sr.,  was  seven 
years  old  when  he  came  to  America.  While 
the  family  lived  at  Pittsburg  he  worked  in 
the  iron  works  and  after  their  removal  to  Ohio 
he  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm.  He  in- 
herited a  part  of  his  father's  land  and  bongth 
forty  acres  more  from  his  brother  and  lived 
there  until  1851.  He  then  moved  to  Indi- 
ana, traded  his  farm  in  Ohio  for  land  in  Owen 
township,  Indiana,  remained  there  two  years, 
then  sold  and  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in 
Mt.  Sterling  township,  buying  land  in  sections 
1  and  2.  There  was  only  a  log  cabin  on  the 
place,  but  he  shortly  began  improving;  later 
he  bought  another  tract  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1878,  when  he  moved  to  Mt.  Ster- 
ling, where  he  now  resides.  He  was  married 
November  18,  1840,  to  Miss  Agatha  Lash, 
born  in  Alsace,  Germany,  February  5,  1821. 
Her  father  was  a  carpenter  of  Baden,  who 
came  to  America  in  1827  with  his  wife  and 
six  children.  The  parents  of  our  subject 
have  ten  living  children. 

Gregory,  Jr.,  was  but  an  infant  wheu  he 
came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents.  He  began 
when  very  young  to  help  on  the  farm,  was 
reared  to  habits  of  industry,  received  the 
benefits  of  thedistrict  schools,  and  continued  to 
reside  with  his  parents  until  twenty-one, 
since  when  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming 
and  threshing  on  his  own  responsibility.  He 
now  owns  and  occupies  a  portion  of  the  old 
homestead,  where  he  has  erected  a  good  set  of 
frame  buildings  and  has  otherwise  improved 
the  place. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


365 


He  was  married  January  15, 1878,  to  Miss 
Mary  Factor  of  Ohio,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Factor,  she  being  one  of  eleven  children.  The 
family  are  highly  regarded  members  of  St. 
Mary's  Roman  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a 
Democrat  and  the  whole  family  is  greatly  re- 
spected. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagner  have  seven 
children, — four  sons  and  three  daughters. 


H.  DUNN,  dealer  in  all  kinds  of  hard- 
ware, stoves  and  gardening  imple- 
ments, in  Beardstown,  was  born  in 
this  county.  He  attended  school  at  home 
and  in  Jacksonville  College.  His  father, 
Luke  Dunn,  was  a  native  of  Cornwall,  En- 
gland. He  followed  the  business  of  farrier. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Jasper,  of  the  same 
place,  and  soon  after,  late  in  the  '40s,  they 
reached  the  United  States  and  settled  on  the 
Sangamon  bottom^  in  Cass  county,  Illinois, 
upon  unbroken  land.  After  making  some 
improvements,  he  sold  the  land  and  took  up 
more  land,  and  still  later  moved  into  the.  city 
of  Beardstown,  retiring  from  active  labors. 
Mr.  Dunn  still  lives,  being  sixty-eight  years 
of  age,  but  his  wife  died  in  189(2,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-six  years.  She  was  a  good  wife, 
mother  and  neighbor,  of  Christian  spirit,  and 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Mr.  Dnnn  is  an,  active  politician,  and  has 
been  County  Commissioner  twjce,  and  has 
held  other  local  offices.  He  is  a  well-known, 
good  citizen. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  son  and  second 
child  of  seven  children,  all  yet  living.  He 
was  for  some  time  engaged  in  farming,  and 
was  also  at  one  time  a  clerk  for  Colonel  B. 
G.  Wheeler  &  Co.,  of  Missouri.  His  present 
business  was  established  by  an  old  settler, 
Abner  Foster.  Except  for  six  months,  when 

25 


Mr.  Dunn  had  associated  with  M.  T.  Dunn, 
Mr.  Dunn  has  been  the  sole  proprietor  since 
1882.  He  is  a  live  young  man,  and  is  sure 
of  making  his  business  succeed. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  to  Miss 
Lizzie  Miller,  who  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated and  taught  school  in  this  same  county. 
Her  father,  E.  P.  Miller,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, but  married  in  Beardstown.  Mr. 
Miller  was  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
when  he  died  in  1884.  He  was  born  in 
1818;  was  a  sound  Republican,  but  not  an 
office-seeker.  His  wife,  born  in  Illinois,  is 
yet  living  and  is  quite  an  old  lady.  Mrs. 
Dunn  is  a  bright,  intelligent  lady,  and  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Edna  and  E.  Miller. 
She  is  a  me,mb,er  of  the  Methodist  Church. 


ILLIAM  CAMPBELL  was  born  in 
county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  April  18, 
1818,  on  the  same  farm  on  which  his 
father,  Archibald  Campbell,  and  his  grand- 
father, William  Campbell,  were  born.  This 
fa^in  was.  owned  by  his  grandfather,  who 
passed  his  entire  life  on  it.  William  Camp- 
bell, Sr.,  was.  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  in  that  faith  reared  his  family. 
Archibald  Campbell,  like  his  father,  spent  his 
whole  life  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born. 
He  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-nine 
years.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Stewart,  she  being  a  native  of  the 
same  vicinity,  and  a  daughter  of  James 
Stewart,  who  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a 
descendant  of  Scotch  ancestry.  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell died  in  Ireland,  aged  seventy-eight 
years.  The  names  of  their  six  children  are: 
Mary,  William,  Catherine,  James,  Archie 
and  Ann.  James  and  Archie  are  deceased. 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Shaw,  and  re- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA3S, 


sides  in  Dixon,  Illinois.  Catherine  married 
Hugh  Gibney,  and  lives  in  Canada.  Ann 
still  makes  her  home  in  Tyrone,  Ireland. 

William    Campbell,    the    subject   of   our 
sketch,  was  reared  and  educated   in  Ireland, 
and  as  soon  as  he  was   old   enough  aided   in 
the  farm  work.     In    1840,   bidding  farewell 
to  the  Emerald  Isle,  he  sailed  from   London- 
derry,  May  10,  and    landed    at    New  York 
after   a    voyage    of   thirty-one  days.     From 
New  York  he  came  direct  to  Illinois,  making 
the  journey  via   water,    rail    and    stage,  to 
Pittsburg,  and   thence   by  way  of  the  Ohio, 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers  to  Beardstown. 
Then  he  came  by  team  to  the  vicinity  where 
he  now  lives.    At  that  time  Cass  county  was 
sparsely  settled,  some  of  the  land  still  being 
owned  by  the  Government.     He  spent  a  few 
months    with     his     brother-in-law,    Samuel 
Shaw,  and  at  this  time  was  taken   sick  with 
ague.     Seeking  a  change  of  climate,  he  went 
to    St.   Louis   and    took   charge  of  a  livery 
stable,  remaining  there  three  years.     At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  came  back  to  Cass  county 
and  bought  a  farm   three   miles  and  a  half 
west  of  Virginia.     This  farm,  consisting  of 
100  acres,  he  purchased  for  $5   per  acre,  a 
log  house  and  stable  and  fifty  acres   under 
cultivation  comprising  the  improvements  on 
it.     Five  years  later  he  sold  out  at  an  ad- 
vance, and  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
resides,  two  miles  west  of   Virginia.     The 
improvements  on   this  place  at  the  time  of 
purchase  were  a  log  house  with  a  frame  addi- 
tion, and  a  frame  stable.     He  has  since  re- 
placed them  with  a  good  set  of  frame  build- 
ings, has  purchased  other  lands  at  different 
times,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  upwards  of 
1,000  acres  in  Cass  county. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  married  in  1845,  Octo- 
ber 10,  to  Mary  D.  Sudbrink,  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Catherine  Sudbrink.  She  was 


born  in  Germany,  and  came  with  her  parents 
to  America  when  young.  Their  four  children 
are  Henry  I.,  Alfred,  Emma  Ann  and  Edwin. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  are  members  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  Po- 
litically he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic 
party.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  County  Commissioners. 


R.  ARCH1BLE  R.  ALLEN  located  in 
Huntsville  in  1882.  He  was  born  in 
Bainbridge  township,  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  September  22,  1851,  being  a  son  of 
William  J.  and  Mary  G.  (Edmondstun)  Allen, 
natives  of  North  Carolina  and  Indiana.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  Indiana 
and  in  1844  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
Bainbridge  \vhere  he  married;  and  in  1852. 
Having  som.e  land  in  Missouri,  he  left  his  wife 
and  children  with  her  parents  and  went  to 
that  State.  From  there  he  went  to  Oregon 
and  later  to  California,  where  he  died.  His 
wife  died  in  Adams  county,  Illinois.  They 
had  two  sons,  Archible  and  James  E. 

Archible  is  the  older,  and  resided  with  his 
grandfather  in  Schuyler  county;  but  when  he 
was  ten  years  old  he  removed  to  Adams 
county.  In  1869.  after  the  death  of  his 
mother,  he  went  to  Fandon,  McDonough 
county,  where  he  lived  with  an  uncle,  Colonel 
Samuel  Wilson,  and  attended  school.  In 
1874,  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Dr.  N.  E.  Wilson.  He  subsequently 
attended  college  at  Keoknk,  graduating  in 
1886.  He  located  in  practice  at  Huntsville. 
He  was  married  in  May,  1882,  to  Maggie 
R.,  daughter  of  Marshall  and  Rebecca  Spon- 
denburg)  Wells.  She  was  born  in  Brown 
county,  Illinois,  January  8, 1870.  They  have 
one  child,  Bessie  May. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


367 


The  Doctor  was  in  the  drug  trade  from 
1874  to  1876,  at  Birmingham,  Illinois.  He 
was  quite  successful  at  it. 

Dr.  Allen  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  a  member  of  the  Hunts  ville  Lodge, 
No.  465,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Cyclo,ne  Lodge, 
I.  O.  ().  F.  He  and  his  wife  are  among  the 
best  people  of  that  section,  and  are  highly 
respected  by  their  large  circle  of  friends. 


IEORGE  CONOVER,  of  the  firm  of 
Petefish,  Skiles  &  Co.,  bankers,  Vir- 
ginia, Illinois,  was  born  in  Princeton 
precinct,  Cass  county,  this  State,  September 
11,  1846.  Of  his  life  and  ancestry  we  pre- 
sent the  following  facts: 

Dominions  Conover,  great-grandfather  of 
George  Conover,  was  born  in  Holland  and 
came  to  America  in  Colonial  times,  settling 
in  New  Jersey,  where  his  son,  Levi,  was  born. 
The  latter  served  in  a  cavalry  regiment  for 
five  years  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  In 
In  1790  he  moved  to  Kentucky  and  settled 
near  Lexington.  Five  years  later  he  moved 
to  Adair  county,  where  he  spent  the  residue 
of  his  life.  The  maiden  name  of  his  second 
wife,  grandmother  of  our  subject,  was  Jane 
Galbraith  Turnbow.  Their  son,  Levi  Con- 
over,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Adair  county,  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  there  reared  to  manhood.  At 
the  age  of  twenty- two  years  he  came  to  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  arriving  here  without  any 
means  other  than  the  horse  he  had  ridden. 
He  found  employment  of  various  kinds,  earn- 
ing his  first  money  by  splitting  rails  at  fifty 
cents  per  hundred.  In  1834  he  went  to 
Galena  and  worked  in  the  mines  of  that 
vicinity  till  fall.  He  then  returned  and  went 
to  the  territory  of  Iowa,  where  he  took  a 
squatter's  claim  to  Government  land.  He 
came  back  to  Illinois  and  spent  the  winter, 


and  in  the  spring  returned  to  Iowa,  in  com- 
pany with  a  friend,  making  the  journey  with 
oxen  and  wagon.  He  at  once  began  the 
work  of  improving  his  claim,  and  soon  had 
his  log  cabin  built.  In  1836  he  returned  to 
Illinois,  married  Elizabeth  Petetish,  and  took 
his  bride  to  their  frontier  home.  In  1837, 
while  they  were  on  a  visit  to  Cass  county, 
this  State,  Mrs.  Conover  died,  and  soon  after 
her  death  Mr,  Conover  sold  his  Iowa  claim 
and  settled  in  Cass  county.  In  1841  he 
the  Peter  Conover  homestead,  on  which  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  for  some  years.  From 
there  he  moved  to  the  town  of  Virginia,  where 
he  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  second  wife,  mother  of  George, 
was  Phoebe  A.  Rosenberger.  Her  father, 
John  Rosenberger,  was  born  of  German 
parents. 

George  Conover  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  attending  the  district  schools  a  portion 
of  each  year.  He  advanced  his  education  by 
one  term  at  Beardstown  high  school  and  one 
term  at  Wesleyan  University  at  Blooming- 
ton,  after  which  he  entered  Bryant  and  Strat- 
ten's  Business  College  at  Chicago.  After 
his  marriage  he  located  on  a  farm,  owned  by 
his  father,  two  miles  and  a  half  southeast  of 
Virginia,  which  farm  his  father  deeded  to 
him  soon  afterward.  He  continued  to  reside 
there  till  1876,  when  he  came  to  Virginia  to 
accept  the  position  of  book-keeper  in  the 
bank  of  Petefish,  Skiles  &  Co.  The  same 
year  he  became  a  partner,  and  so  remains,  and 
since  1884  has  been  cashier.  He  still  owns 
his  farm. 

In  February,  1870,  he  married  Virginia 
Lee  Bone,  a  native  of  Rock  Creek,  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  daughter  of  William  and 
Farinda  (Osborn)  Bone.  To  them  have  been 
born  four  children:  William  B.,  Ernest  B., 
George  B.  and  Virginia  Louise. 


368 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    G ASS, 


Politically  Mr.  Conover  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  served  two  terms 
as  Mayor  and  six  years  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education.  Though  not  a  third 
party  man,  he  is  a  prohibitionist  in  prin- 
ciple. He  was  elected  Mayor  on  the  tem- 
perance issue,  and  it  was  during  his  first  term 
that  the  saloons  were  closed  in  Virginia. 
They  have  since  remained  closed.  He  is  a 
director  in  the  Virginia  Building  and  Loan 
Association. 


IHARLES  M.  TINNEY  was  born  in 
Marion,  Grant  county,  Indiana,  Nov- 
ember 11,  1852.  His  father,  John  M. 
Tiuney,  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Kentucky,  son  of  Nathaniel  Tinney,  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  Grandfather  Tinney  moved  to 
Kentucky  about  1800,  and  became  one  of 
the  pioneer  farmers  of  Washington  county. 
He  was  by  trade  an  architect  and  builder,  but 
he  spent  his  last  years  on  the  farm,  and  died 
in  his  Kentucky  home.  Grandfather  Tinney's 
maiden  name  was  Caroline  Marshall.  She 
was  a  native  of  Virginia;  spent  her  last  days 
and  died  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois.  John 
M.  Tinney  was  reared  in  Kentucky  and 
learned  the  trade  of  tailor  in  Cincinnati. 
He  carried  on  business  in  that  city  fora  time, 
and  from  there  went  to  Dayton,  Ohio.  In 
1859  he  moved  to  Pekin,  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  in  hotel-keeping.  He  continued  his 
residence  at  that  place  until  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  widow,  a  native  of  Dayton,  Ohio, 
was  before  her  marriage  Miss  Sarah  Kaugh- 
man.  She  now  makes  her  home  with  her 
children. 

Charles  M.  Tinney  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Pekin,  Illinois,  being  a  graduate  of   the 


high  school  of  that  place.  He  also  attended 
college  one  year  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa.  After 
that  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  W.  D. 
Maus,  of  Pekin,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1873.  He  then  commenced  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Virginia,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  conducted  a  law  practice  until 
1880,  when  he  bought  the  office  and  good 
will  of  the  Virginia  Gazette,  a  weekly  paper. 
He  has  since  had  charge  of  this  paper,  and  in 
connection  with  it  has  a  job  printing  office. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Tinney  was  married  in  November, 
1886,  to  Annie  E.  Craft,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  a  daughter  of  J.  B.  and  Phebe 
(Dunanay)  Craft. 


HRISTIAN  PILGER,  a  live  man  and 
old  citizen  of  Beardstown,  was  born  in 
Waldeck,  Prussia,  in  1836,  and  came 
of  a  good  old  German  family.  His  father, 
Fred  Pilger,  was  at  one  time  city  Mayor,  as 
had  been  his  father  and  grandfather  before 
him.  The  same  office  is  now  held  by  one  of 
the  sons  in  the  town  of  Berich,  where  the 
family  has  lived.  The  father  and  mother  of 
our  subject,  were  good  Lutherans  and  lived 
and  died  in  their  native  country.  They  had 
a  family  of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom 
came  came  to  this  country,  three  of  whom 
are  yet  living.  He  came  to  Beardstown  in 
June,  1855,  a  young  man  twenty  years  of 
age.  He  was  engaged  as  a  bench  tailor  for 
some  years,  when  in  1873,  he,  with  Henry 
Garm  started  in  business  as  merchant  tailors. 
He  enlisted  in  August,  1862,  in  Company 
A,  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  Captain  John  M.  John- 
son and  Colonel  James  W.  Judy,  command- 
ing. He  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


369 


Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Mississippi,  Nashville, 
thence  down  to  New  Orleans,  across  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico  to  Mobile,  and  was  in  all  the  bat- 
tles of  that  section.  In  all  this  military 
duty  our  subject  escaped  wounds  or  capture, 
but  twice  suffered  sunstroke.  He  was  Cor- 
poral of  his  company  when  discharged, 
August  13,  1865.  Since  his  return  he  has 
been  a  live  member  of  the  place.  In  1882, 
Mr.  Pilger's  business  was  carried  on  for  two 
years  under  the  name  of  Pilger  &  Huge,  at 
which  time  Mr.  Pilger  assumed  sole  charge 
of  the  business  until  1889.  Mr.  Pilger  is 
now  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  is  a 
Notary  Public,  and  carries  a  number  of  lines 
of  insurance.  He  is  agent  for  the  Equitable 
Building  &  Loan  Society,  of  Peoria,  and  is 
City  Clerk  of  Beardstown.  He  has  been 
very  successful  in  life,  and  has  amassed  a 
good  property  in  this  city.  The  spot  on 
which  his  office  now  stands  was  formerly  the 
old  house  site  of  Mr.  Thomas  Beard,  who 
first  settled  here,  established  the  ferry,  and 
later  laid  out  the  town.  Mr.  Pilger  was  for 
years  the  proprietor  of  the  Pilger  block  on 
the  corner  of  State  and  Main  streets.  He  is 
a  worker  for  the  Boys  in  Blue,  and  is  a  char- 
ter member  •  of  the  McLane  Post,  G.  A.  R., 
No.  97,  of  Beardstown,  was  its  first  Quarter- 
master, and  has  held  the  position  nearly  ever 
since.  The  Sons  of  Veterans  of  this  place 
also  named  their  camp  in  his  honor.  He  has 
been  for  many  years  a  member  of  Case  Lodge, 
No.  25,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  it. 

He  was  married  in  this  city  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Schuman,  born  in  Baden,  Germany, 
and  came  to  this  country  when  eighteen  years 
of  age.  Her  parents  also  came  to  Beards- 
town  and  died  here  consistent  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pilger 
are  parents  of  but  one  daughter,  an  accom- 


plished young  lady,  a  leader  in  social  circles 
and  now  the  wife  of  William  F.  Stanley, 
foreman  in  the  paint  shop  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Company  of 
this  city. 


RYSON  M.  BLACKBURN  was  born  in 
Ohio,  on  the  line  between  Butler  and 
Hamilton  counties  in  1828.  His  father 
was  James  Blackburn,  of  the  same  place, 
born  in  1805,  and  his  father,  Bryson  Black- 
burn, came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania  at  an 
early  day,  with  his  wife.  Three  brothers 
had  preceded  him-,  and  the  oldest  of  the  fam- 
ily had  been  killed  by  the  Indians  in  the  same 
State.  The  latte'r  left  a  family.  One  of  the  re- 
maining brothers  sought  to  avenge  the  blood 
of  his  brother,  named  Patterson  Blackburn. 
He  was  finally  lost  in  the  West,  after  having 
been  in  the  Lewis  •  and  Clark  expedition. 
James  Blackburn,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  one  of  three  children.  His  brother, 
Hamilton,  and  his  sister,  Polly,  who  mar- 
ried John  MattBon,  a  nephew  of  William 
Henry  Harrison.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Neppie  Sparks,  of  Maryland,  though 
born  in  Kentucky.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Matthew  and  Prudence  (Con way)  Sparks. 
They  were  farmers  who  came  to  Schuyler 
county  in  1830,  when  Rushville  was  a  very 
small  hamlet.  Mr.  Blackburn  was  a  tanner 
and  currier,  who  started  a  small  tannery  and 
soon  built  up  a  good  business,  which  he  sold 
out  in  a  few  years  at  a  handsome  profit.  He 
again  embarked  in  business  with  a  partner 
who  proved  a  rascal  and  bankrupted  him. 
He  then  started  anew  by  taking  up  eighty 
acres  of  land  near  Plymouth.  This  was  mili- 
tary land,  and  after  making  a  home  and  im- 
provements here  he  found  that  his  title  was 


370 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


not  good;  so  lost  it.  Having  studied  medicine 
under  the  then  famous  Dr.  Thomas,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, he  began  practicing  and  soon  had  a 
large  practice.  In  1835-'36  the  cholera 
became  epidemic,  and  he  returned  to  Rush- 
ville,  against  the  wishes  of  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, to  assist  the  sick. 

Mr.  Blackburn  was  one  of  eleven  children: 
Robert,  Bryson,  Prudence,  Orville,  John, 
Amanda,  Amelia,  Ann  and  Thomas:  the  other 
two  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Blackburn  had  but 
a  limited  district  schooling,  but  he  endeavored 
to  improve  himself  and  tanght  school  one 
winter.  He  has  followed  farming  and  car- 
pentering all  his  life,  for  which  he  had  a 
patural  talent. 

He  was  married  in  Huntsville,  Illinois,  in 
1852,  to  Susan  Brnmlield  Overstreet,  a 
daughter  of  Buckley  and  Nancy  Overstreet. 
Her  parents  came  from  Kentucky  and  Vir- 
ginia. She  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1829, 
and  came  to  Illinois  in  1836.  Her  parents 
died  in  Huntsville,  he  aged  sixty-eight,  and 
she  seventy  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blackburn  have  buried  four 
children  in  early  childhood.  They  have  six 
still  living:  Kate,  wife  of  Warren  Whitson,  of 
Brooklyn;  Frances  A.,  a  maiden  at  home; 
Fred  W.  married  Sophia  Wells  and  resides 
near  Brooklyn,  on  a  farm  of  500  acres;  Nep- 
pie,  wife  of  Elmer  Brown,  resides  at  Brook- 
lyn; Mary  M.,  the  wife  of  George  Kruter, 
lives  in  McDonough  county;  and  R.  H.  is  a 
young  man  at  home. 

Mr.  Blackburn  bought  his  present  house 
and  farm  in  1854.  He  has  110  acres  of  very 
fertile  land.  He  considers  himself  a  poor 
financier,  although  an  industrious  man.  He 
voted  with  the  Democrats  until  the  Civil 
war,  and  did  not  vote  for  president  until 
Hayes.  He  is  a  stanch  Prohibitionist  now. 


He  has  served  the  town  in  some  of  the  minor 
offices.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  are  well  known  and 
and  influential  citizens. 


ICHARD  J.  OSBORN,  of  Lee  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Adams  county,  Illinois, 
November  2,  1838.  His  father,  David 
N.,  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1806,  and  his 
father  died  in  early  life.  David  learned  the 
shoemaker  trade,  and  worked  at  it  many  years 
in  the  East.  He  married  Martha  Stafford,  of 
Maryland,  in  Ohio,  whither  he  had  come  by 
degrees,  working  at  his  trade  as  he  went  from 
town  to  town,  always  in  a  westerly  direction. 
They  came  with  one  child  to  Adams  county, 
Illinois,  in  1837.  They  possessed  some 
means  and  bought  160  acres  of  unimproved 
land,  on  which  they  built  a  small  log  house, 
and  in  which  Richard  was  born.  They  re- 
sided in  Adams  county  fourteen  years,  and 
then  sold  and  came  to  Lee  township,  Brown 
county. 

When  they  built  their  first  home  the  near- 
est neighbors  were  five  miles,  and  Mr.  Osborn 
had  never  seen  them,  but  that  did  not  pre- 
vent them  from  coming  to  help  him.  When 
they  reached  Lee  township,  they  bought  160 
acres  of  prairie  and  eighty  of  timber.  They 
paid  $2,400  for  these  lands,  which  included 
a  cabin  and  seventy-two  acres  broken.  This 
was  his  life-long  home,  though  he  died  at 
Mound  Station  in  1883,  in  his  seventy-eighth 
year.  He  left  a  widow  and  six  children.  She 
still  survives|him,makingher  home  with  Rich- 
ard. The  latter  has  been  reared  to  farm  life, 
and  obtained  only  a  fair  amount  of  schooling. 
After  Mr.  Osborn  married  he  settled  here, 
where  he  has  198  acres  of  prairie  land  and 
forty  of  timber.  He  grows  a  mixed  crop,  — 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


371 


corn,  wheat  and  grass.  He  keeps  about  fif- 
teen head  of  horses  and  thirty  of  cattle.  He 
turns  off  about  seventy  hogs  a  year,  and  lias 
a  small  dairy  in  operation.  He  bought  his 
first  eighty  acres  in  1879,  and  has  added  to 
it  from  time  to  time.  In  1860  he  went  to 
Denver,  Colorado,  and  on  to  the  gold  mines 
forty  miles  west.  He  went  with  an  ox  team 
over  the  plains  and  followed  mining  in  com- 
pany with  one  other.  While  there  he  met 
with  a  sad  accident,  by  which  he  lost  his  left 
hand  and  his  left  eye.  It  was  caused  by  an 
accidental  discharge  of  powder,  February  11, 
1861,  hence  his  trip  was  not  a  financial  suc- 
cess. 

He  was  married  in  1882  to  Ella  Long,  of 
Brown  county,  Illinois.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  and  Elizabeth  (Buxton)  Long. 
They  are  both  natives  of  Illinois  and  farmers 
of  this  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Osborn  have 
two  daughters,  Edith  M.  and  Alta  P.  Mrs. 
Osborn  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Mr.  Osborn  is  a  Republican, 
first,  last  and  all  the  time.  He  is  School 
Treasurer  of  Lee  township,  and  has  been  Town 
Clerk.  He  and  his  wife  are  worthy  people, 
and  are  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
them. 


jAVID  DODDS  was  born  in  county 
Down,  Ireland,  January  15,  1829,  a 
son  of  John  Dodds,  a  native  of  the 
same  county  and  a  descendant  of  Scotch  an- 
cestors; the  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  own 
country  ;  he  died  in  1863.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  Martha  McElroy  Dodds,  a 
native  of  the  same  county  as  her  husband, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  McElroy,  of  Scotch 
extraction;  she  died  in  1866,  in  county  Down. 


They  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  eleven 
of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  five  of  whom 
came  to  America;  Betty,  Sallie,  Ann,  Mar- 
tha, John,  William,  James,  Samuel,  Robert, 
Thomas  and  David;  John,  James,  Samuel, 
Thomas  and  David  came  to  the  United  States. 
Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
county  of  his  birth,  and  in  his  youth  began 
to  assist  on  the  home  farm.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  1851,  when  he  bade 
farewell  to  home  and  friends  and  native  land, 
and  sailed  across  the  seas  to  the  New  World ; 
the  voyage  consumed  five  weeks,  and  after 
landing  at  New  York  he  continued  his  jour- 
ney to  Ohio,  and  located  in  Mahoning  county. 
He  remained  there,  working  by  the  month, 
for  more  than  eight  years,  and  then  came  to 
Schuyler  county  and  settled  in  Bainbridge 
township. 

When  the  great  Civil  war  arose,  Mr.  Dodds 
espoused  the  cause  of  his  adopted  country, 
and  August  5,  1861,  enlisted  in  Company  G, 
Twenty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
He  was  with  his  regiment  until  April,  1866, 
and  participated  in  the  capture  of  Forts  Hy- 
man  and  Henry,  and  in  the  engagements  at 
Shilohj  Grand  Gulf,  Champion  Hills,  the 
Hatchie,  Vicksburg,  Forts  Beauregard  and 
Blakely  and  Spanish  Fort,  and  some  others  of 
less  note.  He  was  honorably  discharged,  and 
returned  to  his  home,  where  he  resumed  farm- 
ing. In  1867  he  bought  the  land  he  now  oc- 
cupies. 

Mr;  Dodds  was  married  in  1874,  to  Mrs. 
Martha  Herron  Collister,  a  native  of  county 
Down,  and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Murray)  Herron.  Mrs.  Dodds  was  first 
married  in  Ireland,  to  Joseph  Collister;  they 
emigrated  to  America  in  1856,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  came  to  Schuyler  county.  Mr. 
Collister  became  a  member  of  Company  D, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volun- 


373 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA3S, 


teer  Infantry,  and  after  the  war  settled  in 
Bainbridge  township,  where  he  lived  until 
his  death,  in  1873;  they  had  one  daughter, 
Maggie,  who  married  Thomas  Suddith. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodds  were  both  reared  to 
the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr. 
Dodds  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  its  principles; 
he  belongs  to  Colonel  Henry  Post,  No.  131, 
G.  A.  R. 


IAMUEL  H.  PETEFISH  was  born  in 
Rockingham  county,  Virginia,  April 
30,  1824,  son  of  Jacob  Petefish,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  State.  His  grandfather, 
Christian  Petefish,  was  born  in  Germany. 

When  a  young  man,  Christian  Petefish  en- 
tered the  army.  He  came  to  America  as  a 
Hessian  soldier  during  the  time  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  His  sympathies,  however, 
were  not  with  the  British  Government,  and 
after  the  battle  of  Princeton  he  joined  the 
Colonial  ranks  and  fought  for  independence 
until  peace  was  declared.  He  then  settled  in 
Virginia,  where  he  reared  his  family  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Jacob  Petetish  was  reared  and  married  in 
the  Old  Dominion,  and  resided  there  until 
1835.  That  year,  with  his  wife  and  eight 
children,  he  started  for  Illinois.  They  made 
the  journey  with  a  four-horse  team,  brought 
their  cooking  utensils  along,  cooked  and 
camped  on  the  way,  and  arrived  in  what  is 
now  Cass  county  in  October.  Mr.  Petefish 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  what  is  now  Vir- 
ginia precinct,  engaged  in  farming,  and  re- 
sided here  till  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1849. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Price,  she,  too,  being  a  native  of  Virginia. 
Her  death  occurred  in  1854.  They  reared  a 


family  of  eleven  children.  The  names  of 
the  sons  are  as  follows:  William,  Jacob,  Sam- 
uel H.,  John  A.,  Andrew  J.  and  Thomas  B. 
Andrew  J.  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  and 
died  in  the  service.  Of  the  daughters  we  re- 
cord that  Mary  wedded  Reuben  Fultz;  Sarah 
married  Robert  Maxtield ;  Elizabeth  was  the 
wife  of'Levi  Conover;  Ellen  married  Joseph 
Crum ;  and  Diana  became  the  wife  of  Daniel 
Short. 

Samuel  H.  Petefish  was  eleven  years  old 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents, 
and  has  witnessed  almost  the  entire  growth 
and  development  of  the  county.  At  the  time 
they  settled  here,  much  of  the  land  was 
owned  by  the  Government;  it  was  many 
years  before  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive 
sounded  in  Cass  county;  the  people  lived 
chiefly  on  wild  game  and  the  products  of 
their  own  land.  The  pioneer  wives  and 
mothers  cooked  by  fireplaces,  they  dressed 
their  families  in  homespun  manufactured  by 
their  own  hands,  and  many  were  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  they  endured.  In  the 
primitive  log  schoolhouses,  with  their  rude 
furnishings,  the  children  of  these  pioneer 
families  conned  their  lessons  in  the  three  R'fc. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  attended  school 
in  the  winter  and  worked  on  the  farm  in  sum- 
mer. When  he  was  twenty-one  his  father 
gave  him  and  his  brother,  Jacob,  a  tract  of 
unimproved  land,  upon  which  they  com- 
menced life  as  independent  farmers.  The 
father  furnished  them  a  team  and  they  at 
once  set  about  the  improvement  of  their  land. 
A  year  later  they  made  a  contract  with  a 
neighbor  for  350  acres  of  land  near  by,  the 
greater  portion  of  it  being  improved.  The 
contract  price  was  $3,500.  They  were  to 
take  possession  one  year  later,  at  which  time 
they  were  to  pay  $1,000,  and  then  yearly 
payments  of  $500,  with  interest  at  six  per 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


373 


cent.  After  farming  together  three  years' 
they  divided  their  land.  Samuel  H.  was 
very  successful,  made  his  payments  as  they 
became  due,  and  continued  farming  till  1857, 
when  he  rented  his  land  and  went  to  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Kansas,  going  via  the  Illinois,  Mis- 
sissippi and  Missouri  rivers.  He  resided  in 
Leavenworth  and  Atchison  about  one  year, 
and  in  April,  1858,  returned  to  Cass  county. 
In  1859  he  located  on  his  farm,  and  there 
resided,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  un- 
til 1867,  since  which  time  he  has  made  his 
home  in  Virginia.  He  is  still,  however,  in- 
terested in  agricultural  pursuits,  being  now 
one  of  the  largest  land-owners  in  the  county, 
owning  upwards  of  1,500  acres. 

The  business  career  of  Mr.  Petefish  has 
been  a  remarkably  successful  one.  He  first 
became  interested  in  banking  in  1864,  being 
one  of  the  original  stockholders  in  the  Farm- 
ers' National  Bank.  In  1870,  the  firm  of 
Petefish,  Skiles  &  Co.  was  formed,  which 
firm  has  since  conducted  a  banking  business 
in  Virginia.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Petefish,  Skiles  &  Mertz,  of  Chandler- 
ville,  this  company  having  been  formed  in 
February,  1881;  the  firm  of  Skiles,  Rearich 
&  Co.,  bankers  of  Ashland,  established  there 
in  August,  1881;  the  firm  of  Bloomfield, 
Skiles  &  Co.,  Mount  Sterling;  and  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Schuyler  County  Bank,  of  Rush- 
ville.  He  is  the  owner  of  several  business 
blocks  in  Virginia,  and  it  was  he  who  platted 
and  named  the  addition  to  Virginia,  known 
as  Grand  Villa.  Besides  his  farms  in  Cass 
county,  he  owns  200  acres  of  fine  farming 
land  in  Crawford  county,  Iowa,  also  778  acres 
in  Decatur  county,  Iowa. 

Politically,  Mr.  Petefish  was  for  many 
years  a  Democrat.  At  present  he  is  a  Pro- 
hibitionist in  principle  and  practice,  and 
votes  with  that  party. 


Mr.  Petefish  is  a  man  of  family.  March 
18,  1848,  he  wedded  Nancy  M.  Hudson, 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Melinda  (Huffman) 
Hudson.  They  have  two  children  living, 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  E.  D.  C.  Woodward  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  Louis  A.  Such  is  an  epitome  of 
the  life  of  one  of  Virginia's  most  prominent 
and  popular  citizens. 


ILLIAM  STEVENSON,  of  township 
17,  range  10,  section  26,  Little  In- 
dian post  office  is  an  honored  pioneer 
of  Cass  county.  He  was  born  in  Scott  county, 
Kentucky,  December  2,  1813,  a  son  of  James 
and  Mary  (Elliott)  Stevenson,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
To  them  were  born  nine  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living  at  this  writing  (1892),  viz.: 
Sarah,  now  Mrs.  W.  A.  Bennett,  of  Spring- 
field; Louisa,  wife  of  Mr.  Anthony  Boston  j 
residing  near  Jacksonville,  Illinois;  and  Will- 
iam of  this  notice.  Those  deceased  are 
Wesley,  Eliza  J.,  Harriet,  James,  Robert  and 
Augustus.  In  1829,  Mrs.  Stevenson  died, 
and  the  same  year  Mr.  Stevenson  brought  his 
family  of  children  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Morgan  county,  on  the  three-mile  strip  that 
afterward  became  a  part  of  Cass  county. 

Our  subject  spent  his  boyhood  in  his  native 
State,  and  there  received  such  educational  ad- 
vantages as  the  common  schools  of  the  time 
afforded,  which  was  supplemented  by  a  few 
months'  schooling  after  coming  to  Illinois. 
While  a  resident  of  Kentucky  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  that  somewhat  noted  soldier 
and  philanthropist,  Colonel  Richard  Johnson, 
who  claimed  the  honor  of  having  slain  the 
celebrated  Indian  chief  and  warrior,  Tecumseh, 
at  the  battle  of  Moraviantown  in  1814. 

William  Stevenson  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  farming  has  been  his  occupation  all 


874 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


through  life.  On  February  11,  1836,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Frances,  daughter 
of  William  and  Rachel  (Roe)  Berry,  who 
came  from  Virginia  to  Cass  county  in  1832, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  near  the  Stevenson 
homestead. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing: Mary  Eliza,  died  in  1838;  Thomas,  in 
1839;  Rachel  hecame  the  wife  of  William 
E.  Martin,  and  died  in  1879;  Robert  Roe, 
married  Mary  J.  Scott,  and  resides  in  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois;  Sarah  Cornelia  is  the  wife 
of  John  J.  Bergati,  a  prosperous  merchant  of 
Virginia  city,  Illinois;  Joseph  B.  wedded 
Dora  Vandeventer,  and  lives  in  Springfield, 
Illinois;  and  Charles  married  Mary  Epler, 
and  resides  on  the  home  farm.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stevenson  also  reared  two  orphan  chil- 
dren. 

In  1884,  when  in  his  seventy-first  year, 
Mr.  Stevenson  contested  for  the  prize  of  a 
gold-headed  cane  offered  by  the  county  fair 
association  for  horse-back  riding,  which  he 
won,  and  shows  with  a  commendable  pride. 

On  February  11,  1886,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stevenson  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  their  married  life,  which  joyous  event  was 
participated  in  by  all  the  living  relations. 
Many  handsome  and  valuable  testimonials  of 
affection  were  presented  to  them  on  this  oc- 
casion by  their  admiring  friends. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  died  at  her  home  July  13, 
1891,  after  a  happy  married  life  of  fifty-five 
years,  being  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  her  age. 
She  was  a  woman  possessing  many  excellen- 
cies of  character,  a  faithful  wife,  loving 
mother,  kind  neighbor,  and  devout  Christian, 
whose  many  acts  of  kindness  endeared  her  to 
a  large  circle  of  friends.  By  reason  of  a  ro- 
bust constitution  and  good  habits  she  attained 
nearly  fourscore  years,  and  passed  away  as 


peacefully  as  the  coming  dawn,  in  the  full 
consciousness  of  an  immortality  beyond  the 
grave. 

Mr.  Stevenson  has  been  a  resident  of  Cass 
county  for  sixty-three  years,  and  has  resided 
on  the  same  section  of  land  since  1829.  He 
has  not  only  witnessed  the  wonderful  change 
in  the  country  but  has  actively  participated 
in  transforming  the  wilderness  and  unbroken 
prairie  into  fertile  farms.  Every  enterprise 
for  the  material  or  moral  advancement  of  the 
community  has  received  his  cordial  support. 
He  and  his  family  are  Presbyterians,  and 
have  contributed  liberally  in  support  of  the 
church.  He  was  a  Whig  until  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Republican  party,  when  he  joined 
that  organization  and  has  since  supported  its 
principles.  He  has  never  sought  public  of- 
fice, preferring  the  quiet  pursuits  of  farm 
life.  By  honest  industry  he  has  been  success- 
ful in  acquiring  a  handsome  competence.  He 
has  assisted  his  children  to  good  starts  in  life 
and  still  owns  a  fine  farm  of  375  acres,  which 
which  is  supplied  with  good  bnildings  and 
all  modern  conveniences.  In  addition  to  his 
duties  of  superintending  his  farm,  he  was 
until  recently  agent  for  the  Jacksonville 
Southeastern  Railroad  which  runs  through 
his  farm,  on  which  Little  Indian  station  is  lo- 
cated. He  was  for  twenty-four  years  agent 
for  the  Wabash,  Peoria,  Pekin  &  Jackson- 
ville and  the  Jacksonville  &  Southeastern 
Railroad  Companies,  but  resigned  that  posi- 
tion in  August,  1892. 

:    ••    . 

fOHN  LISTMANN,  of  the  firm  of  Rup- 
pel    &   Listmann,    extensive   dealers  in 
boots   and    shoes,  located  at  108    State 
street,    Beardstown,    Illinois,   was    born    in 
Frischborn,  Kreis  Lanterbach,  Hesse-Darm- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


375 


stadt,  Germany,  October  26,  1853,  and  grew 
up  in  his  native  place,  and  passed  a  full 
course  in  the  public,  schools.  In  1867  he 
and  a  sister  with  their  parents  started  from 
Bremen  for  America,  lauding  in  New  York 
city  after  a  safe  trip  on  the  steamship  At- 
lanta. The  little  family  came  on  and  made 
a  settlement  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  an 
elder  son  and  two  daughters  had  preceded 
them.  The  family  settled  at  the  capital  for 
some  time  and  then  the  parents  located  near 
Burlington,  Iowa,  where  they  both  died,  at 
the  age  of  about  sixty-seven  and  sixty-eight 
years  respectively.  The  father  who  was  a 
native  of  Hesse- Darmstadt  and  tiller  of  the 
soil  died  in  the  fall  of  1878;  and  the  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Wienold,  lived  a 
few  months  after  her  husband's  death;  then 
she  too  died,  in  the  early  part  of  the  year 
1879. 

Our  subject  is  the  youngest  of  a  large 
family  of  whom  but  four  are  living.  He  con- 
tinued to  perfect  his  education,  principally 
by  self-study,  and  succeeded  in  attaining  the 
ability  to  speak  and  write  both  the  German 
and  English  with  fluency.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  shoemaker  and  formed  a  partnership 
in  February,  1879,  with  Adam  Ruppel,  also 
a  practical  boot  and  shoemaker  by  trade,  and 
these  two  gentlemen  have  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness successfully  ever  since.  .  Mr.  Listmann 
had  been  in  the  employ  of  H.  Fayart,  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  and  Ruppel  Bros,  and  Adam 
Rupple,  Beardstown,  for  some  time  before 
entering  into  the  partnership  above  referred 
to.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  several  building 
and  loan  associations,  and  is  identified  with 
the  growth  of  the  city.  He  has  a  host  of 
friends.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  (Fourth  Street),  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  General  Synod  of  the 


Lutheran  Church,  when  it  held  its  session  at 
Altoona,  Pennsylvania,  in  1881.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Listmann  take  great  interest  in  the 
social  and  religious  work  of  their  church. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to  Marie 
Lammers,  October  20,  1881.  She  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  Beardstown.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Henrietta 
(Christianer)  Lammers,  natives  of  Prussia 
and  Hanover,  Germany.  They  were  married 
in  Beardstown.  They  are  now  both  deceased 
Mr.  Lammers  died  in  February,  1879,  and 
was  eighty  years  of  age. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lislmann  have  three  chil- 
dren, Cora,  Alice  and  Phoebe. 


[SWELL  SKILES,  capitalist,  Virginia, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio, 
October  26, 1828.  His  father,  Harmon 
Skiles,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  went  to 
Ohio  when  a  young  man  and  settled  on  Picka- 
way Plains,  being  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
that  section  of  the  country.  In  those  days 
many  of  the  more  extensive  farmers  had  dis- 
tilleries on  their  farms,  and  made  their  own 
corn  into  whiskey,  it  being  much  more  easily 
transported  to  the  distant  markets  in  that  way. 
Mr.  Skiles  had  a  large  distillery  on  his  farm. 
He  removed  from  Pickaway  Plains  to  Wash- 
ington Court  House,  where  he  died  in  1851. 
He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  nee 
Mary  Thompson,  died  in  January,  1829, 
leaving  two  sons,  Ignatius  and  Oswell.  By 
his  second  wife  he  had  two  daughters,  Elea- 
nor and  Susan.  Oswell  Thompson,  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Pickaway  Plains. 
In  1827,  he  started  westward  and  came  to 
Cass  county,  Illinois.  He  located  on  North 


876 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Prairie,  where  he  secured  a  farm  and  resided 
until  his  death. 

Oswell  Skiles  was  an  infant  when  his 
mother  died,  and  he  was  reared  by  a  family 
named  Smith.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  poor  man, 
had  ten  children  of  his  own,  and  lived  on  a 
rented  farm.  In  addition  to  his  farming 
operations  he  also  had  a  contract  to  carry  the 
mails  between  Washington  Court  House  and 
Columbus,  a  distance  of  thirty-seven  miles, 
and  to  Chillicothe,  twenty-five  miles.  As  soon 
as  he  was  large  enough,  young  Skiles  com- 
menced to  earn  his  living  by  assisting  on  the 
farm,  and  when  about  fifteen  years  old  he 
carried  the  mail,  making  the  journey  on  horse- 
back. They  used  to  make  two  trips  a  week 
to  Columbus.  Many  of  the  streams  were 
not  bridged,  and  during  high  water  he  had 
either  to  swim  his  horse  or  wait  until  the 
water  subsided.  When  he  was  about  twenty 
years  old  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of 
harnessmaker.  He  continued  work  at  that 
trade,  in  Ohio,  until  the  fall  of  1851,  when 
he  came  to  Illinois,  making  the  journey  with 
a  horse  and  buggy,  to  Springfield.  He  rode 
on  the  cars  from  there  to  Jacksonville,  that 
being  the  first  railroad  he  had  ever  seen. 
He  landed  in  Jacksonville  with  $5  in  his 
pocket;  hired  a  horse  and  rode  to  Arcadia, 
from  which  place  he  walked  to  the  home  of 
his  uncle,  Oswell  Thompson,  having  sent  the 
horse  back.  On  his  arrival  at  his  uncle's  he 
received  $100  which  he  had  inherited  from 
his  grandfather's  estate,  and  with  that  he 
bought  a  horse,  saddle  and  bridle.  Thus 
equipped,  he  made  the  journey  on  horseback 
the  following  winter  to  Iowa,  where  he  joined 
another  uncle  residing  in  Louisa  county,  for 
whom  he  worked  about  one  year.  Then  he 
returned  to  Cass  county,  and  in  April,  1853, 
started  for  California.  A  man  named  Welch 
had  fitted  out  a  train  of  ox  teams,  and  Mr. 


Skiles  paid  him  $75  to  carry  his  provisions, 
clothing,  etc.,  and  he  assisted  in  driving  the 
oxen  and  loose  stock.  They  crossed  the 
Illinois  river  at  Beardstown,  on  the  6th  of 
April,  and  continued  their  way  westward 
over  rivers,  plains  and  mountains,  arriving  in 
the  Sacramento  valley  in  October.  At  that 
time  there  were  no  white  settlers  between  the 
Missouri  river  and  California,  except  the 
Mormons  at  Salt  Lake,  and  the  country 
abounded  in  game  of  all  kinds.  Mr.  Skiles 
had  only  about  $2  left  when  he  reached 
California.  He  engaged  to  work  for  Mr. 
Welch  on  his  ranch  for  $75  per  month 
and  board,  and  the  two  lived  together  in  a 
cabin,  keeping  bach.  Mr.  Skiles  was  soon 
taken  sick,  however,  and  had  to  seek  quarters 
where  he  could  receive  better  attention, 
and  for  which  he  had  to  pay  $9  per 
week.  With  the  first  money  he  earned  after 
his  recovery,  he  paid  his  board.  He  remained 
with  Mr.  Welch  about  one  year,  and  then 
went  to  Forbestown,  Butte  county,  where  he 
bought  an  interest  in  a  mining  claim,  for 
which  he  paid  $100.  He  was  successful  in 
his  mining  operations  that  winter.  In  the 
spring  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Sierra  county, 
prospected  for  a  time,  and  then  for  some 
months  was  engaged  in  preparing  a  tunnel 
for  deep  diggings.  The  winter  was  very 
severe,  the  snow  falling  to  the  depth  of  ten 
feet.  In  the  spring  he  engaged  in  mining, 
being  thus  occupied  there  for  two  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  his  interest  for 
$1,000.  He  then  worked  by  the  day  about 
three  months,  for  $5  per  day.  Next  we 
find  him  in  the  Sacramento  valley,  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock  raising,  he  having  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  a  claim  to  a  tract  of 
Government  land  near  Marysville.  In  1858 
he  took  passage  on  the  steamer  Oregon  and 
went  to  Victoria;  but,  instead  of  being  en- 


SCBUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


377 


couraging,  the  reports  from  the  mines  in  the 
British  possessions  were  the  opposite,  and 
consequently  he  returned  to  his  ranch,  where 
he  remained  till  1862.  Then,  with  four 
yoke  of  oxen  he  started  to  take  a  load  of  flour 
to  Virginia  City,  Nevada.  On  his  arrival 
there,  he  sold  his  load  and  engaged  in  draw- 
ing cord  wood  to  the  qnartz  mill,  receiving 
$15  per  cord.  In  the  fall  he  returned  to  his 
ranch  and  spent  the  winter,  and  the  follow- 
ing spring  went  back  to  Virginia  City.  The 
next  autumn  he  took  a  load  of  shakes  to 
Austin,  Reese  river,  150  miles  distant  from 
Virginia  City,  selling  them  for  $150  per 
1,000.  He  spent  the  winter  there,  and  in  the 
spring  sold  his  oxen  and  wagon,  and  started 
on  his  return  East.  He  journeyed  by  stage, 
via  Austin  and  Salt  Lake  City,  to  Atchison, 
Kansas,  thence  by  steamer  and  rail  to  Jack- 
sonville, arriving  at  his  uncle  Oswell  Thomp- 
son's on  the  4th  of  July,  1864.  His  suc- 
cess in  California  was  not  unlike  that  of 
many  others  who  sought  their  fortunes  in  the 
Golden  State — sometimes  successful  and  at 
other  times  in  hard  luck.  On  his  arrival  in 
Cass  county,  he  had  about  $1,000.  He 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother  Igna- 
tius, and  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
stock,  in  which  he  was  very  successfully  en- 
gaged for  a  number  of  years.  For  the  past 
few  years,  however,  lie  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  banking  and  farming.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Petefish,  Skiles  &  Co.,  of 
Virginia;  of  Skiles,  Rearick  &  Co.,  of  Ash- 
land; and  of  Mertz,  Skiles  &  Co.,  of  Chand- 
lerville;  and  Bloomfield,  Skiles  &  Co.,  of 
Mt.  Sterling.  He  owns  farms  in  different 
parts  of  Cass  county,  some  of  which  he  rents 
and  some  of  which  he  superintends. 

Mr.  Skiles  has  been  twice  married.  In 
July,  1870,  he  wedded  Miss  Ann  Conover,  a 
native  of  Cass  county,  Illinois,  a  sister  of 


George  Conover  (a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume).  She  died  in  1877, 
and  in  1879  he  married  Eliza  J.  Epler.  He 
has  one  child  living,  by  his  first  marriage, 
Lee  Harmon,  who  is  in  the  bank  at  Chand- 
lerville.  The  children  of  his  present  wife 
are  Louis  Oswell  and  Stella. 

Politically,  Mr.  Skiles  is  a  Republican.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 


HILIP  JOKISCH,  a  practical  young 
farmer,  living  on  a  beautiful  farm  of 
140  acres  almost  all  highly  improved, 
and  the  same  supplied  with  good  farm  build- 
ings, was  born  on  the  Jokisch  homestead 
belonging  to  his  father,  Charles  G.,  in  this 
township  January  26,  1854.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  county. 
When  arrived  at  manhood's  estate  he  began 
farming  on  his  own  account.  He  is  the 
second  son  and  third  child  of  his  father, 
Charles  Jokisch  (see  his  biography).  Mr. 
Philip  Jokisch  had  but  limited  opportunities 
for  acquiring  an  education,  but  is  a  bright, 
intelligent  man,  and  has  been  very  prosper- 
ous. His  present  farm  has  been  improved 
by  him  and  lies  in  the  valley  of  the  Illinois 
river.  He  has  owned  this  tine  farm  about 
ten  years  and  in  that  time  has  built  the  nice 
residence  they  occupy.  The  laud  has  ad- 
vanced in  value  since  he  bought  it,  and  is 
now  very  valuable,  and  he  has  made  his  money 
by  hard  work. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  near  Arenz- 
ville,  to  Miss  Sarah  Hackman,  born  in  this 
county  on  her  father's  old  hotuestead,  near 
Arenzville,  October  28,  1869.  She  was  care- 
fully reared  by  good  parents  and  received  a 
good  education  in  the  schools  of  the  section, 


378 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


and  at  those  of  Jacksonville,  Illinois.  She 
is  the  fifth  child  and  fourth  daughter  of  Fred 
and  Minnie  M.  (Meyer)  Hackinan,  natives  of 
Hanover,  Germany.  They  grew  up  in  that 
country,  but  came  to  this  country  when  young 
and  single,  and  were  afterward  married  in 
Cass  county  where  they  began  their  married 
life  near  Arenzville.  Here  they  accumulated 
a  fine  property  of  400  acres  of  land.  They 
are  still  living  there  and  now  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  their  labors.  Mr.  Hack  man  is  not  in  good 
health,  but  Mrs.  Hackman  is  as  well  as  one 
of  her  age  and  after  her  life  of  hard  work 
could  expect  to  be.  They  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jokisch  are  members  of  the 
German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  four  children:  Oswell,  Orin  P.,  Yiola 
E.  and  Verna  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jokisch  are 
good,  reliable  fanners,  and  are  highly  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  them. 


§EWIS  T.  BARRY,  a  prominent  and  es- 
teemed citizen  of  Mount  Sterling,  Illi- 
nois,  was  born  in  Tippecanoe    county, 
Indiana,  on  a   farm  four    miles    northeast  of 
La  Fayette,  September  29,  1827. 

His  parents  were  John  and  Priscilla 
(Richards)  Barry,  the  former  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania.  His  father  removed  to  Ohio 
in  an  early  day,  where  he  married  his  first 
wife,  and  continued  to  reside  in  Scioto  valley, 
that  State,  until  her  death.  He  then  removed 
to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  again  married,  his 
second  wife  being  the  widow  of  Mr.  Reynolds 
and  became  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  About  1826,  he  and  his  wife  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  at  that  time  the  frontier  of 
civilization.  They  were  pioneers  of  Tippe- 


canoe county,  that  State,  where  the  Indians 
were  then  more  numerous  than  the  whites. 
The  father  here  secured  a  large  tract  of  Gov- 
ern ment  land  and  built  a  log  house,  in  the 
construction  of  which  no  sawed  lumber  was 
used.  The  floor  was  of  puncheon  and  the 
roof  was  covered  with  rived  boards,  held  in 
place  by  weight  poles,  while  the  chimney 
was  made  of  earth  and  sticks,  called  in -those 
days  a  "  cat-and-stick  chimney."  Both  par- 
ents resided  here  until  their  death,  the 
mother  expiring  in  1830  and  his  father  in 
1836.  They  both  enjoyed  the  universal  es- 
teem of  their  community  and  were  widely 
and  sincerely  lamented. 

Thus  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  left  an 
orphan  at  the  tender  age  of  nine  years,  and 
early  became  self-supporting.  He  attended 
a  pioneer  subscription  school  which  was 
taught  in  a  log  house,  the  furniture  being  of 
the  most  primitive  kind.  Rough  slabs,  sup- 
ported by  wooden  pins  for  legs,  formed  the 
seats,  which  had  neither  backs  nor  desks; 
holes  burned  in  the  wall,  on  which  a  plank  was 
laid,  served  as  a  desk  for  larger  scholars  to 
write  on.  The  country  was  without  rail- 
roads or  canals  for  many  years,  and  La  Fay- 
ette was  the  nearest  market.  People  used  to 
team  wheat  to  Chicago,  a  distance  of  about 
150  miles.  He  thus  continued  to  live  on 
the  home  farm  and  attended  school  until  he 
attained  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  then 
commenced  to  clerk  in  Carroll  county,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  remained  for  about  five  years. 
After  this,  he  engaged  in  tanning  and  the 
manufacture  of  boots,  shoes  and  harness,  at 
which  business  he  continued  four  years.  At 
the  end  of  this  time,  he  sold  out,  and  for  a 
couple  of  years  served  as  Deputy  County 
Auditor,  after  which  he  did  bookkeeping  in 
Delphi,  Carroll  county.  In  1861,  he  came 
to  Mount  Sterling,  where  he  engaged  in  the 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


379 


boot  and  shoe  business,  besides  which,  for 
some  years,  he  made  harnesses  and  saddles. 
Hs  is  still  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  trade, 
and  is  the  only  exclusive  dealer  in  that  line  in 
the  city,  being  one  of  the  few  successful 
merchants  of  the  place. 

He  was  married  in  Delphi,  Indiana,  in 
1850,  to  Ann  L.  Richardson,  an  estimable 
lady,  a  native  of  Carroll  county,  that  State, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Richardson,  a  highly 
respected  citizen.  To  this  union  five  chil- 
dren were  born,  all  living:  A.  Priscilla,  wife 
of  E.  W.  Reid,  a  prosperous  resident  of  Los 
Angeles,  California;  Ellen  E.,  wife  of  Isaiah 
Price,  living  in  Springfield;  Kate  L.,  wife  of 
William  Mumford,  of  Pittstield,  who  have 
one  son,  named  Barry;  John  H.  and  Bert. 

Mr.  Barry  is  a  member  of  Hardin  Lodge, 
No.  44,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  politics  sup- 
ports the  issues  of  the  Democratic  party. 

Whatever  success  Mr.  Barry  has  achieved 
in  life  has  not  been  acquired  without  effort, 
as  might  be  inferred.  On  the  contrary,  his 
prosperity  and  popularity  is  directly  traceable 
to  his  unremitting  energy  and  careful  super- 
vision of  all  the  details  of  his  various  occu- 
pations, and  to  his  uniform  integrity  and 
courtesy,  thus  deservedly  attaining  success 
and  esteem. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  HEATON,  a  retired 
farmer  residing  in  Virginia,  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Wigan, 
Lancashire  county,  England,  January  1, 1810. 
Dennis  Heaton,  his  father,  and  Bartley 
Heaton,  his  grandfather,  were  also  natives  of 
Wigan,  the  family  as  far  as  known  being  of 
English  ancestry.  Grandfather  Heaton  was 
a  Colonel  in  the  Life  Guards.  He  spent  his 
whole  life  in  England.  Dennis  Heaton  was 


engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Wigan, 
where  he  died  about  1816.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Kate  Bartley,  and  she,  too, 
was  a  native  of  Wigan.  After  the  death  of 
Mr.  Heaton  she  married  James  Richardson. 
Her  death  occurred  in  Yorkshire  about  1852. 
By  her  first  husband  she  had  nine  children, 
all  of  whom  reached  adult  years;  by  her 
second  husband  she  reared  four  children. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  in 
Manchester.  He  was  six  years  old  when  his 
father  died,  and  from  the  time  he  was  seven 
he  earned  his  own  living.  From  his  seventh 
year  till  his  thirteenth  he  worked  in  a  cotton 
factory,  after  which  he  began  learning  the 
trade  of  tin  and  coppersmith  with  Mr.  Moon 
in  Oldham  street,  Manchester,  with  whom 
he  worked  seven  years.  He  now  has  a  kettle 
which  he  made  in  1827  and  presented  to  his 
mother.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  she 
gave  it  back  to  him,  and  it  has  been  in  daily 
use  in  his  family  ever  since. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Heaton  en- 
listed in  the  Thirty  sixth  Begiment  of  In- 
fantry, and  was  soon  transferred  to  the  Fifty- 
ninth  Regiment,  and  marched  across  Ireland 
to  Dublin,  joining  the  regiment  at  Port  Aa 
Bella  Barracks,  and  served  two  years  and 
eight  mouths.  He  was  in  different  parts  of 
Ireland  ten  months  and  then  made  a  forced 
march  to  Oldham,  England,  to  quell  a  riot 
there;  thence  to  Liverpool,  where  he  embarked 
for  Gibraltar,  a  year  later  to  Malta,  then  to 
Carfew,  and  from  there  back  to  Gibraltar, 
where  his  discharge  and  that  of  nineteen 
others  was  purchased,  supposed  to  have  been 
by  the  Spanish  Government.  He  then  be- 
came a  member  of  Shaw's  brigade  for  the 
Spanish  army  during  the  war  between  Don 
Carlos  and  the  Queen;  was  commissioned 
Captain  of  the  Light  Company  and  com- 
manded that  company  in  the  different 


380 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASK, 


marches,  battles,  etc.,  incident  to  that  war. 
He  served  a  little  more  than  seven  years. 

When  peace  was  declared  Captain  Heaton 
was  honorably  discharged  and  returned  to 
Manchester.  There  he  began  business  on 
his  own  account  as  a  tin  and  copper  smith, 
remaining  thus  occupied  until  1850.  That 
year  he  came  to  America,  sailing  from  Liver- 
pool on  the  27th  of  May  and  landing  in 
Quebec  after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks  and 
three  days.  His  father-in-law  was  at  that 
time  living  four  miles  from  Streetsville,  On- 
tario. He  joined  him,  and  from  there  visited 
the  Queen's  Bush,  a  tract  of  timber  land  set 
aside  for  the  soldiers.  Not  caring  to  have  a 
farm  in  the  wilderness,  he  came  to  the 
United  States.  After  residing  in  St.  Louis  a 
few  weeks,  he  sought  a  home  in  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  taking  up  his  abode  seven  miles  from 
Virginia,  where  he  entered  a  tract  of  Govern- 
ment land.  He  erected  a  log  house  and  com- 
menced at  once  to  improve  his  land.  This 
was  before  the  coming  of  the  railroad  and 
when  Beardstown  was  the  principal  market 
for  this  section  of  the  country.  Deer  and 
various  kinds  of  wild  game  were  plenty  here. 
Captain  Heaton  improved  fifty  acres  of  land, 
and  in  1854  sold  it  to  John  Fravey.  He 
then  moved  to  Beardstown  in  order  to  give 
his  children  the  benefit  of  schools.  He  was 
employed  by  Horace  Billings  in  his  pork 
house  for  a  time,  and  later  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Mr.  Crea  and  Henry  Chatsey. 
While  a  resident  of  that  place  he  was  sent 
for  from  Brooklyn,  New  York,  to  superintend 
a  pork-packing  establishment  there  for  a 
Mr.  Arris.  He  remained  in  Brooklyn  one 
season.  In  1863  he  went  to  Decatur,  Illi- 
nois, and  established  a  packing  house  for  Mr. 
Plato.  He  subsequently  purchased  a  farm 
of  Major  Arnold,  in  Monroe  precinct,  and  re- 
sided on  it  till  1870.  The  following  two 


years  he  lived  in  Beardstown.  His  next  move 
was  to  Virginia.  He  bought  property  on 
Gospel  Hill,  built  a  house,  and  resided 
there  till  1884.  He  then  rented  that  place, 
and  bought  and  moved  to  his  present  home. 

Captain  Heaton  was  married  at  Bolton, 
Lancashire,  England,  November  2,  1840,  to 
Mary  J.  Fullerton.  She  was  born  in  the 
Tower  of  London,  February  29,  1820,  daugh- 
ter of  Major  James  Fullerton,  a  native  of 
England.  When  a  young  man,  her  father 
enlisted  in  the  Seventh  Battalion,  and  was 
commissioned  Major.  He  was  in  command 
of  the  tower  at  the  time  of  her  birth.  He 
served  in  the  army  about  twenty-two  years, 
after  which  he  was  retired  on  half  pay.  He 
then  emigrated  to  Canada,  and  settled  twenty 
miles  from  Toronto,  Ontario,  where  he 
bought  a  farm  and  resided  till  his  death. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Martha 
Glen.  She  was  born  in  England  and  died 
in  Canada. 

To  Captain  Heaton  and  his  wife  eleven 
children  have  been  born,  viz.:  Noble  John, 
who  was  married  by  W.  R.  Whitehead  to 
Flavila  Yaple,  December  24,  1873,  and  has 
three  children,  Charlie,  Alford  and  Noble 
John;  Catharine,  who  was  married  by  R.  C. 
H.  Heimerling  to  Charles  Caldwell,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1860,  and  has  seven  children,  Pat- 
rick, John,  Emma,  Jennie,  who  became  the 
wife  of  James  Mead,  of  Virginia;  Lizzie, 
Katie  and  Edward;  Edward,  who  lost  his 
life  in  a  railroad  accident  on  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad ;  James,  who  was  married  in 
November,  1873,  to  Cora  Seaman,  has  one 
child,  Florence;  Mary  Jane,  who  was  mar- 
ried by  Benjamin  Williams  to  W.  B.  Will- 
iams, August  7,  1871,  and  has  two  children, 
Eddie  and  Henry;  William,  who  was  mar- 
ried by  John  W.  Shay  to  Hannah  E.  Sea- 
man, November  10,  1875,  and  has  five  chil- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


381 


dren,  Mary,  John,  Willard,  George  and 
Eva;  Charles,  who  was  married  January  5, 
1885,  to  Sadie  Bohman;  Susan,  who  was 
married  by  John  W.  Allen  to  Reuben  Lan- 
caster, March  11,  1880,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Earl  and  Iva;  Alice,  who  was  married 
by  John  W.  Allen  to  Edward  E.  Savage, 
May  10,  1877,  and  has  four  children,  Henry, 
Walter,  Bessie  and  Zella;  Martha,  who  was 
married  by  J.  E.  Roach  to  Richard  H. 
Payne,  November  20,  1884,  and  has  four 
children,  Carey,  Inis,  Hazel  and  Irine;  and 
Thomas,  who  is  unmarried.  They  have 
twenty-nine  grandchildren  and  three  great- 
grandchildren. 

The  Captain  and  his  worthy  companion 
are  devout  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  sword  which  this  veteran  carried  in 
Spain  he  has  presented  to  his  son,  Noble 
John,  who  values  it  beyond  price. 

Such  is  a  brief  record  of  one  of  Virginia's 
pioneers  and  highly  respected  citizens. 


WILLIAM  L.  DEMAREE  is  a  native 
of  Rushville  township,  having  been 
born  there  June  7,  1858,  and  while  a 
young  man  is  a  successful  farmer,  and  one 
who  enjoys  the  confidence  and  the  respect  °f 
his  friends  and  neighbors.  His  father,  Lud: 
well  H.  Demaree,  was  born  in  Mercer  county, 
Kentucky,  and  his  grandfather  spent  the  last 
years  of  his  life  in  that  State.  Ludwell 
Demaree,  after  marrying  in  Kentucky,  a  lady 
by  the  name  of  Martha  J.  Yankee,  of  Wash- 
ington county,  that  State,  removed  to  Illi- 
nois in  1857,  buying  a  farm  in  section  16, 
Rushville  township,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death,  in  1872.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  in 

this  county,  and    spared    neither    time    nor 
ae 


means  for  its  advancement.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  by  sixteen  years.  Six  of  her  eight 
children  are  living,  viz.:  Belle,  married  to 
Leonidas  Scott;  Laura,  inarried  to  Alexander 
Acheson;  William  L.;  John  H.;  Nora,  mar- 
ried to  J.  C.  Harrison ;  and  George  L. 

William  L.  Demaree  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  his  native  town.  Ap- 
preciating the  importance  and  value  of  a  good 
education,  he  sought  to  improve  every  oppor- 
tunity. He  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age 
when  his  father  died,  and  he  continued  as  be- 
fore to  reside  at  the  home  place,  only  leaving 
it  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  in  1883.  This 
event  took  place  very  happily  in  that  year,  to 
Rebecca  Hamilton,  daughter  of  a  worthy  and 
esteemed  couple,  John  and  Margaret  Hamil- 
ton, and  he  then  settled  upon  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides.  In  1891,  Mr.  Demaree 
added  to  his  possessions  by  buying  another 
farm  in  section  22,  Rushville  township,  so 
that  he  now  owns  460  acres  of  land,  all  in 
the  township  named.  He  carries  on  general 
farming  and  stock  raising. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Demaree  ha, ve  two,  children, 
D,wight  E.  and  W-illiam  P.  They  are  earnest 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South,  Mr.  Demaree  being  the  builder  of  the 
McTyeire  chapel  in  1890.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Demaree  is  a  Democrat. 


•i* 


HRISTIAN  KUHLMANN,  one  of  the 
substantial  farmers  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  Monroe  precinct,  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Eilstad, 
Germany,  in  April,  1827.  His  parents  were 
natives  of  Hanover,  and  passed  their  lives 
there.  When  Christian  was  three  years  old 
his  father  died,  leaving  a  wife  and  three 
children. 


383 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


Mr.  Kuhlmann  attended  school  until  he 
was  fourteen,  when  he  began  to  earn  his  own 
living,  working  by  the  year  on  a  farm.  The 
first  year  he  received  only  $3  and  his  board. 
In  1851  he  came  to  America.  Setting  sail 
from  Bremen  in  April  in  the  sailing  vessel 
Capanica,  he  landed  at  New  York  after  a 
voyage  of  forty-two  days.  He  there  found 
employment  in  a  sugar  refinery  at  $26  per 
month,  and  thus  earned  the  money  to  pay 
his  way  to  the  West.  In  1852  he  came  to 
Illinois,  coming  via  the  Hudson  river  to 
Albany,  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo,  the  lakes  to 
Cleveland,  canal  to  Portsmouth,  and  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers  to  St.  Louis.  He  found 
employment  on  a  farm  in  St.  Louis  county, 
and  remained  there  till  1854.  That  year  he 
came  to  Cass  county  and  was  employed  at 
farm  work  by  the  month.  He  was  very  in- 
dustrious, saved  his  earnings,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  rented  land  and  began  farming 
on  his  own  account.  In  1864  he  made  his 
first  purchase  of  land,  160  acres,  located  on 
section  26,  township  18,  range  11.  There 
was  a  log  cabin  on  the  place,  into  which  the 
family  moved,  and  he  at  once  began  to  make 
further  improvements  on  the  land.  Prosper- 
ity attended  his  well-directed  efforts,  and  as 
the  years  rolled  by  he  added  to  his  original 
purchase  and  erected  suitable  farm  buildings. 
His  home  farm  now  contains  375  acres,  and 
he  also  owns  another  farm,  437  acres,  in  the 
ame  township.  Besides  these  Mrs.  Kuhl- 
mann has  a  farm  of  120  acree.  Mr.  Kuhl- 
mann is  indeed  a  self-made  man.  His  life 
and  achievements  serve  well  to  illustrate 
what  a  poor  young  man  with  ambition,  good 
judgment  and  plenty  of  energy  can  accom- 
plish in  this  free  land  of  ours. 

In  1855  Mr.  Kuhlmaun  was  married  in 
Cass  county,  to  Mary  Middlebusher,  also  a 
native  of  Hanover.  She  came  to  America 


with  her  parents.  Their  union  has  resulted 
in  the  birth  of  two  sons,  George  H.  and  John 
H.  The  younger  resides  with  his  parents. 
George  H.  is  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account.  He  married  Miss  Kate  A.  Hem- 
inghaus,  a  native  of  Morgan  county,  Illi- 
nois, daughter  of  German  parents.  They 
have  three  children:  Christian,  Adelia  and 
Lydia. 

The  Kuhlmann  family  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  at  Beardstown. 


EMETRIUS  H.  ALLEN,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Versailles,  was  born  in  Adams 
county,  this  State,  in  1855.  His  father, 
James,  was  born, in  New  Jersey  in  1819,  and 
he  came  to  this  State  when  a  young  man,  in 
1838.  His  wife  was  Mary  Holten,  born  May 
2,  1825.  She  died  in  1875,  having  borne 
her  husband  nine  children,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy;  those  who  lived  to  maturity  were: 
Mary  C.,  wife  of  Jeremiah  Stuart;  William 
M.,  farmer  of  Missouri,  has  six  children; 
John,  residing  with  subject;  D.  H.,  subject; 
Amanda,  wife  of  Stephen  Smith;  Stephen 
A.  D.,  farm  laborer  of  this  township;  George 
resides  on  the  farm  with  his  brother,  has  but 
one  son. 

Our  subject's  father  had  but  limited 
schooling,  being  obliged  to  work  on  the  farm 
his  father  purchased,  for  many  years.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Fiftieth  Illinois  Infantry, 
serving  two  years,  when  he  was  discharged 
on  account  of  sickness,  but  was  home  only  a 
few  weeks  when  he  re-enlisted  in  the  cavalry 
service,  serving  in  all  some  four  years  and  a 
half,  being  mustered  out  at  St.  Louis  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  Although  not  very  well 
educated,  he  was  an  able  and  zealous  minister 
of  the  Baptist  Church. 


SO  SUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


383 


Our  subject  was  one  of  the  good  sons  one 
so  seldom  sees,  remaining  at  home,  assisting 
with  the  farm  and  caring  for  the  little  ones, 
and  has  never  ceased  to  look  after  their 
welfare. 

He  was  married  January  3,  1878,  to  Miss 
Julia  Hall,  of  the  same  place,  daughter  of 
Elijah  and  Susan  (Cousin)  Hall,  Virginia 
farmers,  who  came  to  Illinois  about  1830, 
being  then  very  poor,  but  then  they  had  240 
acres  of  good  land  and  other  valuable  prop- 
erty. Five  of  their  children  are  still  living. 
The  father  died  when  seventy  years  old,  and 
the  mother  when  she  was  eighty  years  old,  in 
1884. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  have  buried  one  son, 
Charles  L.  an  infant,  and  one  daughter,  May 
Allen,  born  September,  1880.  Mr.  Allen  is 
a  Democrat,  and  has  served  as  School  Di- 
rector for  something  over  one  term.  He  is 
a  Deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church. 

Mr.  Allen  carries  on  general  farming  on 
his  wife's  fifty-acre  farm,  raising  wheat  and 
corn,  the  former  yielding  about  sixteen 
bushels  to  the  acre,  the  latter  forty  to  fifty. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  are  highly  respected 
young  people  of  their  township,  and  enjoy 
life  on  their  beautiful  farm,  which  is  kept  in 
beautiful  order  by  the  care  of  Mr.  Allen. 


'HOMAS  S.  HOWELL,  one  of  the  old- 
est settlers  now  residing  in  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Guilford 
county,  North  Carolina,  February  16,  1825. 
His  grandfather,  John  Howell,  was  a  native 
of  Wales,  and  but  little  of  his  history  is 
k^iown;  he  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
emigrated  to  America,  spending  his  last  days 
in  Guilford  county,  North  Carolina.  His 
son,  John  Howell,  Jr.,  the  father  of  Thomas 


S.,  was  born  and  reared  in  North  Carolina, 
and  there  learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade, 
which  he  followed  until  1829;  then,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  five  children,  he  un- 
dertook the  overland  trip  to  Illinois,  and 
after  eight  weeks  of  travel  he  arrived  in 
Schuyler  county.  It  had  not  been  long  since 
the  first  settlers  penetrated  these  wilds,  and 
there  were  consequently  few  improvements. 
Indians  still  lingered  about,  and  wild  game 
was  plentiful.  Mr.  Howell  bought  a  tract  of 
timber  land  in  Woodstock  township,  and 
erected  a  cabin  that  was  the  pride  of  the 
community,  from  the  fact  that  it  had  a  shingle 
roof;  the  floor  was  made  of  puncheons,  aud 
the  door  of  heavy  oak  boards  hung  on  wooden 
hinges.  There  were  no  railroads,  and  no 
steamers  plying  the  Illinois  river.  Mr.  How- 
ell followed  his  trade  in  connection  with  his 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  lived  here  until  his 
death,  August  10,  1833.  His  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Sally  Manlove,  a  native  of  G-uilford 
county,  North  Carolina,  and  a  daughter  of 
William  Manlove;  after  he*  husband's  death 
she  was  married  a  second  time,  to  Stephen 
Frasier;  her  death  occurred  May  1,  1843. 
She  was  the  mother  of  seven  children:  Aman- 
da, Oscar  C.,  William  M.,  Thomas  S.,  Jona- 
than M.,  John  H.  and  Jacob. 

Thomas  S.  Howell  was  a  child  of  four 
years  when  his  parents  came  to  Illinois,  but 
well  remembers  many  of  the  incidents  and 
experiences  peculiar  to  pioneer  life.  His  fa- 
ther kept  sheep  and  raised  flax,  and  from  the 
wool  and  flax  the  mother  spun,  carded  and 
wove  the  cloth  from  which  the  family  ward- 
robe was  supplied.  He  remained  with  his 
mother  during  her  lifetime.  The  first  ven- 
ture he  made  in  business  was  threshing  100 
bushels  of  wheat,  the  agreement  being  that 
he  was  to  receive  therefor  one-tenth  of  the 
wheat;  lie  worked  three  days  to  pay  for  three 


384 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


barrels  in  which  to  ship  the  wheat  to  St. 
Louis,  the  whole  transaction  netting  him  $3. 
With  this  capital  he  was  married,  and  settled 
on  the  home  farm ;  he  had  inherited  twenty- 
five  acres,  and  he  rented  the  balance  of  the 
other  heirs,  and  there  began  his  career  as  a 
farmer.  In  due  time  he  was  enabled  to  pur- 
chase this  tract. 

In  March,  1865,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  in  June,  of  that  year, 
was  transferred  to  the  Twenty-first  Illinois, 
serving  until  December  16,  of  the  same 
year;  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  San 
Antonio,  Texas.  He  resided  on  the  home- 
stead in  Woodstock  township  until  1875, 
when  he  sold  this  place  and  purchased  the 
Newbury  farm,  which  consists  of  220  acres 
on  section  28,  Bainbridge  township. 

Mr.  Howell  was  married  May  14,  1843,  to 
Sarah  C.  Newbury,  who  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Margaret  Newbury,  natives  of  New  York 
and  Virginia  respectively,  and  pioneers  of 
Washington  county,  Ohio,  and  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howell  have 
eight  children  living:  John  E.,  Austin  D., 
Oscar  C.,  Hattie  A.,  William,  Loraiu  C., 
Dora  and  T.  Edgar.  Our  subject  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  is  a  man  who  has  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 


[1LLIAM  LUCAS,  a  farmer  of  Lee 
township,  was  born  in  Mount  Ster- 
ling, June  17,  1837.  His  father, 
Daniel,  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
March  21,  1810,  and  his  father  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  of  English  ancestry.  He  was  a 


lad  of  sixteen  when  the  Revolutionary  war 
was  declared,  and  served  six  years  in  it. 
Soon  after  he  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  State,  and 
from  there  went  on  to  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
and  settled  there  as  a  pioneer  in  1796  and  re- 
sided in  that  county  until  his  death  in  1836. 
His  son,  Daniel  Robins,  was  the  youngest  of 
a  large  family,  was  reared  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  but  obtained  a  good  education  for 
those  days  and  by  teaching  earned  enough  to 
educate  himself  in  medicine.  He  removed 
from  Ohio  to  Crawtbrdsville,  Indiana,  and 
from  there  to  Brown  county,  Illinois,  in  1836, 
and  was  one  of  the  pioneers.  He  practiced 
medicine  through  Brown  and  Adams  counties 
until  his  death,  January  26,  1884.  In 
1843  he  settled  in  Lee  township,  where  he 
bought  land  and  in  addition  to  his  practice 
superintended  his  farm.  He  married  Sarah 
Ann  Keith,  of  Kentucky,  who  died  March  22, 
1890,  aged  seventy-two  -years.  They  had 
twelve  children:  William,  Newton,  Martha 
Ann,  Mary  Elizabeth,  Dr.  George  Washing- 
ton, John  Harding,  Ethan  Allen,  Helen, 
Daniel  Webster,  Benjamin  Franklin  and 
James  Edward.  Nine  are  living  and  three 
died  young. 

William  remained  on  the  farm  until  he 
was  thirty-one  years  of  age.  He  and  his 
brother  went  to  Texas  for  a  herd  of  cattle  in 
1866.  They  bought  600  head  at  $20  a  head. 
They  drove  them  through  to  Illinois,  crossed 
the  Red  river,  April  22,  and  reached  Quincy, 
September  20.  The  adventure  proved  a 
financial  disaster.  From  1872  to  1876  he 
and  his  brother,  Newton,  were  at  Memphis, 
Missouri,  in  the  grain  and  hay  business.  In 
this  he  was  successful,  and  now  owns  632 
acres  of  land,  and  is  a  stock  farmer,  growing 
the  ordinary  crops  of  this  section.  He  keeps 
from  fifty  to  a  hundred  head  of  cattle,  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


38o 


owns  some  of  the  pure-blood  registered  stock. 
He  often  raises  as  many  as  250  hogs. 

He  was  first  married  January  2,  1866,  to 
Margaret  Miller,  who  died  July  7,  1866,  of 
quick  consumption  in  consequence  of  an  ex- 
posure while  swimming  a  stream  on  horse- 
back. He  was  again  married  in  1884,  to  A. 
E.  Lierly,  daughter  of  William  R.  Lierly, 
minister  of  the  Dunkard  Church.  They 
have  one  daughter:  Sarah  Ann,  born  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1890. 


fOHN   H.  GOODELL,  formerly  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  Cass  county,  Illinois, 
now  an  enterprising  lumber  merchant  of 
Chandlerville,  was  born  in  Windham  county, 
Connecticut,  April  15,  1832. 

The  Goodelis  were  of  French  ancestry,  who 
settled  in  Connecticut  in  an  early  day.  The 
paternal  grandmother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  a  descendant  of  the  Holbrook 
family,  who  were  also  old  and  respected 
residents  of  tire  Nutmeg  State;  while  his 
paternal  grandfather  was  a  captain  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  in  which  he  distinguished 
himself  for  bravery  and  efficiency.  The  par- 
ents of  our  subject  were  Horace  and  Lucy 
(Rickard)  Goodell,  both  natives  of  Connecti- 
cut, of  which  State  his  mother's  ancestors 
were  also  early  settlers.  The  father  of  our 
subject  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Windham 
county,  the  same  State,  where  he  and  his  wife 
continued  to  reside  until  1837.  He  then 
sold  out,  and  with  his  wife  and  three  children 
removed  to  Illinois,  making  the  journey  by 
land  and  water.  Arriving  on  the  frontier  he 
rented  land  for  a  number  of  years,  which  he 
farmed,  finally  buying  forty  acres  of  wild 
land,  to  which  he  subsequently  added,  until 
it  now  contains  eighty  acres.  On  this  he 


erected  a  substantial  farm  house,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death  in  May, 
1886,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  His 
wife  also  died  in  the  year  1868,  on  the  home- 
stead, aged  fifty-nine  years.  This  worthy 
couple  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  all 
sons,  two  of  whom  now  survive,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  and  a  brother,  Charles  C. 
Goodell,  the  latter  now  residing  on  the  old 
homestead. 

John  H.  Goodell  lived  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age,  working  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  eighteen,  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict school  of  that  vicinity.  When  eighteen 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  which  he 
commenced  to  work  at  twenty,  continuing  in 
that  vocation  for  ten  years. 

At  this  time  war  was  declared  and  Mr. 
Goodell  enlisted  in  August,  1862,  in  Com- 
pany A,  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Illi- 
nois, under  Captain  Johnson,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  a  part  of  the 
time  on  detached  duty.  He  was  in  the  hos- 
pital in  Memphis  for  two  months  in  1864. 
He  was  mustered  out  of  the  army  in  Vicks- 
burg,  Mississippi,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and 
received  his  discharge  in  Springfield,  Illinois. 

He  then  returned  to  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  about  two 
years,  after  which  he  came  to  Chandlerville, 
and  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives. 
He  and  his  wife  together  now  own  235  acres, 
which  is  devoted  to  mixed  farming.  In  1876, 
Mr.  Goodell  started  a  lumber-yard  in  Chand- 
lerville, which  he  has  continued  to  operate 
successfully  ever  since,  having,  by  upright 
dealing  and  uniform  courtesy,  built  up  a  large 
trade  in  the  town  and  surrounding  country. 

Mr.  Goodell  was  first  married  February  27, 
1853,  to  Miss  Helen  E.  Cotton,  an  intelligent 
lady,  and  a  native  of  Franklin  county,  New 
York.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Gideon  C.  and 


386 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Miss  (Sperry)  Cotton,  natives  of  New  Eng- 
land, who  removed  to  New  York  State,  where 
they  died.  Mr.  Goodell's  marriage  was  des- 
tined to  be  of  short  duration,  as  ten  years 
later,  July  4,  1863,  his  wife  expired  at 
their  home  in  Chandlerville,  leaving  many 
sorrowing  friends. 

On  December  28,  1865,  Mr.  Goodell  was 
married  to  his  present  wife,  Miss  Harriet  A. 
Sewall,  an  estimable  lady  who  was  born  April 
14,  1838,  in  the  county  were  she  now  resides. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Angusta,  Maine,  and 
was  a  son  of  General  Henry  Sewall,  a  Major 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  who  was  afterward 
made  a  Major-General  of  the  Eighth  Division 
of  the  State  militia.  He  died  in  his  native 
State,  at  the  advanced  age  ofjninety-four  years. 
His  brother,  Jotham  Sewall,  was  a  prominent 
home  missionary  of  Maine,  and  died  in  that 
State  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years.  All 
the  family  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  many  of 
the  name  were  prominent  ministers  of  the 
gospel.  On  account  of  his  father's  promi- 
nence and  services  to  the  country,  his  son, 
father  of  Mrs.  Goodell,  obtained  a  lucrative 
position  in  Washington,  but  on  his  way  thither 
he  was  shipwrecked  on  Long  Island  sound  in 
extreme  cold  weather,  and,  on  seeing  a  woman 
on  board  suffering  for  want  of  more'clothes, 
took  off  his  coat  and  gave  it  to  her  to  save  her 
life.  Then,  to  keep  from  freezing  and  the 
ship  from  sinking,  he  had  to  work  the  ship 
pnmp  so  long  that  he  froze  his  hands  and  was 
rendered  unable  to  write  and  fill  the  office. 
Then  after  a  long  illness  he  went,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  to  Virginia,  where  he  taught 
school,  having  received  a  liberal  education 
for  boys  in  those  days.  It  was  while  thus 
engaged  that  he  met  and  married  his  wife  in 
Virginia,  which  was  then  a  part  of  Maryland. 
His  wife  was  a  native  of  Nanjamoy,  Mary- 
land, and  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 


Catharine  Tolliver  (Hoe)  Middleton.  The 
Middletons  were  of  English  ancestry,  and 
early  settlers  of  America.  Both  families 
were  prominent  in  business  and  social  affairs 
of  the  State,  and  many  of  their  relatives  were 
accomplished  literary  men,  while  others  were 
distinguished  in  the  law  and  other  profes- 
sions. Some  of  the  descendants  took  an  act- 
ive and  prominent  part  in  the  Confederate 
army.  Soon  after  his  marriage,  about  1829, 
Mr.  Sewall  removed  to  Illinois,  then  a  new 
and  sparsely  settled  country.  They  settled 
in  Jacksonville,  where  Mr.  Sewall  taught 
school  and  entered  640  acres  of  land  in  Cass 
county.  He  taught  school  for  about  two  or 
three  years,  when  he  moved  on  his  farm, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death. 
He  was  a  very  devout  man  and  did  much 
good  in  this  new  country.  He  was  an  active 
worker  in  Sunday-school  and  church  matters, 
acting  for  years  as  superintendent  of  the 
former  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  was  instru- 
mental in  building  the  first  church  in  the 
community,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Elder. 
He  did  more  to  build  up  both  of  these  insti- 
tutions in  the  early  day  than  any  other  man 
in  the  community.  Storms  or  cold  weather 
never  deterred  him  from  his  duty.  To  make 
sure  of  prompt  attendance  he  would  take  his 
kindling  wood  with  him,  and  his  wife  her 
broom,  and  ride  three  miles  to  the  village 
church,  then  used  as  a  schoolhouse;  and  while 
he  made  the  fire  she  would  sweep  and  clean 
up  the  house  before  the  people  of  the  village 
had  started  out. 

He  and  his  worthy  wife  had  six  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living.  He  was  uni- 
versally beloved  and  respected,  and  was  greatly 
lamented  when  he  died  on  his  farm,  in  1846, 
aged  about  forty-nine  years.  His  devoted 
wife  survived  him  many  years,  dying  at  our 
subject's  home  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


387 


years.  What  has  been  said  of  her  husband 
would  apply  equally  to  her,  both  having  led 
in  all  good  and  charitable  works,  and  was  al- 
ways noted  for  bravery  and  presence  of  mind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Groodell  have  six  children: 
Lucy,  born  May  28,  1868;  Lida,  born  Febru- 
ary 2,  1871;  William  S.,  born  September  16, 
1872;  John,  born  March  1, 1875;  Andrew  J., 
born  March  11, 1877;  and  Susie,  born  Febru- 
ary 27,  1880. 

Mr.  Goodell  now  belongs  to  the  Prohibition 
party  in  politics,  previous  to  which  he  was  a 
Democrat,  with  the  exception  of  the  years 
1856  and  1860,  when  he  voted  the  Republi- 
can ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Good 
Templar's  Lodge,  No.  357.  For  thirty-five 
years  he  has  been  a  Deacon  in  the  church,  and 
he  is  active  in  Sunday-school  work,  having 
taught  the  largest  Bible  class  of  the  older 
scholars  in  the  Sabbath-school  for  over  thirty 
years.  His  worthy  wife  aids  him  in  all  good 
work.  She  belongs  to  the  Women's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union  and  other  ladies' 
societies,  and  the  whole  family  are  church 
attendants.  They  are,  in  fact,  of  that  class 
of  which  it  was  said  they  "  are  the  salt  of  the 
earth,"  adding  savor  to  the  works  of  the 
world. 


fOHN  C.  FL1NN,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  successful  stock-raiser  of  township 
17,  range  9,  section  24,  near  Ashland, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Morgan  county,  this 
State,  August  28,  1842.  His  parents  were 
Royal  and  Lovicia  (Hall)  Flinn,  his  paternal 
grandfather  having  come  from  Ireland.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and 
when  twelve  years  of  age  went  to  Kentucky, 
from  which  State  he  came  to  Morgan  county, 
Illinois,  about  1828.  Here  he  purchased 
land,  which  he  industriously  improved, 


making  it  a  valuable  farm,  on  which  he 
lived  a  number  of  years.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  also  in  the 
Mexican  war,  serving  efficiently  in  both. 
He  died  at  Prentiss,  Morgan  county,  Illinois, 
January  27,  1892,  in  his  ninetieth  year,  his 
having  been  a  remarkably  active  career,  of 
unusual  longevity.  The  devoted  wife  and 
mother  still  survives  at  the  old  homestead, 
where  she  is  a  helpless  invalid  from  rheuma- 
tism, being  the  recipient  of  the  most  solicit- 
ous care  of  her  children  and  the  deepest  re- 
gard of  a  host  of  friends.  This  worthy  couple 
were  the  parents  of  six  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, four  of  the  former  now  deceased.  Those 
surviving  are:  Francis  M.,  now  living  in 
Prentiss,  Morgan  county,  this  State;  Thomas, 
a  resident  of  Waverly,  in  the  same  county; 
and  the  four  sisters,  three  of  whom  live  in 
Morgan  county,  and  one  in  Macoupin  county, 
Illinois,  all  being  married  and  having  fami- 
lies. Two  sons  by  a  former  marriage  of  the 
father  still  survive,  one  son  having  died. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
subscription  schools  of  Morgan  county,  and 
was  reared  to  farm  life.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  he  went  to  southwestern  Missouri, 
where  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  re- 
turning to  Morgan  county  in  1862.  It  was 
while  in  Missouri  in  the  early  part  of  the 
war  that  he  was  importuned  to  unite  his  for- 
tunes with  the  Southern  cause,  but  declined 
to  do  so,  and  returned  to  the  North  to  avoid 
conscription.  Since  then  he  has  continued 
farming  pursuits  in  Morgan  and  Cass  coun- 
ties, having  resided  on  his  present  place  for 
nine  years.  This  farm  contains  170  acres  of 
choice  land,  which  is  principally  devoted  to 
grain,  besides  which  some  very  fine  stock  is 
raised.  By  good  management  and  energy 
this  farm  has  been  very  profitable,  and  he 
j  has  accumulated  a  handsome  competence. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


Mr.  Flinn  was  married  in  southwestern 
Missouri,  to  Miss  Hannah  Willis,  an  intelli- 
gent lady,  and  a  native  of  Kentucky,  in 
which  State  her  parents  were  also  born,  who 
emigrated  to  Missouri  when  their  daughter 
was  a  child.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
ten  children,  three  sons  and  seven  daughters: 
Ophelia,  the  oldest,  married  J.  J.  Higginson, 
a  prominent  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  Illi- 
nois; Annie  is  the  wife  of  L.  P.  Fisher,  a 
farmer,  near  Jacksonville,  this  State;  Luella 
and  Alice  are  teachers  in  the  public  schools 
of  this  county;  Jennie,  Oscar,  Frank,  Leila 
and  Stella  (twins),  and  Earle.  The  twin 
daughters,  now  budding  into  beautiful 
womanhood,  are  so  near  alike  that  it  puzzles 
their  acquaintances  to  distinguish  them.  All 
except  those  who  are  married  are  under  the 
parental  roof,  and  each  and  every  one  of  them 
is  intelligent  and  progressive,  being  alto- 
gether a  most  interesting  family,  whom  it  is 
a  pleasure  to  meet.  All  of  the  young  people 
are  interested  in  educational  work.  The  son, 
Frank,  has  in  view  a  course  in  the  Gem  City 
Commercial  College  for  the  coming  winter, 
while  the  young  ladies  who  are  not  already 
teachers  are  fitting  themselves  to  become 
such.  Numerous  good  books  and  periodicals 
are  taken  and  read  with  avidity,  and  fully 
appreciated  by  their  keen  intellects.  What- 
ever disappointments  may  be  in  store  for 
Mr.  Flinn  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  pecu- 
niary matters,  will  be  amply  compensated  for 
by  the  charming  family  with  which  he  is 
surrounded. 

Mr.  Flinn  is  Democratic  in  his  political 
affiliations  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  all 
public  affairs  of  importance. 

Mrs.  Flinn  and  five  of  the  daughters  are 
members  of  the  Christian  Church,  to  which 
they  render  much  assistance. 


Whatever  gifts  Dame  Fortune  has  be- 
stowed upon  Mr.  Flinn  have  not  been  volun- 
tarily given,  but  have  been  wrested  from  her 
by  perseverance  and  honest  toil,  and  he 
richly  deserves  his  present  prosperity  and 
happiness. 


EOKGE  WAGNER,  a  successful  farmer, 
was  born  in  Hesse-Cassel,  in  1825.  He 
had  lost  his  mother  when  a  child,  and 
was  brought  up  by  his  grandfather.  His 
father  came  to  this  country  in  1844,  but 
George  would  not  come  along,  as  he  did  not 
like  his  stepmother.  In  1848  he  was  drafted 
into  the  army,  and  after  serving  two  years  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  but  had  helped 
fight  five  hard  battles.  He  did  not  like  such 
a  dangerous  life,  and  came  away,  as  did  many 
others  at  that  period. 

His  father,  after  corning  to  America,  en- 
gaged as  a  piano-maker  in  New  York,  in 
which  business  he  had  made  much  money  in 
Germany.  George  never  joined  his  father 
in  this  country,  but  came  on  West  to  try  his 
fortune  in  Cass  county. 

He  was  married  in  this  county  in  a  short 
time,  to  Mary  Deer,  a  German  lady,  who 
died  in  1862,  leaving  five  children.  Mr. 
Wagner  was  a  second  time  married,  to  Cath- 
erine Dietrich,  born  in  Hesse-Cassel,  who 
came  to  America  in  her  youth.  She  has 
been  a  most  devoted  wife,  and  the  mother  of 
six  children,  three  of  whom  are  married  and 
three  of  whom  are  yet  at  home. 

Mr.  Wagner  has  lived  in  the  county  since 
1850.  He  first  purchased  land  at  25  cents 
an  acre,  and  sold  it  after  some  improvement, 
and  purchased  his  present  home.  He  now 
owns  in  section  4,  township  17,  range  11, 
100  acres  of  improved  land,  and  has  good 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


389 


farm  buildings.  He  has  forty  acres  of  tim- 
ber land  on  section  3,  township  17,  range  11. 
He  purchased  the  home  in  1868,  and  settled 
on  it  in  1870.  He  was  Road  Supervisor 
three  terms. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagner  are  good  and  well- 
known  people  in  the  county.  He  is  a 
Republican,  and  both  are  upright,  honest 
people. 


P.  COLT,  a  leading  member  of 
commercial  circles  in  Schuyler  county, 
has  resided  here  since  1843,  and  is  en- 
titled to  the  following  space  in  this  history 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  State  and  county.  He 
was  born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1828,  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Lucy 
(Childs)  Colt,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Massachusetts  respectively.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  Alexander  Colt,  Sr.,  emigrated 
to  America  from  Ireland,  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  children  ;  one  brother,  Judas  Colt, 
also  came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  New 
York  State.  Alexander  Colt,  Jr.,  was  the 
youngest  of  a  large  family;  he  grew  to  ma- 
turity in  Erie  county,  and  was  married  there. 
In  1843  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and  settled 
on  a  farm  near  Rushville,  Schuyler  county, 
where  he  and  his  wife  passed  the  remainder 
of  their  days.  They  reared  a  family  of  fif- 
teen children,  thirteen  of  whom  lived  to  ma- 
ture years.  Dow  P.  Colt  was  the  second 
born,  and  is  the  oldest  of  the  family  now  liv- 
ing. When  he  first  came  to  this  State,  he 
was  employed  in  a  tannery,  and  also  assisted 
his  father  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  he  learned  the  broom-maker's  trade, 
which  he  followed  fourteen  years.  Having 
accumulated  some  means,  he  embarked  in  the 
grocery  trade  and  carried  on  a  thriving  busi- 


ness until  1870.  During  the  next  five  years 
he  sold  musical  instruments,  and  from  1875 
to  1889  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade. 
In  the  latter  year  he  again  took  up  the  gro- 
cery business,  which  he  has  since  continued 
without  interruption. 

Mr.  Colt  was  united  in  marriage,  June  2, 

O     '  ' 

1853,  to  Miss  Ellen  Kuhn,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Harriet  (White)  Kuhn;  she  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania. 
To  them  have  been  born  four  children:  Alice 
F.,  wife  of  George  Bissel,  Lucy  E.,  Anna  13., 
wife  of  James  Montieth,  and  William  W.  In 
his  political  convictions  Mr.  Colt  is  allied 
with  the  Republican  party;  he  has  held  the 
office^of  member  of  the  village  Board,  but  has 
not  been  an  office  seeker. 

He  was  reared  amidst  Democratic  influ- 
ences, bnt  after  the  war  his  father  and 
brothers  became  Republicans.  During  the 
great  civil  conflict  five  of  his  brothers  fought 
for  the  nation's  flag,  the  youngest  being  but 
fifteen  years  of  age:  he  enlisted,  but  was  re- 
jected on  account  of  defective  vision  and 
hearing.  He  is  not  a  member  of  any  civic  or 
religious  societies  at  the  present  time,  al- 
though for  many  years  he  was  connected 
with  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 


fACOB  ZIMMERMAN,  born  in  section 
26,  Pike  county,  Illinois,  son  of  George 
Zimmerman  (see  his  sketch  in  this  book), 
remained    at   home     until    he   enlisted,  Au- 
gust 10,  1862,  in  Company  B,  Ninety-ninth 
Illinois    Infantry,    Captain    Mathews,    com- 
manding officer.     He  remained  in  service  un- 
til the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  mustered 
out  at  Baton  Rouge  and  discharged  at  Spring- 
field, Illinois.     He  was  with  the  company  in 


390 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CABS, 


all  their  engagements,  notwithstanding  he 
was  in  the  hospital  for  a  short  time. 

He  was  married  in  1864,  to  Mary  L.  Win- 
ters, born  in  1849.  After  his  marriage  he 
resided  in  Elkhorn,  in  the  first  frame  house 
built  in  that  place.  He  later  built  his  present 
house,  in  which  the  family  have  lived  for  ten 
years.  He  first  owned  157  acres,  but  has 
now  about  146  acres  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Zimmerman  and  wife  have  been  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
People's  party,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Greenback  party  some  years  ago.  He  is  no 
office  seeker,  and  has  had  but  little  time  to 
attend  to  the  local  politics. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zimmerman  have  had  the 
following  children:  Frank  O.,  married,  was 
born  in  1868;  Edwin,  born  in  1871;  Minnie 
P.,  born  in  1873;  Mark  T.,  born  in  1877;  and 
Jessie  W.,  born  in  1884.  Minnie  P.  and 
Frank  O.  attended  Chadock  College  at  Quincy, 
Illinois,  for  a  term  of  six  months. 

Edwin  R.  is  an  artist.  The  children  are 
all  temperate,  having  never  tasted  any  intoxi- 
cating drink  in  their  lives,  have  never  used 
any  profane  language,  and  are  strictly  honest. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zimmerman  are  good,  reli- 
able citizens,  and  are  highly  respected  by 
their  host  of  friends. 


lICHARD  M1LNER  an  old  settler  of 
Beardstown,  was  born  near  Preston, 
Lancashire,  England,  thirty  miles 
from  Liverpool.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
wagonmaker  and  when  young  he  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  was  the  only  one  of  the 
family  that  came  to  the  United  States.  His 
parents  lived  and  died  in  Lancashire,  En- 
gland, the  mother  when  Richard  was  six  years 


old,  the  father,  Thomas,  a  life-long  farmer, 
when  he  was  eighty-four  years  old.  He  and 
his  wife  were  ardent  Congregationalists. 
Richard  was  the  eldest  of  a  large  family  of 
brothers  and  half  brothers,  and  left  home  for 
Canada  in  1842,  but  he  staid  there  only  fif- 
teen months  and  then  came  to  Jacksonville, 
Illinois,  and  followed  his  trade.  At  Beards- 
town  he  was  married  to  Hannah  Wood,  of 
Oldham,  Yorkshire,  England.  She  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1844,  when  young,  with 
her  father,  John  Wood.  He  died  at  Beards- 
town,  Cass  county,  at  the  house  of  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Milner,  aged  eighty-six. 

Mr.  Milner  came  to  Beardstown  in  1849, 
and  began  here  as  a  wagonmaker  and  black- 
smith for  some  years.  He  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Amasa  Hill,  and  afterward  with 
John  Rose,  soon  after  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad  began  to  build  a  line, 
and  he  became  one  of  the  bridge  building 
force,  and  he  continued  building  them  for 
seven  years,  until  the  bridge  for  the  Q.  road 
was  built  at  Beardstown,  when  he  was  made 
bridge-tender,  some  twenty  years  ago.  He 
has  retained  the  position  ever  since.  Later 
he  was  made  the  Government  river  gauger  of 
of  the  river  at  Beardstown,  and  also  was  ap- 
pointed to  make  observations  on  the  weather 
and  rainfall  each  day.  This  position  also  he 
has  held  since  its  establishment  in  Beards- 
town,  in  1885.- 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milner  had  nine  children, 
five  of  whom  still  live:  Rebecca,  wife  of 
Samuel  Wroe,  of  Nodaway  county,  Missouri, 
a  farmer  and  cattle  dealer;  Thomas  W.,  a 
railroad  station  master  of  Denison  (now 
Leavenworth),  Kansas;  Nannie  died  one  and 
one-half  years  after  marriage,  without  issue, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  ;Mary  is  at  home, 
although  she  was  a  school  teacher  for  some 
time;  Rosa,  wife  of  Henry  Baujan  (see  biog- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


391 


raphy);  Maggie  is  single  and  at  home;  Mrs. 
Milner  is  a  respected  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Church  and  is  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
her.  Mrs.  Milner  is  the  youngest  of  a  large 
family,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  dead. 


lOBERT  ATEN  was  born  in  West  Vir- 
ginia in  1818,  in  what  was  then  Brooke 
county  of  the  old  Dominion,  a  son  of 
William  and  Jane  (Anderson)  Aten;  his 
mother  died  in  1834,  leaving  a  family  of 
seven  children.  William  Aten  was  a  pros- 
perous farmer,  and  was  noted  throughout  the 
country  for  the  excellent  grade  ot  horses  he 
kept.  He  was  married  a  second  time  to 
Catherine  Wycoff,  who  bore  him  four  chil- 
dren. He  died  in  1866,  leaving  an  estate  of 
fair  value.  Five  of  the  children  are  still  liv_ 
ing:  Robert,  the  subject  of  this  biographica 
sketch;  William,  a  resident  of  Fulton  county  ;l 
Mary,  wife  of  William  K.  McClurg;  Nancy 
Lester,  a  widow  residing  in  McDonough 
county,  Illinois;  and  Martha  Beale,  a  widow 
in  West  Virginia;  Aaron  H.,  died  in  Mc- 
Donough county,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of 
eighty -two  years;  John  C.,  died  in  Fulton 
county;  Richard  died  in  the  same  county;  he 
was  a  pioneer  of  Illinois,  coming  in  1840,  ac- 
companied by  Richard  Aten.  The  latter  re- 
turned to  Virginia  in  1842,  and  was  back  and 
forth  until  1854,  when  he  settled  here  per- 
manently. 

He  was  married  in  1850  to  Sarah  Beale,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Beal  and  a  member  of 
the  prominent  families  of  Virginia;  she  died 
one  year  later,  to  a  day,  leaving  a  daughter 
who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Aten  was  married 
again  in  1852  to  Mary  Jane  Allison,  who  be- 
longed to  a  well-known  family.  Of  this 
union  were  born  nine  children,  all  of  whom 


are  living:  Nancy  L.,  now  Mrs.  Morris; 
Henry  C.,  W.  A.  F.,  Eobert  Burns,  Sarah, 
wife  of  Thomas  Ashwood;  James  Grant, 
Daniel  Webster,  Flora  Ann  and  John  Q. 

Mr.  Aten's  first  purchase  of  land  was 
eighty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  $600,  he  soon 
added  another  tract  for'  which  he  paid  $1,100, 
and  at  one  time  owned  700  acres;  he  has  dis- 
posed of  all  but  400  acres.  He  carried  on  a 
general  agricultural  business.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  live-stock,  and  ships  from 
two  to  three  car-loads  of  hogs  and  as  many 
cattle  during  the  year.  He  began  life  with 
a  small  capital,  but  this  was  strongly  sup- 
plemented with  will  and  determination  to 
succeed,  and  has  arisen  to  a  position  of  finan- 
cial independence.  Politically  he  has  af- 
filiated with  the  Whigs  and  then  the  Repub- 
licans. He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  give  liberal  support 
to  the  cause  of  Christianity.  They  have  lived 
a  useful  life,  and  have  borne  their  share  of 
the  burden  assumed  by  the  pioneers  in  their 
undertaking  to  redeem  the  wild  prairie  and 
bring  it  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  making 
of  Illinois  one  of  the  leading  agricultural 
States  of  the  Union. 


ETH  C.  C  R  A  M  P  T  O  N,  of  section  9, 
Browning  township,  was  born  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  January 
28,  1864,  His  father  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  in  1797,  came  to  Illinois  in 
1820,  settled  on  the  old  homestead  about 
1835,  went  to  California  in  1844,  and  en- 
gaged in  mining  for  two  years,  being  reason- 
ably successful.  He  returned  from  California 
in  1846  and  resumed  farming  in  Browning 
township.  He  was  married  the  third  time 
in  1858,  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Mitchell,  whose 


392 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RE  VIM  W    OF    CASS, 


maiden  name  was  Davis.  The  father  died 
when  Seth  was  but  eight  years  old.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  that  district,  and 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  entered  a  telegraph 
office  at  Baders,  where  he  learned  the  busi- 
ness and  became  a  practical  operator.  He 
continued  at  this  business  at  various  points 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  rail- 
road for  live  years,  when  failing  health  com- 
pelled him  to  make  a  change.  He  came  back 
to  the  home  farm,  put  in  a  crop,  continued 
businsss  in  the  telegraph  office,  but  with  the 
opening  of  the  spring  of  1892  he  became  a 
full-fledged  farmer. 

He  was  married  July  7,  1886,  in  Rushville, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Frome,  born  in  this  town- 
ship, October  8,  1863.  Her  parents  were 
Abram  and  Nancy  Frome;  the  former  died 
suddenly  of  heart  disease,  and  the  mother 
married  John  Ebbert,  and  lives  on  an  adjoin- 
ing farm.  They  have  two  living  children, 
Meade  Horace  and  Orpha  Dot.  Mr.  Cramp- 
ton  is  a  Democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Brush- 
ington  Valley  Relief  Association,  a  beneficial 
order. 

The  Crampton  family  were  among  the 
very  early  settlers  of  Browning  township, 
coming  here  when  the  country  was  a  wilder- 
ness. 


fILLIAM  H.  LEE  was  born  on  a  farm 
adjoining  his  present  home,  August, 
1850.  His  father,  William  Lee  was 
born  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  October 
9,  1816.  In  1827  the  family  moved  to 
Tennessee  and  the  next  year  came  to  Mor- 
gan county,  Illinois,  where  they  lived  until 
1830,  when  they  came  to  Brown  county  and 
entered  Govenment  land  on  which  William 
Lee,  Sr.,  lived  until  he  died.  He  was  about 


fifteen  years  old  when  they  settled  on  the 
farm  and  died  here,  January  26,  1884,  after  a 
painful  and  lingering  illness.  During  his 
fifty  years  in  this  county  he  had  been  a  most 
useful  and  influential  citizen,  tilling  places  of 
trust  and  honor  with  fairness  and  discretion 
to  all  the  fellow  townsmen.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  his  life  was  filled  with  deeds  that  testified 
that  he  practiced  as  well  as  preached.  He  was 
greatly  missed  by  all  who  knew  him,  espe- 
cially his  wife  and  children.  His  remains 
were  interred  on  the  farm  where  he  had  lived 
and  worked  for  so  long.  His  wife  was  Mary 
A.  Thomas  of  Switzerland  county,  Indiana. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Jackson)  Thomas,  the  former  from  Ohio  and 
the  latter  from  Maryland.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Ohio  and  removed  to  Indiana,  where 
their  daughter  was  born.  In  1830  they  re- 
moved to  Scott  county,  Illinois.  They  and 
their  nine  children  made  the  journey  with 
teams,  and  after  their  arrival  in  Scott  county 
another  child  was  born  to  them.  Five  years 
later  they  came  to  what  is  now  Pea  Ridge,  in 
Brown  County. 

The  marriage  license  was  the  first  issued 
in  Brown  county.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Lee 
died  at  their  farm  home  at  the  age  of  forty- 
nine  years  and  left  her  husband  and  ten  liv- 
ing children.  He  was  again  married,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  in  Iowa. 
Mrs.  Lee,  Sr.,  began  married  life  on  eighty 
acres,  their  first  purchase,  near  the  present 
home  of  their  son.  To  this  they  added  105 
acres,  making  185  in  all.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  died. 

William  Lee,  our  subject,  was  reared  to 
farm  life  and  has  followed  the  same  life  ever 
since.  He  was  fairly  educated  for  the  times. 

Mr.  William  Lee  has  been  carrying  on 
farming  and  stock-raising,  giving  special  at- 


8CHDYLEK    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


893 


tention  to  the  breeding  of  some  fine  road 
stock  of  horses.  He  has  some  fine  young 
stock  and  fillies,  four  good  mares  and  has  re- 
cently bought  a  fine  young  stallion  of  the 
Wilkes  stock.  This  is  a  very  promising  two- 
year-old  and  he  hopes  to  stock  his  farm  with 
good  roadsters.  He  keeps  about  100  sheep 
of  the  Shropshire  and  Merino  graded  stock 
and  turns  off  twenty  or  thirty  porkers  a  year. 

Mr.  Lee  had  some  experience  in  his  youth 
in  merchandising  in  his  father's  employ  at 
Mount  Sterling,  and  later  as  a  clerk  at  the 
same  place,  but  his  health  failing  he  turned 
his  hand  to  what  he  was  fitted  by  nature  to 
do  and  has  made  a  success  of  it,  although  he 
has  the  natural  ability  to  fill  any  commercial 
position  in  any  city. 

He  was  married  in  Mt.  Sterling,  December, 
1877,  to  Miss  Jennie  Hanna,  daughter  of  F. 
M.  and  Sarah  (Hobbs)  Hanna,  residents  of 
Mt.  Sterling.  They  began  life  on  the  farm 
on  which  they  now  reside  of  150  acres.  They 
have  buried  one  little  son,  Frank,  and  have 
now  four  children:  Mary,  in  her  thirteenth 
year,  a  bright  child  with  musical  talent  which 
is  being  cultivated;  George  A.,  a  bright  child 
of  ten;  Freddie,  five,  and  William,  a  Christ- 
mas gift  of  the  year  1889.  Both  Mr.  Lee 
and  his  wife  are  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  them  and  they  are  very  influential 
among  their  large  circle  of  friends. 


,.e 


es- 


^ILLIAM  W.  WARD,  a  highly 
teemed  and  prosperous  retired  farmer 
of  township  17  north,  range  9  west, 
near  Philadelphia,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Scott 
county,  Kentucky,  June  36,  1822.  He  was 
the  younger  of  two  children  born  to  William 
A.  and  Nancy  (Wirt)  Ward,  the  other  being 
his  sister  Catharine,  now  Mrs,  Hancock,  who 


resides  in  her  native  county,  in  Kentucky. 
The  families  on  both  maternal  and  paternal 
sides  were  Southerners  for  manj'  generations 
back.  Mr.  Ward's  father  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  while  his  mother  was  a  Virginian 
by  birth,  and  they  were  married  in  Scott 
county,  Kentucky,  about  1819.  The  mother 
died  in  Kentucky  a  number  of  years  ago, 
while  the  father  expired  in  Arcadia,  Illinois. 

The  subject  pf  this  sketch  came  to  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  in  1844,  but  afterward  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Kentucky,  whence  he 
returned  to  Illinois  permanently  in  1848, 
locating  on  a  farm,  where  he  lived  until 
twenty-five  years  ago,  when  he  removed  to 
his  present  location.  The  last  farm  comprises 
177^  acres,  most  of  which  is  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  all  of  it  tillable 
land.  He  has,  besides  this,  considerable 
valuable  personal  property,  and  owns  an  at- 
tractive residence  in  Virginia,  this  State.  He 
has  gained  all  this  by  honest  and  toilsome 
efforts,  and  is  highly  deserving  of  his  good 
fortune. 

In  1851,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  M. 
Turner,  an  estimable  lady,  who  was  born  in 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  in  1834.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Edward  W.  Turner,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  an  honored  pioneer  of  Cass 
county. 

To  this  union  eight  children  have  been 
born,  four  of  whom  are  now  living.  America 
E.,  the  eldest,  now  Mrs.  Long,  resides  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  has  had  four  children,  two  of  whom 
are  deceased;  Edward  Williams  is  married; 
Alice  Catharine,  born  September  22,  1858, 
married  James  Whalan,  and  resides  with  her 
father  on  the  old  homestead.  Mr.  Whalan 
was  born  in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  November  15, 
1855,  and  was  married  in  Jacksonville,  Illi- 
nois, in  1874.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whalan  have 
two  children;  Mary  Margaret,  born  in  Cass 


394 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


county,  June  5,  1875,  an  intelligent  and 
amiable  young  lady,  who  holds  a  diploma  of 
graduation,  which  she  received  from  the  pub- 
lic school  iu  this  district;  James  Edward, 
born  April  22,  1877,  is  at  home,  as  is  also 
Miss  Margaret.  Mr.  Ward  has  another 
daughter,  Emma  Josephine,  who  married 
Joseph  Tread  way,  who  was  born  in  Harford 
county,  Maryland,  December  29,  1851,  and 
is  a  prosperous  farmer  and  lives  in  Sugar 
Grove,  Cass  county,  Illinois.  They  have 
eight  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  four- 
teen years  old  at  this  writing.  Those  of  Mr. 
Ward's  children  now  departed  this  life,  are 
Louisa  Jane,  who  married  Henry  DeGroot,  and 
who  died  at  Mr.  Ward's  house  February  7, 
1891,  leaving  one  child;  three  of  his  children 
died  in  infancy,  unnamed.  February  13, 1876, 
the  family  were  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  the  devoted  wife  and  mother,  who  was 
belosred  by  everyone  on  account  of  her  fer- 
vent Christian  character.  She  and  the  chil- 
dren deceased  were  at  first  interred  in  the  pri- 
vate cemetery  on  the  farm,  but  the  remains 
have  since  been  removed  to  the  cemetery  in ' 
Ashland,  Illinois.  Since  her  mother's  death, 
Mrs.  Whalan  has  kept  house  for  Mr.  Ward, 
both  before  and  since  her  marriage,  thus 
greatly  alleviating  the  force  of  this  crushing 
affliction. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ward  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party,  to  which  he  has  belonged 
for  many  years.  Socially,  he  is  an  ardent 
advocate  of  the  temperance  cause,  and  has 
been  for  many  years  an  active  member  of  the 
I.  O.  G.  T.  Mr.  Ward  is  an  earnest  and  use- 
ful member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  as  was 
also  his  wife.  Mrs.  Whalan  and  her  daughter, 
Margaret,  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

It  is  seldom  that  we  have  to  chronicle  a 
more  blameless  life  than  that  just  written. 


Intelligent  and  well  informed,  yet  modest 
and  retiring;  energetic  and  progressive,  yet 
mindful  of  the  rights  of  others;  industrious, 
persevering  and  highly  moral,  we  have  a 
combination  which  insures  true  success  in 
life,  which  many  others  would  do  well  to 
copy,  and  verify  in  their  daily  life  work. 


K.  D.  W.  OWENS  was  born  in  Lewis 
county,  Kentucky,  August  16,  1845. 
His  father,  Lewis,  was  born  in  the 
same  county,  and  his  father,  Aaron,  was  born 
in  Fauquier  county,  Virginia,  and  removed 
from  there  to  Kentucky  when  a  young  man. 
He  settled  in  Lewis  county,  bought  land, 
raised  a  family  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  days 
there.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Dorotha  Hathaway.  Lewis  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  black- 
smith which  he  continued  in  connection 
with  his  farming.  He  removed  from  Ken- 
tucky to  Kansas  in  1877,  and  settled  in  La- 
bette  county,  dying  there  in  1881.  His  wife, 
Nancy  Owens,  was  born  in  Mason  county, 
Kentucky.  Her  father  was  born  in  Fau- 
quier county,  Virginia,  and  moved  from 
there  to  Mason  county,  Kentucky.  She  re- 
moved with  her  husband  to  Lewis  county, 
where  she  died  in  1869.  She  reared  eight 
children,  of  whom  Dr.  Owens  was  the 
seventh.  He  was  raised  in  his  native 
county,  received  his  early  education  in  the 
log  schoolhouse,  assisting  his  father  on  the 
farm  until  1864.  He  enlisted  in  March  of 
that  year  in  Company  K,  Sixteenth  Ken- 
tucky Federal  Infantry,  and  joined  the  regi- 
ment at  Louisville.  He  was  with  Sherman 
in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  participated  in 
some  of  the  battles  en  route  to  the  seizure 
of  that  city.  After  that  he  was  with  Thomas 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


395 


in  pursuit  of  Hood  and  fought  in  the  battles 
of  Columbia,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  In 
January,  1865,  he  took  passage  on  a  steamer 
bound  for  Cincinnati,  and  from  thence  to 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  from 
there  to  Alexandria,  and  on  to  Fort  Fisher, 
North  Carolina,  and  thence  to  Wilmington. 
The  regiment  participated  in  the  capture  of 
Fort  Anderson,  Town  Creek  and  Wilmington, 
and  then  was  marched  to  Goldsboro,  where 
Sherman's  men  soon  joined  them.  After 
much  marching  and  counter  marching  they 
were  placed  on  garrison  duty  near  Greens- 
boro, and  there  remained  until  July,  1865, 
when  they  were  mustered  out  of  service,  and 
discharged  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  Mr. 
Owens  returned  home  in  August. 

He  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in 
1863.  After  his  return  he  continued  it  and 
also  resumed  farming,  and  in  1878  he  grad- 
uated from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  commenced 
practice  at  Hersman,  Illinois,  where  he  has 
been  in  practice  ever  since.  He  united  with 
the  Regular  Primitive  Baptist  Church  in 
1870,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  and  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry  at  Rock  Creek 
Church,  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  in  June, 
1873.  and  that  was  his  first  pastorate.  He 
remained  there  until  1878  when  he  came  to 
Hersman  and  was  associated  with  Elder 
James  Harper  in  the  pastorate  at  Mt.  Gilead 
Church,  and  when  the  elder  died  he  suc- 
ceeded him,  and  in  addition  to  this  has  sup- 
plied the  congregation  at  Camp  Creek  Church 
for  the  past  eight  years. 

He  married,  in  1867.  Nanna  M.  Boggs, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  (Means) 
Boggs,  of  Lewis  county,  Kentucky.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  and  is  at  this  time  its  first  vice- 


president.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Examining  Surgeons  of  Mt.  Sterling,  Illi- 
nois. He  is  a  very  successful  physician  and 
a  useful  citizen.  His  influence  for  good  is 
felt  in  the  community. 


§EWIS   E.  KROHE,   an  intelligent  and 
enterprising  citizen  of  Bainbridge  town- 
ship, Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  Cass  county  on   May    18,  1837,  and  re- 
moved to  Schuyler  county  March  13,  1859, 
and  has  lived  here  ever  since.     His  father, 
August  Krohe,  was  a  native  of  Saxony,  Ger- 
many, and  was  a  son  of  Frederick  Christian 
Krohe,  also  a  native  of  Saxony,  and  a  weaver 
by  trade.     His  father  followed    the  weaver 
trade  in  his  native  country  until  1833,  when 
he  emigrated  to  America,  making  the  voyage 
across  the  ocean  in  seven  weeks,  and  landing 
at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana.     From  there  he 
came  direct  to  Beardstown,  Illinois,  being  a 
week  coming  from  St.  Louis  to  the  former 
place,  a    distance   made    now  in  two  hours. 
There    were  at  that  time  but  two  houses  in 
Beardstown,    and    the    surrounding  country 
was  sparsely  settled  and  deer  and  wild  turkey, 
quail,     prairie    chicken,    and    other     game 
abounded  in  profusion.     He  bought  a  tract 
of   land  near    Virginia,   which    was   mostly 
covered    with    timber,    the  rest    being  wild 
prairie  land.     There  was  a  log  cabin  on  the 
land  when  he  bought  it,  and  in  this  he    took 
up  his  abode,  beginning  the  life  of  a  pioneer. 
He  soon  met  and  married  Christiana  Jockish, 
daughter  of  Gotlieb  Jockish.     She  was  a  na- 
tive of    Saxony,    where  she    was  born,   and 
came  to  America  with  her  father.      After  his 
marriage,  August  Krohe  went  to  live  on  his 
farm,  but   afterward  bought  land  near  Bluff 
Springs,  where  he  resided  many  years,   until 


396 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RRVIBW    OF    CASS, 


he  finally  returned  to  his  old  home  on  the 
farm,  where  he  now  lives.  They  had  seven 
children:  August,  Lewis,  Mena,  Louisa, 
Henry,  Julia  and  Amelia.  In  April,  1889, 
the  faithful  wife  and  fond  mother  died,  leav- 
ing many  friends  to  mourn  her  loss.  She 
was  a  woman  of  intelligence  and  generous 
impulses,  and  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  her. 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  county,  that  of  Cass,  and  resided 
with  his  parents  until  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, which  occurred  on  March  13,  1859,  to 
Marie  Sophia  Korte.  She  was  a  native  of  Hes- 
se-Cassel,  Germany,  in  which  place  she  was 
born  November  14,  1841,  her  parents  being 
John  Conrad  and  Christiana  (Myer)  Korte. 
Her  father  was  also  born  in  Hesse- Cassel, 
Germany,  where  he  was  reared  and  after- 
ward married.  He  followed  the  trade  of 
blacksmithing  in  his  native  land  until  1857, 
when  with  his  wife  and  three  children  he 
sailed  from  Bremen,  Germany,  for  America, 
landing  in  Baltimore.  Maryland,  in  August, 
after  a  voyage  of  fifty-eight  days.  From 
there  he  came  directly  to  Illinois,  spending 
a  few  months  in  Casa  county,  and  moving 
thence  to  Schnyler  county,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade,  in  Bainbridge,  until  his  death, 
where  his  wife  also  died.  They  reared  three 
children:  Henry,  Mrs.  Krohe  and  George. 

After  his  marriage,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  rented  some  land  in  Schuyler  county, 
which  he  farmed  for  five  years.  He  then 
made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  since  when  he 
has  from  time  to  time  made  other  purchases, 
until  he  now  owns  upward  of  700  acres.  This 
is  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  with  a 
commodious  home,  besides  other  modern  con- 
veniences to  faciliate  agricultural  pursuits. 
Hie  home  is  situated  on  an  attractive  site  on 
the  bluffs,  from  which  he  has  an  uninterrupted 


view  for  miles  around,  extending  across  the 
river  to  Cass  county.  He  has  a  large  or- 
chard. He  is  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the 
most  substantial  farmers  in  this  locality.  All 
his  property  he  has  accumulated  by  industry 
and  economy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krohe  have  seven  children 
living,  viz.:  Amelia,  wife  of  Jacob  Logsdon; 
Frank,  Louisa,  Julia,  Edward,  Emma  and 
Minnie;  William  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
one,  andAdolph  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Krohe  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but 
takes  no  active  interest  in  political  matters, 
other  than  desiring  the  advancement  and  wel- 
fare of  his  country.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  have 
contributed  liberally  towards  its  support. 

Intelligent  and  able,  industrious  and  fru- 
gal, enterprising  and  progressive,  he  has  bent 
circumstances  to  his  will,  until  from  nothing 
he  now  stands  among  the  first  inhabitants  of 
his  community,  looked  up  to  and  esteemed 
by  all  who  know  him. 


§OHN  H.  DEPPE;  an  old  settler  and 
well  known  and  retired  carpenter  of 
Beardstown,  was  born  in  Hanover,  in 
1832,  August  29.  His  parents  were  Casper 
and  Elizabeth  (Recor)  Deppe,  natives  of 
Hanover,  and  of  good  German  stock.  After 
their  marriage  and  the  birth  of  their  chil- 
dren, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deppe  came  to  the 
United  States,  in  the  fall  of  1842,  in  a  sailing 
vessel  of  three  masts.  After  a  journey  of 
seven  weeks  and  three  days  they  landed  in 
New  Orleans.  After  a  three  weeks'  trip  on  a 
Mississippi  river  steamer  they  landed  in  St. 
Louis  in  January,  1843.  After  some  time 
in  the  city  they  went  to  Missouri,  and  they 
went  to  Beardstown  from  there.  Casper  was 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


397 


a  carpenter,  having  learned  his  trade  in  Ger- 
many, and  he  began  working  at  it  for  $7  a 
month  for  some  months.  Later  he  received 
seventy-five  cents  a  day.  This  seemed  big 
wages  to  him.  After  overcoming  many  hard- 
ships and  troubles  he  succeeded  in  obtaining 
a  foothold  in  life.  He  then  entered  into 
contracting  and  building,  and  as  he  was  a 
good  workman  he  had  many  friends  in  the 
city.  Later  in  life  he  purchased  land  in  In- 
dian creek  precinct,  Cass  county,  and  there 
lived  for  a  time  and  then  came  back  to  Beards- 
town.  Here  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
days  in  retirement  and  quiet.  He  died  in 
1889,  February  28.  He  was  then  eighty- 
four  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  in  1884,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six.  They  were  well  known 
old  settlers  of  this  city  and  had  a  host  of 
friends  by  whom  they  were  missed.  They 
were  active  members  of  the  Sixth  street 
Lutheran  Church,  which  they  helped  organize 
and  build  up.  Mr.  Deppe  was  a  Democrat. 

Mr.  John  Deppe  was  the  only  son  of  the 
family.  He  had  two  sisters,  but  one  died, 
and  the  other  married  Charles  Kobelenz,  and 
they  are  both  living  in  Beardstown.  Mr. 
Deppe  has  always  been  a  hard-working  man, 
and  for  eighteen  years  before  his  retirement 
from  active  life  was  employed  in  the  car 
shops  of  the  Quincy  Railroad  at  this  place 
doing  work  as  a  car  builder  and  woodworker. 
He  learned  his  trade  under  his  father.  Ex- 
cepting three  years,  when  he  engaged  in 
farming,  he  has  always  lived  in  Beardstown 
and  has  been  successful  in  whatever  he  at- 
tempted. He  bought  a  farm  in  Indian  Creek 
precinct  of  160  acres,  nearly  all  of  which  is 
improved. 

He  was  married  in  this  city  to  Miss  Annie 
Morman.  She  was  born  in  Ingra,  Prussia, 
in  1835.  She  died  at  her  home  in  this  city, 
May  3,  1883.  She  was  one  of  the  good 

27 


worthy  women  of  the  city,  and  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  German  parents,  who  lived  and  died 
in  Prussia.  Mrs.  Deppe  came  to  America 
in  early  girlhood.  She  was  a  worthy  mem- 
ber of  the  Sixth  Street  Lutheran  Church.  Mr, 
and  Mrs.  Deppe  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living, 
namely:  Louis,  tinner  by  trade,  who  mar- 
ried Louisa  Dieckhous;  Gustav,  of  the  dry  - 
goods  firm  of  Deppe  Bros.;  William,  of  the 
same  firm;  Lydia  is  at  home;  Robert  H.  is  a 
barber  of  the  city;  Herman  C.,  a  tailor  by 
trade;  and  Conrad  J.  at  home.  The  children 
are  young  men  and  women  that  any  one 
would  be  proud  of,  and  Mr.  Deppe  is  a  father 
to  be  envied.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 


§ACOB  H.  SN  Y  DER,  an  extensive  farmer 
of  Brown  comity,  was  born  about  four 
miles  from  Duncannon,  Perry  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  10,  1831.  His  father, 
Jacob  Snyder,  was  born  in  Germany,  and  his 
father,  George  Snyder,  was  also  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  emigrated  with  his  family  to 
America  about  1814,  locating  in  Pennsylva- 
nia. Here  he  spent  his  last  years  in  Perry 
cour(ty.  His  son  was  twelve  years  old  when 
he  came  to  America,  with  his  parents.  He 
was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Perry  county  until  1837, 
when  he  removed  to  Ohio.  He  and  his 
family  made  the  entire  journey  overland  with 
teams.  He  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in 
Preble  county,  which  he  improved,  and  on 
which  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  1858. 
His  wife  was  named  Elizabeth  Young,  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  of  German  parents.  She 
died  on  the  home  farm  in  Preble  county,  in 
1867. 


398 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA88, 


Jacob  was  six  years  old  when  he  moved  to 
Preble  county  with  his  parents,  and  there  he 
was  reared  and  educated.  He  began  when 
very  young  to  assist  on  the  farm,  remaining 
with  his  parents  until  he  attained  his  major- 
ity, and  then  began  life  for  himself  on  rented 
land.  He  continued  to  rent  land  in  Ohio, 
until  1865.  and  then  came  to  Illinois,  and 
bought  land  in  Woodstock  township,  Schuy- 
ler  county,  and  lived  there  until  1872.  He 
then  bought  land  in  Cooperstown  township. 
He  also  bought  other  land  at  different  times, 
and  at  the  present  time  owns  740  acres  in  the 
same  township.  He  resided  there  until  1891, 
when  he  bought  the  farm  where  he  now  re- 
sides. This  is  a  well  improved  farm  of 
eighty-six  acres,  on  the  Rushville  road,  two 
miles  east  of  the  Mt.  Sterling  courthouse. 

In  1860,  he  married  Margaret  Rush,  born 
in  Preble  county,  Ohio.  Her  father,  Cor- 
nelius Rush,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  his 
father,  John  Rush,  was  also  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  he  emigrated  from  there  to  Ohio, 
being  a  pioneer  of  Preble  countv.  From 
there  he  went  to  Indiana,  and  spent  his  last 
years  near  Logansport.  Father  of  Mrs.  Sny- 
der  was  married  in  Preble  county,  resided 
there  a  few  years,  then  moved  to  Cass  county, 
Indiana,  and  was  quite  an  early  settler  there. 
He  purchased  a  tract  of  timber  land  and 
built  a  log  house  and  resided  there  until 
his  death  in  1857.  His  wife  was  named 
Barbara  Brower.  She  was  born  in  Virginia, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Flora)  Brower. 
She  now  lives  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Sny- 
der,  and  has  done  so  since  the  death  of  her 
husband. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  have  nine  children 
living.  They  are:  Joseph  F.,  John  B.,  Ida 
N.,  Cora  (r.,  Luella  B.,  Angeline  A.,  Charles 
H.,  Olive  E.  and  Arthur  L.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Snyder  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 


Mr.  Snyder  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  have  hosts  of  friends 
by  whom  they  are  admired  and  respected. 
He  was  a  Union  soldier  in  the  late  war. 


in 


§OHN  J.  BROWNING  was  born 
Woodstock  township,  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  July  4.  1857,  a  son  of  James 
H.  and  Sarah  E.  (Hall)  Browning.  The  pa- 
ternal grandparents,  Abner  and  Nancy  Brown- 
ing, were  natives  of  Virginia,  but  passed 
their  last  days  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois, 
dying  at  the  ages  of  eighty-two  and  seventy- 
eight  years.  James  H.  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, May  8,  1818,  and  was  but  four  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  Kentucky; 
there  he  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  Rushville,  Schuyler  comity,  Illinois. 
In  1834,  he  purchased  a  portion  of  the  land 
on  which  John  J.  Browning  now  resides; 
there  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occur- 
red August  19,  1883.  His  wife,  Sarah  E. 
(Hall)  Browning,  was  born  September  28, 
1831,  in  Wayne  county,  Kentucky,  and  died 
February  28,1883;  she  was  one  of  a  family 
of  ten  children,  and  the  father  was  one  of 
eight.  Politically  he  adhered  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Democratic  party;  for  twenty 
years  he  was  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  he 
held  the  office  of  Supervisor  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  He  was  prominently  connected 
with  the  political  history  of  the  county,  and 
for  many  years  was  a  preacher  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  He  was  married  to  the  mother 
of  our  subject,  September  7,  1856. 

Mr.  Browning  was,  himself,  united  in  mar- 
riage December  25,  1884,  to  Miss  Mary 
Sweeney,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Missouri,  March  25, 1858 ;  her  parents,  Michael 


SCHUYLER    AND    BHOWN    COUNTIES. 


399 


and  Margaret  (Gavin)  Sweeney,  were  natives 
of  county  Galway,  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to 
America,  first  settling  in  New  York  State; 
later  they  removed  to  Missouri,  and  there  Mr. 
Sweeney  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1861; 
in  that  year  he  came  to  Schuyler  county, 
where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown- 
ing are  the  parents  of  three  children:  Pearl 
B.,  born  October  23,  1885;  Alta  M.,  born 
July  27, 1888;  and  Lizzie  M.,  born  February 
27,  1891.  Until  1884  Mr.  Browning  resided 
on  the  home  farm ;  he  then  purchased  a  tract 
of  land,  which  with  the  inheritance  from 
his  father  covers  300  acres;  the  land 
is  under  excellent  cultivation,  and  in  all 
branches  of  husbandry  he  has  been  success- 
ful. Politically  he  supports  the  issues  of  the 
Democratic  party,  but  takes  no  active  inter- 
est in  the  movements  of  that  body. 


.BRAHAM  LINCOLN  MARSHALL, 
of  Lee  township,  was  born  on  his  pres- 
ent farm  in  1861.  His  father,  James 
Marshall,  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1819,  and 
his  father,  William  Marshall,  came  to  Illinois 
in  1832.  He  died  in  Cass  county,  at  a  great 
age.  having  reared  fifteen  children,  of  whom 
James  was  the  youngest.  All  have  passed 
away.  James  Marshall  was  a  volunteer 
from  Lee  township  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Nineteenth  Illinois  Infantry,  Company 
E.  He  enlisted  in  August*  1861,  and  died 
in  the  hospital  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  of 
a  fever,  December,  1863.  He  left  a  widow 
and  five  children.  His  wife's  name  was 
Martha  A-  Horn,  born  in  Alabama.  Her 
father  died  when  she  was  about  two'years  old, 
and  she  was  reared  by  her  mother,  her  step- 
father, Elisha  Brown,  and  her  uncle,  George 
Criswell,  of  Morgan  county,  Illinois.  She 


was  married  in  Missouri,  in  1844.  They 
settled  here  in  1856,  on  sixty-two  acres,  to 
which  he  added  until  now  the  farm  is  more 
than  176  acres,  of  which  thirty-five  acres  is 
good  timber. 

The  Marshall  brothers  now  own  this  fine 
home  farm  jointly,  subject  to  the  mother's 
life  lease.  They  grow  corn,  wheat,  hay  and 
oats,  have  from  fourteen  to  twenty  horses, 
ten  to  twenty  head  of  cattle  and  turn  off  from 
ten  to  forty  hogs,  annually.  They  believe  in 
a  rotation  of  crops  and  plenty  of  crops.  They 
have  as  fine  meadow  land  as  there  is  in  the 
State.  An  immense  barn  was  built  between 
1871  and  1888,  with  ample  room  for  every- 
thing. They  have  a  snug  farm  house,  fin- 
ished and  rebuilt  in  1889. 

Mr.  A.  L.  Marshall  was  married  in  Janu- 
ary, 1889,  to  Mary  B.  Williams,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Lucinda  (Beam)  Williams,  he  of 
Ohio  and  she  of  Vermont.  Mrs.  Marshall 
was  born  in  Clayton,  Adams  county,  and 
there  her  mother  died,  in  1877,  in  the  prime 
of  life.  Her  father  resides  in  Clayton,  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall  have  one  little 
son,  named  Benjamin  Harrison,  and  Mr. 
Marshall  is  a  very  loyal,  ardent  Republican. 


[ONRAD  HERZBERGER,nowdeceased 
having  died  at  his  home  in  township 
19.  range  11,  March  9,  1882,  was  born 
near  Frankfort,  Germany,  November  9, 1831. 
He  came  of  good  and  respectable  German 
families,  his  parents  having  lived  and  died 
in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and  they  had  been  re- 
spected members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Conrad  was  the  only  member  of  his  family 
to  come  to  the  United  States.  He  came  to 
America  when  twenty  years  old,  via  New 


400 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


York  city;  from  there  he  went  to  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  worked  for  nine  years  in  a 
tannery.  He  afterward  made  two  trips  back 
to  his  native  country.  He  came  to  this 
county  in  1860,  began  as  a  renter,  afterward 
purchased  his  farm  in  section  32,  and  this 
remained  his  home  during-  the  rest  of  his 
active  life.  Before  he  died  he  owned  281 
acres  of  well  improved  land.  He  was  a  good, 
hard-working  man,  a  prominent  citizen,  a 
successful  and  practical  farmer  and  one  with 
a  host  of  friends  in  the  county.  He  was 
not  a  politician,  bat  he  was  a  Republican  and 
a  worthy  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
He  had  obtained  a  good  education  in  Ger- 
many as  a  practical  surveyor  and  book- 
keeper. 

He  was  married  in  Morgan  county,  Illi- 
nois, to  Caroline  Dorr.  She  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1852,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Lewis 
and  Mary  (Retiz)  Dorr.  These  parents 
settled  first  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and  there 
the  father  is  still  living,  being  seventy-three 
years  of  age.  He  has  been  a  farmer  all  his 
life.  His  wife  died  at  her  home  in  Morgan 
county,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  They  were 
both  highly  respected  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  Mrs.  Herzberger,  widow  of 
our  subject,  is  the  eldest  of  six  children. 
Since  the  death  of  her  husband  she  has  man- 
aged the  farm  with  wonderful  success,  re- 
ceiving assistance  from  her  children.  She  is 
a  smart  and  accomplished  lady,  interested  in 
everything  of  importance  in  the  county.  She 
and  her  children  are  all  members  of  the 
Griggs  chapel  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  children  areas  follows:  Amelia, 
wife  of  Henry  Doerr,  a  farmer  of  this  town- 
ship; Tillie,  wife  of  William  Huppe,  a  farm- 
er of  this  county;  Lewis,  conducting  his 
mother's  farm,  and  has  successfully  managed 
her  affairs  although  yet  a  young  man;  John 


William  assists  his  brother;  Elva  L.  remains 
at  home;  and  Clarence.  The  children  all 
bid  fair  to  continue  a  comfort  to  their  wid- 
owed mother  and  a  credit  to  the  memory  of 
their  honest  father. 


,ERMAN  H.  KORSMEYER,  a  practi- 
cal farmer  of  section  19,  township  17, 
range  12,  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
farm  since  1851,  making  some  very  fine  im- 
provements in  the  buildings  and  on  the  land. 
He  first  purchased  120  acres,  the  same  being 
his  homestead,  and  has  since  added  to  the 
original  farm  until  he  now  owns  about  600 
acres  and  nearly  one-third  of  that  atnount  is 
under  the  plow.  He  has  also  engaged  in 
raising  stock  of  the  best  grades.  He  came  to 
this  county  in  1848  and  has  since  made  Cass 
county  his  home,  beginning  here  as  a  poor 
boy  working  by  the  month.  He  later  rented 
land  until  he  purchased  his  homestead. 

Mr.  Korsmeyer  was  born  in  the  kingdom 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  September  29,  1831. 
He  is  the  eldest  son  and  child  of  the  family. 
His  parents  were  John  H.  and  Anna  M. 
(Lovecamp)  Korsmeyer,  who  were  both  born 
and  reared  in  Hanovei%  coming  of  good  Ger- 
man stock.  Our  subject,  when  yet  a  young 
man,  set  out  for  America  alone,  taking  pas- 
sage in  August,  1848,  on  the  sailing  vessel 
Agnes,  which  landed  him  in  New  Orleans 
after  a  sixty  days'  passage.  He  then  came 
by  steamer  to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  to  Beards- 
town.  In  1851  the  parents,  with  their  other 
two  children,  Fred  and  Anna,  set  sail  from 
Germany  also,  and  reached  Beardstown  that 
same  year.  They  began  farming  some  miles 
southwest  of  Beardstown,  the  father  and 
his  eldest  son  living  together,  where  the 
father  died  in  1860.  Our  subject's  mother 


8CHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


401 


died  in  the  same  place  in  1870.  She  was 
born  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 
She  and  her  husband  had  always  been  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  Korsmeyer  was  married  in  this  county, 
to  Miss  Anna  M.  E.  Kuipenberg.  She  was 
born  in  Hanover  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Maria  Knipenberg,  who  came 
to  the  United  States  as  a  family  in  1848,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Cass  county.  Mr.  Knip- 
enberg was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  and  his 
wife  continued  to  reside  here  until  their 
death,  which  occurred  when  they  were  old 
people.  They  were  consistent  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mrs.  Korsmeyer  was  young  when  she  came 
to  this  country,  and  she  lived  with  her  par- 
ents until  her  marriage.  She  is  a  good,  true 
woman,  and  is  highly  regarded  all  through 
her  township.  She  and  her  husband  are' 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church, 
and  he  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  faith 

He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  all  living:  John  H.,  remaining  at 
home,  assisting  his  father,  married  to  Minnie 
Boes;  Louisa  became  the  wife  of  Henry  Bus- 
cher,  a  farmer  in  Morgan  county;  William^ 
a  farmer  in  the  same  county,  married  Mary 
Rogge;  Lena  M.,  wife  of  Herman  Rogge,  a 
farmer  of  Cass  county;  Henry  is  a  mechanic 
now  at  home  with  his  father,  but  a  graduate  of 
Pearson  Institute,  of  La  Porte,  Indiana;  Anna 
AV.,  at  present  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Buscher, 
of  Morgan  county;  and  Sophia,  at  home. 

Mr.  Korsmeyer  and  his  wife  are  highly 
respected  citizens  of  this  county. 


k,ENRY   W.  HE  A  TON,  a  well-known 
farmer  of  Oakland  township,  has  been 
prominently  identified   with    the   agri- 
cultural interests  of  this   section    of   Illinois 


for  the  past  thirty-seven  years.  He  was  born 
in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  9, 
1830.  His  father,  Jeffrey  Heaton,  was  a  na- 
tive of  England,  born  in  1807,  but  at  the  age 
of  eight  years  was  brought  across  the  sea  to 
America;  he  was  one  of  a  family  of  four  sons 
and  four  daughters.  He  learned  the  weaver's 
trade,  of  which  his  father  was  a  master,  and 
followed  this  vocation  several  years;  he  fi- 
nally abandoned  it,  however,  to  take  up  farm- 
ing in  Ohio,  whither  he  had  removed  in 
1836;  he  rented  land  in  Jefferson  county 
until  1849,  and  then  went  to  Fulton  county, 
Illinois,  making  the  trip  via  the  Ohio  and 
Illinois  rivers.  In  1850  he  purchased  eighty 
acres,  on  which  he  located  and  there  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  days;  he  died  in  Jan- 
uary, 1858;  he  left  a  widow  and  ten  children, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest;  the  mother 
still  survives, at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years; 
she  is  living  in  Oakland  township  with  her 
son,  Thomas.  One  son,  Simon,  was  killed  in 
battle  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion ;  he  was 
twenty-nine  years  of  age,  and  left  a  wife,  one 
son  and  a  daughter.  Henry  W.  Heaton  was 
was  a  youth  of  fifteen  years  when  his  father 
began  farming  in  Ohio;  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  began  the  search  for  his  own  fortune. 
Four  years  later  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Rebecca  B.  Patterson,  of  this  county 
and  township,  a  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Ellen 
Patterson,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania 
respectively.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heaton  lived  in 
Astoria  township,  Fulton  county,  where  they 
rented  land  until  1862;  in  that  year  they 
bought  a  farm  on  which  they  lived  until 
1866,  when  they  sold  the  place  and  came  to 
Schuyler  county.  They  bought  the  old 
homestead,  a  tract  of  140  acres,  on  which 
they  have  since  lived.  They  buried  one 
daughter,  at  the  age  of  two  years,  named 
Ellen;  they  now  have  eight  sons  and  three 


402 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    OASS, 


daughters;  the  eldest  is  thirty-three  and  the 
youngest  is  eleven  years  of  age.  Their  names 
are  as  follows:  William  H.;  Franklin  EL; 
Sant'ordW.;  Andrew  J.;  James;  Lewis  E.; 
Cornelius,  Albert,  Florence  R.,  wife  of  Syl- 
vester France;  Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  George 
Beghtol;  and  Rosa. 

In  politics  Mr.  Heaton  votes  for  the  man 
best  suited,  in  his  estimation,  for  the  office 
in  question,  but  favors  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  carries  on  a  general 
farming  business,  raising  grain  and  live- 
stock. He  began  lite  without  capital,  except 
that  with  which  nature  had  endowed  him, 
and  by  industry  and  wise  management  has 
accumulated  a  competence  for  coming  age. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Heaton  are  both  de- 
ceased, the  father  at  the  age  of  seventy,  and 
the  mother  at  seventy-two  years  of  age. 


iDOLPH  KALLASCH,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Elkhorn  township  in  Brown 
county,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  having 
been  born  iu  that  country,  February  16, 
1840.  He  is  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Fred- 
rica  (Kuntz)  Kallasch,  natives  of  the  same 
country,  who,  in  1852  came  to  America  in  a 
sailing  vessel,  making  the  voyage  in  six 
weeks  and  landing  iu  Quebec,  where  they 
remained  but  a  short  time,  coming  from 
there  to  Chicago,  by  the  lakes  and  railroad. 
From  that  great  city  they  came  to  this  coun- 
ty and  settled  near  where  the  subject  now 
lives,  buying  ninety  acres  of  land,  partly  im- 
proved, on  which  had  been  erected  a  little 
log  cabin.  This  cabin  they  replaced  later  by 
a  frame  house  and  here  died  both  the  father 
and  the  mother,  when  about  seventy-six  and 
fifty-six,  respectively.  They  were  the  par- 


ents of  seven  children,  two  yet  living.  The 
The  father  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  a 
stanch  Democrat  in  political  faith.  Both 
he  and  his  good  wife  were  earnest  Christians, 
both  in  life  and  teachings. 

Under  the  guidance  of  these  good  parents 
our  subject  remained  until  1862,  when  his 
country  called  him  from  the  peaceful  occu- 
pation of  a  farmer  and  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany B,  Ninety-ninth  Illinois  Infantry,  Cap- 
tain Fee  in  command,  in  which  he  remained 
all  through  the  war,  being  mustered  out  at 
Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  and  discharged  at 
Springfield.  From  there  he  returned  home. 

After  his  return  home  he  was  married, 
about  Christmas,  to  Miss  Mary  Lipkaman, 
born  in  Pike  county,  Illinois,  daughter  of 
i  rederick  and  Barbara  Lipkaman,  who  came 
to  this  country  from  Germany  at  a  very 
early  day,  renting  in  Pike  county,  in  the 
'80s.  The  father  died  when  about  seven- 
ty-six, but  his  wife  still  lives,  on  the  old 
farm.  The  family  principally  carried  on 
farming,  but  a  few  were  mechanics.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kallasch  have  had  seven  children, 
five  yet  living,  namely;  Henry,  married 
Minnie  Wood,  has  one  boy;  Louis,  at  home 
running  the  old  farm  for  his  father;  Harvey, 
is  also  at  home;  Emma,  married  Andrew 
Kelinlein,  and  they  have  one  child;  and 
Anna,  at  home. 

After  his  marriage  our  subject  bought 
seventy  acres  just  across  from  his  father's 
farm,  later  adding  eighty  more  acres,  108 
acres  of  which  he  sold  to  his  son  Henry. 
He  first  lived  in  an  old  log  cabin,  but  now 
has  as  fine  a  house  as  there  is  in  the  county. 

This  gentleman  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
casting  his  first  vote  for  General  Grant.  He 
and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  attending  at  Perry  post 
office,  Pike  county,  where  they  are  regarded 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


403 


as  highly  respected  members  of  that  body. 
They  have  always  been  church  members 
since  reaching  years  of  maturity  and  lead 
good,  earnest  lives.  Mr.  Kallasch  has  al- 
ways carried  on  general  farming,  at  which 
he  has  been  very  successful  and  can  be  said 
to  be  one  of  the  leading  influential  men  of 
the  township. 


5ARCELLUS  M,  CLEEK,  resident  of 
Camden,  dating  from  September, 
1836,  he  was  born  in  Boone  county, 
Kentucky,  August  27,  1829.  His  father, 
Benjamin  Cleek,  was  also  born  in  Kentucky 
in  1800,  and  his  father  John  Cleek  was  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  where  he  married,  and  came 
to  America,  settling  at  Big  Boone  Springs^ 
Boone  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  one  of 
the  pioneers.  He  engaged  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  salt  and  there  passed  his  remaining 
days,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He 
had  eight  children:  John,  Benjamin,  Jacob, 
Esau,  Sarah,  Margaret,  Eliza  and  one  other. 
Benjamin  Cleek  was  the  second  child  and  he 
was  raised  a  farmer,  marrying  in  1826  Mar- 
tha Harris  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  daughter 
of  Richard  Harris  of  the  same  State,  who 
•was  killed  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  In  1812 
the  father  with  his  wife  and  four  children 
came  by  boat  to  Frederick,  Illinois,  and  from 
there  to  Rushville,  settling  on  section  7, 
Camden  township,  where  he  purchased  160 
acres  of  land  and  also  entered  about  as  much 
more.  In  1844  the  season  was  very  wet  and 
the  following  year  there  was  so  much  sick- 
ness that  he  became  dissatisfied  with  the 
country  and  so  returned  to  his  native  State, 
although  he  did  not  sell  his  land.  He  re- 
mained in  Kentucky  seven  years  and  then  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  settling  on  his  land  where 


he  died  in  1867.  His  wife  died  in  1873. 
They  had  eleven  children:  John,  deceased; 
Marcellus;  M.  M.;  Samuel,  deceased;  Ben- 
jamin, farmer  on  part  of  the  old  home  farm; 
Jacob  of  Camden;  Richard,  also  on  part  of 
the  old  farm;  Mary,  deceased,  wife  of  J.  J. 
Yocum;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry  Price  of 
Huntsville;  Lovina,  wife  of  J.  J.  Yocum  of 
Chariton  county,  Missouri;  Ann,  wife  of  J. 
H.  Hendricks  of  Camden  township;  and  Mar- 
tha, wife  of  Levi  Welty,  also  of  Camden 
township. 

Marcellus  lived  with  his  parents  and  on 
the  return  from  Kentucky  pursued  the  trade 
of  carpenter,  which  he  had  learned  in  Ken- 
tucky. He  did  not  return  to  Illinois  until 
1854.  He  continued  his  trade  for  four  years, 
when  he  engaged  in  farming,  purchasing  160 
acres,  which  he  farmed  until  1861,  when  he 
resumed  his  trade,  but  also  carried  on  his 
farm. 

In  1884  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  located 
in  Kiowa  county;  where  he  pre-empted  160 
acres  of  land  and  also  purchased  160  more. 
He  worked  his  farms  for  two  years  and  then 
returned  to  Camden.  He  owns  185  acres  of 
land  in  Camden  township  and  160  acres  in 
Kansas,  also  valuable  property  in  Camden, 
all  of  which  he  and  his  wife  accumulated. 

He  was  married  in  1863,  to  Lydia  A. 
Welly,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Welly, 
born  in  Highland  county,  Ohio,  in  1814.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cleek  have  eight  children,  six 
of  whom  are  still  living:  Manora,  deceased; 
James,  on  his  father's  farm;  William,  on  sec- 
tion 6;  Charles,  in  Camden;  Emma, married 
Presley  Price  of  Huntsville,  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois;  Alma  married  G.  Alters  of  Hunts- 
ville township:  Sadie,  deceased;  and  Clara, 
at  home. 

Mr.  Cleek  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
has  been  Supervisor  and  during  his  term  the 


404 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


courthouse  was  built.  He  has  held  nearly  all 
the  minor  offices  in  the  township.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  is  one 
of  the  lirst  members  in  Camden. 


^EEMANH.  ROGGE,  a  successful 
farmer  of  section  19,  township  17, 
range  11,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, September  30,  1843.  He  is  the  young- 
est son  of  the  family,  one  sister  of  which  yet 
lives  in  Germany.  The  other  members  are 
four  brothers  now  living  in  this  country. 
The  father,  Fred,  was  a  native  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  and  there  died  an  old  man,  eighty- 
five  years  of  age.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a 
butcher.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Anna  Strube,  died  after  her  husband,  but  at 
a  younger  age.  She  and  her  husband 
passed  their  entire  lives  in  Hanover  and  were 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Herman  was  a  butcher  by  trade,  and  he  en- 
gaged in  that  business  until  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  the  spring  of  1867  from  Bremen  to 
New  York  city.  He  went  to  Peoria,  Illinois, 
and  thence  down  the  Illinois  river  to  Beards- 
town,  where  four  brothers  had  preceded  him, 
and  he  was  the  last  to  leave  for  this  country. 
They  are  all  living  and  are  prosperous  citi- 
zens. He  began  here  as  a  day  laborer  and 
worked  in  this  way  for  a  year,  then  started 
for  himself,  and  in  1877  located  on  his  present 
farm.  He  has  improved  it  in  a  wonderful 
degree  and  owns  160  acres.  It  is  now  a  fine 
farm. 

He  was  married  in  Cass  county,  to  Mary 
Schnelle,  born  in  Beardstown,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1854.  She  has  since  lived  in  this 
county  and  is  an  intelligent  wife  and  mother. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary 
(Goestereng)  Schnelle,  natives  of  Prussia, 


where  they  were  reared  and  married,  coming 
to  the  United  States  in  the  '40s,  and  their 
father,  who  wag  a  carpenter  died  in  1862, 
aged  forty -one  years.  He  is  a  good,  prosper- 
ous German.  His  wife,  who  yet  lives,  resides 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Rogge,  and  she  is  now 
seventy-one  years  old.  She  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church  all  her  life  and 
the  same  was  true  of  her  husband.  Mrs. 
Rogge  is  the  elder  of  three  daughters  born 
to  her  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogge  are  the  parents  of 
seven  children:  John  H.,  Charles  G.,  Henry 
F.,  Louis  W.,  Lena  M.,  Aurelia  T.  and  Theo. 
H ;  and  they  are  all  at  home.  Mr.  Rogge  and 
his  wife  are  Lutherans  and  Mr.  Rogge  is  a 
Democrat,  has  been  School  Trustee  for  fif- 
teen years  and  Road  Commissioner  for  five 
years.  He  is  a  public-spirited  man  and  a 
good  citizen. 


APTA1N  WILLIAM  N.  MUMFORD 
of  Mound  Station,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Nova  Scotia,  January  24,  1824.  His 
father,  William,  was  a  farmer  of  that  country 
who  lived  and  died  there,  having  reared  nine 
children.  The  mother  of  these  was  Jane 
McHattie,  of  Scotch  parentage.  The  grand- 
father of  the  subject  was  George  Mumford  of 
Rhode  Island,  who  died  at  an  advanced  age 
in  Nova  Scotia. 

The  Captain  grew  up  a  farmer  boy  with 
only  the  common  schooling  of  the  period. 
In  his  twenty-third  year  he  left  home  and 
came  to  New  York  city,  and  from  there 
went  on  to  Alpine  depot  on  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  in  Morgan  county,  West  Virginia, 
where  he  taught  in  the  public  schools.  He 
had  experience  in  his  own  neighborhood  and 
after  that  as  assistant  in  a  grammar  school 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


405 


at  Halifax.     After  closing  his  three  months' 
term  in  Morgan   county   he    engaged  in    a 

general  store  as  salesman.     Fie  brought  lit- 

' 
tie  money  with  him,  hoping  to  improve   his 

financial  condition.  He  remained  two  years 
in  the  store,  then  went  to  St.  Louis  and  on 
to  Mount  Pleasant,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
gaged as  clerk  for  S.  C.  Raymond.  While 
here  he  was  married  to  Mary  Jane  Davis, 
daughter  of  John  and  Charlotte  (Sears) 
Davis,  both  natives  of  Illinois.  In  1861 
they  moved  to  Mound  Station,  then  just 
started,  the  railroad  being  just  completed. 
He  clerked  here  until  August,  1862,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Ninteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  being 
unanimously  chosen  Captain.  In  September 
his  regiment  was  organized.  Colonel  Kinney 
commanding.  The  Captain  remained  on 
duty  for  two  years,  when  he  was  discharged 
for  physical  disability  at  Memphis,  Tennes- 
see, and  came  home  to  his  wife  and  two  little 
boys  at  this  place.  He  and  his  family  went 
on  a  visit  to  his  Nova  Scotia  home,  but  be- 
fore he  reached  there  his  father  had  died, 
aged  eighty-two  years.  A  striking  coinci- 
dence in  this  family  is  that  six  of  his  fa- 
ther's brothers  and  sisters,  including  himself, 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  The 
mother  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
They  have  three  children,  Augustus,  now 
practicing  physician  at  Kendall,  Minnesota; 
William,  a  lawyer  at  Pittsfield,  Illinois,  and 
Charlotte,  a  wife  of  J.  W.  Moore,  now  resid- 
ing in  Chicago,  conducting  a  stock  and 
commission  business.  The  Captain  was  Post- 
master here  under  Presidents  Arthur  and 
Harrison,  but  as  he  is  in  failing  health  his 
step-daughter,  Mrs.  Deering,  acts  for  him. 
He  buried  his  first  wife  June  16,  1868,  and 
was  married  April  4, 1869,  to  Mrs.  .Rebecca 
Poe,  the  widow  of  T.  J.  Poe  and  the  daugh- 


ter of  the  Rev.  Granville  Bond,  a  Methodist 
preacher,  well  and  favorably  known  in  this 
county.  Mrs.  Mumford  was  the  widow  of 
T.  J.  Poe.  The  Captain  is  an  Episcopalian, 
but  both  his  wives  attended  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  which  the  present  wife 
has  been  an  active  member  for  fifty  years. 
Mrs.  Mnmford  has  three  children  of  her  own 
and  all  the  family  relations  are  most  harmo- 
nious and  affectionate.  A  better  citizen, 
neighbor,  father  or  husband  could  not  be 
found. 


INTSON  ANDERSON  of  section  13, 
Huntsville  township,  came  here  in 
1835.  He  was  born  in  Clermont 
county,  Ohio,  in  1833.  His  father,  William 
Anderson,  was  born  in  Mason  county,  May 
14,  1800.  He  was  a  son  of  Andrew  Ander- 
son, who  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  of 
Irish  descent.  The  family  has  resided  in 
America  for  several  generations.  William 
Anderson  was  reared  a  farmer,  and  married 
in  Kentucky  in  1824,  a  Miss  Prudence  Wal- 
lansford,  born  in  Kentucky,  August  15,  1806. 
They  migrated  to  Ohio  in  1832,  and  resided 
there  at  Cincinnati,  and  in  Clermont  county, 
for  three  years  and  then  came  to  Illinois  and 
located  in  Schuyler  county.  In  the  spring 
of  1836  Mr.  Anderson  purchased  a  claim  on 
section  13,  in  which  is  now  Huntsville,  and 
here  he  passed  the  remaining  years  of  his 
life.  He  entered  land  and  purchased  more, 
until  his  real  estate  possessions  amounted  to 
600  acres.  He  was  a  cautious  man  and  never 
went  into  debt.  He  was  a  hard-working  man, 
and  in  those  days  when  the  sickle  was  used 
to  cut  grain,  he  was  an  expert  in  the  use  of 
the  same,  and  still  continued  to  use  the  hook 
after  the  cradle  came  into  use.  He  died 


406 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    (1AS8, 


August  16,  1887.  His  wife  is  still  living 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 
The  two  came  with  about  $200  in  capital, 
and  in  the  time  they  lived  in  Illinois  became 
rich  and  influential  people.  They  had  ten 
children,  seven  of  whom  grew  up,  namely: 
Jane  Cady,  Cyrus,  Andrew,  Vintson,  Frank, 
Sarah  Mcliatten  and  John. 

Subject  was  two  years  old  when  the  family 
settled  in  Schuyler  county,  and  he  resided  at 
home  until  he  attained  his  majority.  His 
school  advantages  were  limited.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  he  went  to  Fort  Snelling,  Min- 
nesota, and  broke  prairie  and  engaged  as 
cook  to  a  gang  of  men  who  were  cutting  hay 
for  the  Government.  At  that  date  Min- 
neapolis consisted  of  a  sawmill  and  a  few 
houses.  He  remained  in  Minnesota  about 
six  months  and  then  returned  to  Illinois  and 
engaged  in  making  brooms  at  Clayton,  Adams 
county,  Illinois.  He  followed  this  business 
four  years  and  then  removed  to  Brown  county, 
but  after  a  few  years  residence  there,  removed 
to  Schuyler  county  and  settled  where  he  now 
resides  on  laud  entered  by  his  father.  He 
has  a  farm  of  105  acres.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  has  been  Road  Commissioner 
for  many  years.  He  has  filled  that  office  with 
great  credit  to  himself. 

He  was  married  in  1858  to  Jane  McDonald 
of  Brown  county,  born  October  15,  1840, 
daughter  of  John  B.  and  Sarah  C.  (Orr)  Mc- 
Donald. The  former  was  born  in  county 
Antrim,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  when  a  young  man,  and  resided  in  the 
Southern  States  for  a  short  time,  but  finally 
settled  in  Brown  county  in  1833,  and  soon 
after  married  Sarah  C.  Orr,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  G.  Orr,  a  settler  of  Brown 
county  in  1831.  She  was  born  in  Tennessee 
in  1810.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDonald  had  four 


children,  all  of  whom  are  now  married  and 
well  settled. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  had  seven 
children :  Carrie,  wife  of  William  Nelson  of 
Huntsville  township;  Cora,  at  home;  Will- 
iam J.  died  in  infancy;  Frank  C.  at  home; 
Pearl  at  home;  Myrtle  died  at  the  age  of  four; 
and  Nina  E.,  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  are  members  of 
the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  Anderson  is  a 
member  of  Camden  Lodge,  No.  648,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  in  which  he  is  the  Junior  Warden. 


HOMAS  BARTON  was  born  in  Brown 
county,  Illinois,  October  15,  1839. 
His  father,  Thomas,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, in  1809,  and  died  in  Brown  county  in 
1878,  aged  seventy  years.  His  lather  was 
David  Barton,  who  was  born  in  Maryland, 
and  taken  to  Kentucky  when  but  a  lad.  He 
was  a  teamster  when  a  young  man,  and  later 
a  landholder.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Marsh. 
They  reared  five  children,  Thomas  being  the 
second  child.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died,  and  the  father  married  again  and  had 
five  more  children.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  named  Clarissa  Ingles,  of  Bourbon 
county,  Kentucky,  daughter  of  James  Ingles, 
a  large  planter  and  distiller,  largely  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  Bourbon  whisky. 
Thomas  came  direct  to  Brown  county  upon 
reaching  Illinois  in  1835.  He  brought  his 
wife  and  daughter  with  him.  He  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  at  the  Government 
price.  They  began  life  in  a  log  cabin.  They 
received  their  Government  deed  in  1837,  and 
Mr.  Barton  was  appointed  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  Sixteen  children  were  born  to  them, 
many  of  them  dying  in  infancy,  but  six  of 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


407 


them  growing  to  adult  age;  three  of  them 
are  now  living.  The  father  and  mother  now 
rest  in  the  Huffman  graveyard. 

Thomas  had  very  limited  school  advantages, 
barely  learning  to  read  and  write.  He  left 
his  home  at  twenty-one,  and  enlisted  August 
8,  1862,  in  the  Eighty-fourth  Illinois  Infan- 
try, Company  D.  He  was  very  soon  pro- 
moted to  he  Second  Sergeant.  He  was  on 
duty  and  at  his  post  every  day  during  his 
term  of  nearly  three  years.  He  received 
slight  wounds  in  his  left  hand  and  right 
shoulder,  both  flesh  wounds.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Camp  Harker  on  June  8,  and 
discharged  at  Camp  Butler  in  Illinois,  June 
17.  He  returned  to  civil  life  in  Brown 
county  in  broken  health,  and  paid  large  doc- 
tor bills  for  six  months. 

He  was  married  April  30,  1866,  to  Matil- 
da, daughter  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  ^Briggle) 
Fry,  both  of  Ohio,  coming  to  Illinois  in 
1840.  He  died  on  the  farm  in  middle  age, 
and  left  his  widow  with  eight  children.  His 
wife  survived  him  and  died  when  about  sixty 
years  old.  Mrs.  Thomas  Barton  died  Octo- 
ber 24, 1890,  leaving  eight  children:  Charles 
W.,  farmer  of  this  county;  Nina,  prepared 
at  Rushville  Normal  School  for  teaching; 
Edna  lias  had  the  same  advantages;  Idalla 
and  Charlotte  are  prepared  to  teach;  Law- 
rence Arthur  is  at  home,  going  to  school; 
James  Edgar  is  a  rugged  farmer  lad,  and 
Jessie  H.,  a  bright  lass  for  her  years.  Mr. 
Barton  is  giving  his  children  a  good  educa- 
tion, and  inculcating  habits  of  honesty  and 
industry. 

Mr.  Barton  voted  for  Lincoln  and  Grant, 
but  has  since  been  a  reformer.  Religiously 
he  is  free,  and  does  his  own  thinking  for 
himself,  regardless  of  consequences.  He  was 
a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate  in  1888,  and 
for  Congress  in  1890,  on  the  reform  ticket, 


and  is  the  People's  party  candidate  for  the 
State  Senate.  He  began  life  barefooted,  and 
owns  now  390  acres  of  good  farming  land, 
worth  $40  an  acre.  He  built  his  barns  in 
1884,  and  his  house  which  he  lives  in  was 
built  on  the  ruin  of  the  first.  He  does  a 
diversified  farming,  mostly  grain.  He  also 
raises  a  number  of  cattle  and  sheep,  and 
yearly  turns  off  from  forty  to  fifty  hogs. 


EORGE  W.  LUCAS  was  born  in  Lee 
township,  near  Mount  Sterling,  in  June, 
1845.  His  father  was  a  native  of  But- 
ler county,  Ohio,  named  Daniel  R.  Lucas, 
born  in  1810.  His  father,  John  Lucas,  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  emigrated  to  Ohio,  where 
he  died  at  an  advanced  age,  having  reared  a 
large  family,  of  whom  our  subject's  father 
was  the  youngest.  He  was  reared  on  the 
farm  to  that  kind  of  life,  and  was  educated 
in  the  English  branches.  After  he  reached 
manhood  he  obtained  a  medical  education  by 
his  own  efforts.  He  came  to  Mount  Sterling 
when  quite  young,  from  Crawfordsville,  In- 
diana, and  began  the  practice  of  medicine. 
He  bought  160  acres  of  land  two  and  one- 
half  miles  southwest  of  Mounds,  and  sold  it 
in  1851,  three  years  after  he  had  bought  it. 
From  there  he  went  to  Texas.  Prior  to  this 
he  and  his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  King,  practiced 
medicine  together  in  Clayton,  Adams  county. 
He  remained  in  Texas  only  one  summer,  and 
then  returned  to  Lee^township  and  bought  a 
farm  of  160  acres  one  and  one-half  miles 
south  of  this  village,  on  which  he  settled  and 
where  he  died  in  1884.  He  bought  other 
lands,  amounting  in  all  to  over  1,000  acres. 
He  died  January  26,  1884.  He  began  life 


408 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


without  any  money,  but  the  handsome  estate 
he  left  at  his  death  was  worth  at  least  $30,- 
000.  His  wife  was  Sarah  Ann  Keith,  of 
Kentucky,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1836. 
They  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  nine  are 
still  living,  and  all  are  married  except  one. 
Mrs.  Lucas  died  in  1890,  six  years  after  her 
husband. 

His  son,  George  W.,  followed  his  father  in 
the  choice  of  a  profession,  and  graduated 
from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
at  Keokuk  in  1878,  and  began  his  practice 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  The  Doctor 
takes  a  great  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
State  and  county.  In  1862,  although  only  a 
boy  of  seventeen,  he  enlisted  in  the  Third 
Missouri  Cavalry,  and  served  three  years 
without  receiving  any  wounds,  although  his 
health  was  impaired  by  the  hardships  of 
camp  life.  His  bravery  was  rewarded  by  a 
medal  from  Congress.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  G.  A.  R.,  the  R.  K.  McCoy  Post,  No. 
311,  of  Clayton,  Illinois.  He  has  never 
sought  after  public  office,  but  is  the  candi- 
date of  the  Republicans  in  this  district  for 
the  State  Senate. 

He  was  married  in  1872,  to  Miss  Josephine 
L.  Kilby,  daughter  of  C.  G.  and  Leora  E. 
(Hubbell)  Kilby.  They  were  from  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  her  native  State.  They  came  to 
Illinois  in  1870,  but  after  four  years  returned 
to  Ohio.  Mrs.  Lucas  is  one  of  four  children, 
namely:  Mrs.  Lncas,  Mary  G.  Kilby,  Wilford 
H.  Kilby  and  Amelia  A.  The  father  died  in 
1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  but  his  wife 
is  still  living  at  her  home  in  Ohio,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three.  The  maternal  grandmother 
was  Annis  Bell,  and  she  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninety-three,  not  dying  until  1881.  Mrs. 
Lucas'  maternal  grandparents  were  Solytnan 
and  Lucinda  Hubbell.  Mr.  Hubbell  was  a 
lineal  descendant  of  one  James  Hnbbell,  who 


came  to  America  in  the  early  days  of  the  set- 
tlement of  Massachusetts,  and  came  to  Ohio 
in  a  very  early  day,  locating  near  Cleveland, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  OctobeV,  1874.  Lucinda  Hubbell  still 
lives  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Kilby,  aged 
eighty- three.  The  paternal  grandfather  was 
William  Kilby,  a  farmer  of  Massachusetts, 
who  died  at  eighty-six. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lucas  have  the  following 
children:  Charles  H.,  Lena  L.,  Mary  Ethel 
and  George  D.,  aged  nineteen,  thirteen, 
eleven  and  nine,  respectively.  The  oldest 
son  is  at  the  Normal  School  at  Valparaiso, 
Indiana,  in  his  second  term,  and  is  very  pro- 
ficient in  his  studies.  Dr.  Lucas  has  a  good 
practice  and  his  skill  is  depended  upon  by  all 
the  best  people  in  the  township  and  surround- 
ing country. 


ILLIAM  M.  WYATT,  a  prosperous 
retired  farmer  and  esteemed  pioneer 
of  Cass  county,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Fayette  county,  Kentucky,  February  22, 1828. 
His  parents  were  James  and  Sarah  (Steven- 
son) Wyatt,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Kentucky,  and  who  came  to  Morgan  county, 
Illinois,  in  1830,  and  located  on  a  farm,  on 
what  is  known  as  Golden  Prairie.  The 
paternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  a  Virginian  by  birth,  had  previously 
emigrated  to  Morgan  county,  in  1828.  James 
Wyatt  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  only 
two  of  whom  are  now  living.  John,  the 
eldest  son,  died  in  Cass  county  about 
ten  years  ago;  he  was  married  and  left  three 
sons  and  one  daughter,  one  now  in  Kansas, 
two  in  Cass  county  and  one  in  Braden,  Illi- 
nois, the  sons  being  farmers  by  occupation; 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


409 


our  subject  was  the  second  child ;  Elizabeth, 
the  third,  married  Hugh  Sheridan,  and  died 
in  Lincoln,  Logan  county,  Illinois,  leaving  a 
family  of  one  son  and  two  daughters;  Wal- 
ter, the  eldest  of  the  children,  died  in  youth. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  two 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  from 
Kentucky  to  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  and  he 
vividly  remembers  the  experiences  of  those 
early  pioneer  days,  which  were  calculated  to 
test  man's  endurance  and  cultivate  his  powers 
of  invention.  The  habitation  of  the  family 
was  the  primitive  log  cabin,  cooking  being 
done  over  an  open  fire-place,  while  all  baking 
was  done  in  a  kettle-shaped  oven,  on  the  lid  of 
which  coals  were  placed.  "Wheat  bread  was 
unknown  for  many  years,  and  finally  became 
a  treat  for  Sunday  morning.  When  wheat 
was  first  raised,  it  was  cut  with  a  reap  hook 
and  disengaged  from  the  straw  by  the  tread- 
ing of  horses,  afterward  being  separated  from 
the  chaff  by  being  thrown  to  the  wind.  It 
was  first  bolted  by  machines  which  were  run 
by  hand,  the  first  mill  erected,  being  fifteen 
miles  distant,  which  was  run  by  wind  power, 
operated  by  an  ox.  Corn  was  plowed  with  a 
wooden-moldboard  plow,  drawn  by  an  ox 
with  an  ox  harness.  The  whole  neighbor- 
hood would  turn  out  to  assist  in  raising  log 
buildings,  and  it  never  occurred  to  any  one  to 
expect  pay  for  the  most  valuable  services, 
money  being  unknown. 

Surrounded  by  these  peaceful,  rural  scenes, 
and  in  the  pursuance  of  these  primitive  duties 
and  pastimes,  passed  the  youth  and  early 
manhood  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
April  26,  1851,  he  and  an  estimable  young 
lady  of  his  neigborhood  were  united  in  mar- 
riage, commencing  life  with  few  earthly  pos- 
sessions but  with  unbounded  faith  in  each 
other  and  the  future.  The  year  preceding 
this  momentous  event,  Mr.  Wyatt  had  raised 


a  small  crop  of  wheat  on  a  portion  of  his 
father's  land,  and  hauling  a  load  of  this  to 
Beardstown,  he  procured  a  marriage  license 
and  other  necessaries.  He  was  married  on 
Sunday,  and  on  Monday  they  and  their  friends 
had  dinner  at  his  father's  house.  Tuesday, 
having  but  one  horse,  he  mounted  and  taking 
his  wife  up  behind  him  moved  with  all  their 
belongings  to  his  brother's  house,  where  they 
boarded  until  their  cabin  was  ready  for  oc- 
cupancy. The  two  brothers  plowed  the  little 
farm  of  forty  acres,  for  which  Mr.  Wyatt  had 
gone  in  debt,  and,  together,  erected  the  cabin. 
Mr.  Wyatt's  young  wife  dropped  the  corn  on 
eighty  acres  of  land,  dropping  a  row  every 
third  round  of  the  plow.  By  1855,  the  little 
home  was  paid  for,  while  they  had  a  snug 
little  sum  of  $900  ahead. 

In  1850,  Mr.  O.  B.  Nance,  our  subject's 
father-in-law,  had  removed  to  Texas,  where 
he  pre-empted  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  be- 
ing desirous  of  having  his  daughter  near  him 
he  offered  to  bestow  a  quarter  section  of  land 
on  Mr.  Wyatt,  if  he  would  remove  to  that 
State.  Accordingly,  they  went  to  the  Lone 
Star  State,  but,  not  liking  the  country  there, 
returned  to  their  little  Illinois  home,  where 
he  commenced  working  his  farm  with  renewed 
energy.  He  erected  a  new  fence  around  it 
by  working  up  the  fallen  timber  on  his 
father's  land,  making  100  rails  a  day  and 
bringing  a  load  home  in  the  evening.  At 
night,  he  would  cut  corn  until  ten  o'clock, 
and  this  experience  was  repeated  day  after 
day  for  a  long  time.  Heretofore,  he  had  not 
increased  his  possessions  in  land,  but  as  his 
means  accumulated,  he  bought  another  forty 
acres,  and  in  time  became  the  owner  of  260 
acres  of  as  choice  agricultural  land  as  is  to  be 
found  in  the  county,  which  he  still  retains. 
About  eight  years  ago,  he  retired  from  active 
work  on  the  farm,  and  located  in  Ashland. 


410 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


investing  his  surplus  means  in  stock  in  the 
Ashland  Bank,  and  he  and  his  worthy  wife 
are  enjoying  in  comfort  the  means  which 
their  early  industry  accumulated. 

They  have  had  four  children,  three  now 
living:  John  Harding,  the  eldest,  died  aged 
sixteen  years;  Fannie  married  Mr.  Thomp- 
son, a  retired  farmer  of  Virginia,  Illinois; 
Alice  married  Mr.  Struble,  a  prominent 
farmer  and  merchant  of  Newmansville,  the 
same  State;  James  J.,  who  received  an  ex- 
cellent education  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  has 
been  connected  with  the  Ashland  Bank,  as  a 
stockholder  and  official,  for  eleven  years,  from 
which  he  receives  a  good  salary.  He  married 
Miss  Bertha  Lohman,  a  highly  esteemed  resi- 
dent oi  Ashland,  and  they  have  one  child. 

The  entire  family  are  earnest  and  useful, 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Mr.  Wyatt  is  a  man  of  strong  and  consci- 
entious convictions,  as  is  evidenced  in  his 
political  views.  He  was  formerly  a  Republi- 
can, bnt  five  years  ago  joined  the  Prohibition 
party,  for  which  he  works  with  his  usual 
energy. 

Few  men  more  fully  deserves  their  pros- 
perity and  happiness  than  Mr.  Wyatt,  who 
has  acquired  all  by  the  exercise  of  intelligent 
and  persistent  effort. 


JING  KEKLEY  was  born  in  Sumner 
county,  Tennessee,  September  25, 1814. 
His  father,  William,  was  born  in  South 
Carolina  in  1785.  When  three  years  of  age 
he  was  taken  to  Tennessee  by  his  father,  who 
was  also  William  and  who  died  on  his  small 
farm  in  Tennessee,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-three  years.  King  has  heard  his 
grandfather  tell  how  he  crawled  under  the 
barn  in  South  Carolina  to  hide  their  small 


store  of  silver  coin  during  the  Revolution. 
His  son  was  a  soldier  for  three  months  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  received  a  land  warrant  of 
forty  acres  for  this  service.  He  married  Jane 
Carr  of  Tennessee,  whose  father,  King  Carr, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia.  They  reared  to 
adult  age  eleven  children  and  buried  two  in 
infancy.  The  mother  died  at  the  age  qf 
seventy  years  and  the  father  lived  to  be  an 
octogenarian.  Both  are  sleeping  side  by  side 
on  the  old  farm  which  is  still  in  the  family. 
Mr.  Kerley  went  to  school  only  until  he 
was  ten  years  of  age,  learned  to  read  and 
write,  but  had  no  instruction  in  numbers. 
He  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  his 
'majority  and  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Seminole 
war  with  his  brother,  John.  When  he  re- 
turned home  he  was  married,  March  9, 
1837,  to  Elizabeth  Brown  of  Sunnier  county, 
Tennessee.  They  had  grown  up  together. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Ball)  Brown.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kerley  began 
their  married  life  on  his  brother's  farm,  but 
within  a  year  they  bought  and  settled  on  a 
farm  of  their  own.  Mr.  Kerley  was  in  the 
Seminole  war,  in  which  he  received  a  gunshot 
wound  in  his  thigh.  In  1846  Mr.  Kerley 
voluteered  in  the  Mexican  war  as  a  private, 
and  was  made  Second  Lieutenant  which  posi- 
tion he  held  during  his  twelve  months'  ser- 
vice. After  his  return  home  he  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  in  August,  1847,  and  next 
he  ran  for  the  State  Senate  against  a  promi- 
nent man,  but  was  defeated  although  he  ran 
ahead  of  his  ticket.  The  first  railroad  charter 
was  passed  during  his  term  ot  office.  In  1851 
he  left  there  and  by  teams  he  moved  his  fam- 
ily to  Brown  county  on  his  present  farm  in 
section  17.  His  wife's  family  had  come  to  Illi- 
nois fourteen  years  earlier.  Mr.  Kerley  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  for  $1,000,  and  by  a  tax 
title  another  eighty,  which  cost  him  $100  for 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


411 


the  patent.  He  left  his  family  and  returned 
to  Tennessee,  sold  out  his  farm  there  and  re- 
turned to  Illinois  in  February  to  find  his  wife 
dead  and  buried !  She  died,  as  did  her  father 
father,  stepmother  and  five  others  of  the 
family,  of  ship  fever,  which  had  been  brought 
by  a  returned  Californian.  Mr.  Kerley  went 
on  his  farm  with  his  three  children,  but  in 
December,  1853,  he  married  Amanda  J.  Pell, 
a  daughter  of  Henry  Pell,  whose  wife  was  a 
King.  They  had  eight  children.  There  are 
four  sons  of  this  family  still  living,  one  son 
of  the  first  wife.  The  stepmother  was  a  real 
mother  to  his  children,  a  dearly  beloved 
woman  who  died  January  16,  1891,  in  her 
sixty-sixth  year.  Pleasant  Hart  Kerley  his 
oldest  son,  lives  at  Camp  Point,  Illinois; 
Bobert  is  a  farmer  in  Adams  county;  James 
N.  lives  in  Oakland,  California;  Edgar  is  a 
farmer  near  home;  and  so  is  the  last  son, 
John. 

Mr.  Kerley  was  elected  to  the  State 
Legislature  in  1856  and  introduced  the  bill 
for  the  railroads  running  through  this 
county.  He  was  re-elected  in  1858  and 
again  in  1864.  When  he  lived  in  Tennessee 
he  held  the  office  of  Sheriff  and  had  to  dis- 
charge the  unpleasant  duty  of  executing  a 
convict.  He  was  Supervisor  in  1864  and  re- 
elected  some  fifteen  times  and  several  times 
was  chairman  of  the  board.  He  was  the  first 
Assessor  for  Lee  township  and  held  that  office 
for  five  years.  He  has  been  a  Democrat  and 
is  well  named  King,  as  he  is  a  king  among 
jokers.  He  has  retired  from  active  farming 
and  lives  with  his  youngest  son  on  his  200- 
acre  farm.  He  has  been  very  successful  and 
though  nearly  seventy-eight  years  of  age  is 
in  good  health,  with  the  exception  of  some 
trouble  with  his  eyesight.  Nature  has  done 
more  for  this  man  than  for  many  of  those 
known  to  fame.  He  takes  a  daily  walk  to 


Mound  Station  and  is  a  very  interesting  com- 
panion as  his  memory  is  phenomenal.  There 
is  probably  no  one  who  can  relate  in  a  more 
interesting  manner  more  incidents  of  an 
eventful  life  than  can  this  well  preserved  old 
gentleman.  It  is  the  wish  of  his  friends  that 
he  may  long  continue  with  them. 


RS.  MARY  F.  RAVENSCROFT, 
is  the  widow  of  the  late  Ashford  D. 
Ravenscroft,  and  is  a  native  of  Ver- 
sailles, Woodtbrd  county,  Kentucky.  Her 
father  was  Henry  Casteen  of  Virginia,  and 
her  mother  was  Lucinda*  (Peters)  Casteen, 
also  of  Woodtbrd  county.  The  parents  of  our 
subject  came  to  Illinois  in  May,  1832,  when 
she  was  but  a  small  child  and  the  long  trip 
was  made  by  water.  The  first  home  of  the 
family  was  on  land  one  mile  north  of  Ver- 
sailles, on  which  her  father  had  secured  a  claim 
in  1830,  when  he  came  through  on  horseback, 
and  bought  the  improvements  of  a  squatter 
settler.  They  moved  into  the  small,  crude, 
log  cabin  which  this  settler  had  built,  and 
here  they  lived  for  a  short  time  until  her 
father  could  build  a  good  two-story  frame 
house.  There  were  then  in  the  family  four 
daughters  and  one  son,  and  two  daughters 
and  one  son  were  born  here  in  Illinois,  mak- 
ing a  family  of  eight  children.  The  mother 
of  Mrs.  Ravenscroft  died  April  16,  1839,  and 
the  children  she  left  were:  Louisa,  who  died 
in  the  bloom  of  maidenhood;  John  h.  Cas- 
teen, who  was  for  many  years  a  merchant  of 
Versailles  and  died  here  September  29,  1887, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years;  Mary,  of  this 
sketch;  Martha,  residing  in  Versailles  with 
her  sister,  Mrs.  Julia  Bond,  widow  of  the  late 
Dr.  John  Bond;  Catherine,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years;  Elizabeth,  who  died 


412 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    CA8S, 


at  the  age  of  four  years;  and  William  who 
died  in  infancy,  soon  after  his  mother.  The 
father  was  again  married,  to  Elizabeth  Hew- 
ett,  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  a  native  of  Ver- 
sailles, Kentucky.  By  this  union  there  were 
three  children,  one  son  dying  in  infancy. 
Thomas  Henry  died  in  Versailles,  June  27, 
1892,  aged  forty-nine  years;  and  Joseph,  a 
resident  of  Versailles  but  now  viewing  the 
wonders  of  Montana.  He  has  a  wife  and 
four  children.  Henry  Casteen  died  April 
14,  1854,  aged  sixty- five  years. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place 
November  21,  1841,  to  A.  D.  Ravenscroft. 
He  was  born  near  the  north  branch  of  the 
Potomac  river  in  Hampshire  county,  Vir- 
ginia, at  Romney  June  22,  1808,  and  died  in 
Versailles,  Illinois,  April  19,  1872,  in  his 
sixty-fourth  year. 

Ashford  I).  Ravenscroft  was  the  son  of 
James  and  Charlotte  (Dowden)  Ravenscroft. 
His  paternal  ancestry  was  of  English  descent 
and  were  old  settlers  of  the  Old  Dominion. 
His  maternal  ancestors  were  an  old  family  in 
Virginia.  He  had  one  sister  and  four 
brothers,  and  was  reared  in  Virginia,  where 
he  had  a  common-school  education,  and  he 
had  a  good  business  education.  Being  a 
bright  and  brainy  man  he  became  a  strong, 
influential  business  man,  developing  the 
characteristics  of  the  statesman  and  leader 
among  men.  He  left  his  native  place  at  the 
age  of  twenty-four  years  and  went  to  Hills- 
boro,  Ohio,  in  1832.  and  while  here  was 
elected  Sheriff.  During  his  four  year's  resi- 
dence he  made  a  trip  to  Illinois  and  soon 
moved  to  this  State,  coming  in  1836.  This 
county  was  a  part  of  Schuyler  county  and  the 
town  of  Versailles  was  only  projected,  but 
was  attracting  attention;  so  with  a  limited 
capital  of  about  $1,000,  the  savings  of  his  own 
labor,  he  decided  to  embark  in  the  mercantile 


trade  here.  In  the  winter  of  1836-'37,  he  built 
a  small  frame  building  of  two  rooms  for  a 
store,  which  he  tilled  with  a  stock  of  goods 
in  the  following  June.  This  was  the  first 
store  in  Versailles  and  still  stands,  a  relic  of 
pioneer  times  and  primitive  Versailles.  To 
the  first  rooms  he  built  an  addition  and  to 
this  home  he  brought  his  bride,  and  they 
lived  here  in  happiness  some  time.  Soon 
competitors  came  aud  with  varying  success, 
but  Mr.  Ravenscroft  was  steadily  succeeding, 
and  by  his  business  qualities  he  built  up  a 
prosperous  business  in  his  line  and  became 
an  owner  of  a  part  of  the  town  site.  Stimu- 
lated by  .the  growth  of  the  place,  perhaps,  or 
more  by  his  genial  manner  and  upright  deal- 
ing, he  gained  the  confidence  and  friendship  of 
the  people  of  this  section  and  built  up  a  trade 
which  made  him  a  wealthy  man  in  the  course 
of  many  years  of  merchandising  The  first 
entry  on  his  books  was  made  June  25,  1837, 
and  the  large  piles  of  his  account  books  corded 
up  in  the  library  of  his  handsome  residence, 
where  he  lived  until  death,  show  something 
of  the  volume  of  his  trade  in  his  thirty-five 
years  in  business  here.  The  last  few  years 
of  his  life  he  was  afflicted  with  rheumatism, 
but  was  confined  to  his  couch  but  a  short 
time  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
around  looking  after  his  business.  But  the 
summons  of  that  stern  Sheriff  came  suddenly 
on  the  19th  of  April,  1872.  A  vast  concourse 
of  people  at  his  obsequies  testified  to  the  large 
circle  of  friends  and  admirers.  It  is  said  to 
have  been  the  largest  funeral  in  this  pleasant 
little  hamlet  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Ravenscroft 
was  endowed  by  nature  with  more  than  com- 
mon energy  and  talent,  and  would  have  been 
successful  in  almost  any  calling  in  life,  es- 
pecially as  a  statesman  or  in  a  judicial  line. 
He  was  one  of  the  few  great  men  in  his  own 
home  and  domestic  relations.  To  his  devoted 


SCBUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


413 


wife  and  daughter  still  at  home,  this  was  an 
overwhelming  sorrow,  and  his  memory  is 
most  sacredly  cherished  by  them  and  his  other 
surviving  children. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ravenscroft  had  five  children, 
one  son  and  four  daughters:  Mattie  Charlotte 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years,  May  15,  1856. 
The  surviving  are:  William  Henry,  a  resi- 
dent of  Versailles;  Lucinda  J.  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  H.  Graves  of  Versailles;  Lydia  A.  is 
the  wife  of  William  Yates  of  Pike  county, 
Illinois,  and  Virginia  C.  Ravenscroft. 


fOHN   W.  DANIEL,   an   intelligent  and 
progressive   farmer   of    Ashland,    Cass 
county,  Illinois,  and  an  honored  veteran 
ot  the  late  war,  was  born  in  Morgan  county, 
this  State,  January  12,  1839. 

His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Jemima 
(Stiltz)  Daniel,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Tennessee,  in  which  State  they  were  mar- 
ried and  where  their  eldest  child,  Somers  T., 
was  born.  They  had  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  the  youngest  of  whom  was  a  man 
full  grown,  when  the  father  died,  that  being 
the  first  death  in  the  family.  Somers  T.  died 
in  mature  life,  leaving  a  wife  and  one  son; 
Mary  J.  went  to  California  in  1849,,  and  has 
never  been  heard  from  since;  she  was  un- 
married; James  M.,  a  miller  by  tra.de,  lives 
in  Kansas,  is  a  widower  and  has  a  family; 
Eliza  Ann  married  Mr.  Hpdgson,  and  is  now 
deceased;  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  John  Goodall, 
a  prosperous  farmer  of  Kansas;  Lavinia, 
wife  of  John  May,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  lives 
in  Arkansas;  Joseph  is  married,  and  lives  in 
Montana,  where  he  is  a  miner  by  occupation. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
subscription  schools  of  Morgan  county,  and 
was  reared  to  farm  life.  Thus  passed  his 

28 


boyhood  and  early  manhood,  when  the  coun- 
try was  shaken  to  its  foundations  by  the 
bloody  carnage  of  civil  war.  Leaving  his 
home,  young  Mr.  Daniel  enlisted,  August  7, 
1862,  in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and 
First  Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  assigned  to 
duty  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  for  a  month,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Sixteenth  Corps,  accompanying  his  regiment 
to  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  where  Mr. 
Daniel  participated  in  his  first  engagement. 
A  portion  of  the  regiment  was  taken  prison- 
ers, the  remainder  being  detached  to  do  duty 
as  a  guard  at  General  Grant's  headquarters. 
Among  the  latter  was  Company  K,  which  ac- 
companied General  Grant  to  Vicksburg, 
After  the  capture  of  that  city,  the  portion  of 
the  regiment  which  had  been  captured  was 
exchanged,  and  the  regiment  went  to  Union 
City,  Tennessee,  thence  to  Louisville,  KGUT 
tucky,  and  from  there,  to  Bridgeport,  Ala- 
bama, whence  they  went  to  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee,  where  they  took  part  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Missionary  Ridge  with  the  Twentieth 
Army  Corps.  This  brave  company  made 
the.  memorable  winter  march  to  Knoxville, 
during  which  they  were  without  sufficient 
food,  and  their  shoes  being  worn  out  they 
might  have  been  tracked  by  blood  from  their 
bruised  and  bleeding  feet.  Mr.  Daniel  par- 
ticipated with  his  regiment  in  all  the  battles 
from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  Georgia,  being 
100  days  under  fire.  From  Atlanta  he  accom- 
panied General  Sherman  in  his  march  to 
the  sea,  and  thence  through  the  Carolinas, 
north  to  Washington  City,  where  he  par- 
ticipated in  the  grand  review.  In  June, 
1865,  he  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Springfield,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Daniel  then  returned  to  his  boyhood 
home  in  Morgan  county,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried in  September,  1866,  to  Miss  Lutheria 


414 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


Hubbard,  an  estimable  lady  and  a  native  of 
Illinois.  To  this  union  two  children  were 
born,  Edward  Grant  and  Lorenzo  Cass,  both 
living  and  unmarried,  and  botlr  employed  as 
telegraph  operators.  Mr.  Daniel's  wife  died, 
and  he  was  afterward  married  to  Zilpah  Car- 
ter, a  native  of  Morgan  county.  They  had 
three  children:  Elizabeth  E.,  Charles  O.  and 
Daisy,  all  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Daniel  owns  a  small  fruit  farm  in  the 
suburbs  of  Ashland,  and  deals  quite  exten- 
sively in  poultry,  from  th.e  proceeds  of  which, 
and  his  pension,  he  lives  yery  comfortably. 

He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics;  and 
belongs  to  John  Douglas  Post,  No.  592, 
G.  A.  R.  He  and  his  wprthy  wife  are  earn- 
est and  iiseful  members  of  the  Missionary 
Baptist  Church. 

Thus  in  brief  is  given  the  few  most  promi- 
nent facts  of  a  modest  and  useful  life,  which 
although  not  blazoned  abroad  is  yet  as  well 
lived  and  important  as  that  of  the  trumpeted 
heroes  of  the  war.  His  duty  done,  he  rests 
by  his  fireside  in  peace  and  happiness,  the 
recipient  of  the  good  wishes  of  his  neighbors, 
the  affection  of  his  family,  and  the  gratitude 
of  his  country. 


RS.  RACHEL  D.  MARTIN  was 
born  in  Redstone  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  20,  1810.  Her 
father  was  Isaac  Turner  and  her  mother, 
Sarah  Minton,  and  she  was  born  in  New  Jer- 
sey and  he  in  Germany.  They  were  farmers, 
who  moved  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  in  1815, 
and  located  on  the  little  Miami  near  the 
junction  of  the  east  fork.  Mrs.  Martin  was 
one  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  The  family 
settled  on  160  acres  of  partially  improved 
jand  and  came  down  the  Ohio  on  a  flat-boat 


from  Wheeling  and  landed  at  Cincinnati,  and 
brought  their  teams  and  household  goods. 
They  worked  hard  and  at  their  death  they 
had  the  farm  all  paid  for  with  improvements. 
The  father  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years 
and  his  wife  some  years  later.  Mrs.  Martin 
and  her  sister,  Sirena,  the  wife  of  Abel  Light, 
a  farmer  in  Kansas,  are  still  living.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  eighty-two  years  old  and 
her  sister  is  eighty,  both  active,  well  preserved 
women.  The  most  of  the  family  died  in 
youth  or  early  childhood. 

Matthias  Turner  was  a  farmer  in  this  val- 
ley and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years  in 
1852.  His  brother,  Michael,  was  a  farmer 
on  the  old  homestead,  and  had  many  farms 
in  the  county  of  Hamilton  in  Ohio.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  in  1890.  He  had 
a  family  of  seven  children,  and  the  six  who 
survived  him  have  good  farms.  He  never 
went  to  school  in  his  childhood  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  years  in  Ohio,  in  summer,  as 
they  could  not  provide  shoes  and  clothing  in 
the  winter. 

When  in  her  seventeenth  year  Rachel  went 
to  school  eight  weeks  and  learned  to  read  and 
write,  the  reader  being  the  New  Testament 
In  her  nineteenth  year  she  was  married,  April 
12,  1829,  to  John  Martin,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  March  2, 1794.  His  father  was  Joseph 
Martin,  and  his  mother  was  Rebecca  (Giebeh 
Martin.  Joseph  Martin  was  a  farmer,  and 
was  born  in  Wales  and  died  in  Ohio  at  a  ripe 
old  age,  nearly  eighty.  His  wife  lived  but  a 
few  months.  They  had  nineteen  children, 
two  dying  in  infancy  and  one  son  at  the  age 
of  nine  years.  Sixteen  of  these  children 
came  to  adult  life  and  became  heads  of  fami- 
lies and  the  youngest  had  but  one  child. 

Mrs.  Martin  and  her  husband  commenced 
domestic  life  on  a  rented  farm  in  Hamilton 
county,  Ohio.  They  owned  a  small  farm 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


415 


there,  which  they  sold  and  came  to  Illinois, 
in  March,  1837,  bringing  five  children.  They 
made  the  trip  to  Meredosia  by  steamboat,  and 
settled  on  eighty  acres  in  the  Illinois  bottoms. 
They  sold  this  place  to  Mrs.  Martin's  brother, 
Matthias,  and  then  bought  160  acres,  of  which 
the  present  home  is  a  part.  The  beloved 
father  died  September  23,  1854,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-one,  and  then  the  farm  was  divided. 
He  left  his  widow  with  a  comfortable  prop- 
erty. He  owned  at  one  time  860  acres,  and 
360  was  swamp  and  bottom  land  that  was 
overflowed.  He  came  first  out  here  on  horse- 
back from  Cincinnati  with  Benjamii}  Speery, 
and  the  choice  of  land  he  made  was  poor,  hav- 
ing been  deceived  by  soiqe  of  the  settlers, 
who  had  come  before  him.  When  they  came 
they  brought  their  wagons  and  horses,  one  of 
the  latter  outliving  his  master.  Mr.  Martin 
was  a  stock- raiser  and  breeder,  and  was  one 
of  the  leading  ones  of  his  time.  He  raised 
cattle,  horses,  hogs  and  sheep,  and  clothed 
themselves  with  the  wool  of  the  sheep  and 
the  flax  which  they  raised.  Mrs.  Martin  has 
been  a  heroine  in  hard  work  all  her  life,  and  is. 
still  the  most  important  one  on  the  place.  She 
is  bright  in  mind  and  strong  in  body.  Of  her 
children:  Robert  died  at  the  age  of  tpn  years, 
August,  1846;  Isaac  died  in  November,  1862; 
he  was  a  volunteer  in  Company  D,  One 
Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Illinois  Volunteers, 
and  died  in  the  hospital  at  Quincy;  he  left 
a  widow  and  two  sons;  John  Edward  died 
October  25, 1883,  aged  twenty-two,  and  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  James  P.  Craig,  died  in  1866,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-three,  leaving  one  son  and 
one  daughter;  Michael  E.  Martin  died  June 
2,  1878,  and  left  his  widow,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Francis  E.  Hume,  and  one  child, 
who  died  in  infancy.  She  is  with  her  aged 
mother-in-law.  The  living  of  the  family  are; 
Joseph  Martin,  a  farmer  of  Ohio,  and  has 


four  living  children:  William  13.  Martin;  M. 
V.  Martin,  a  farmer  near  by  on  a  part  of  the 
old  farm.  He  has  six  children  living  and  two 
deceased.  John  G.  Martin,  named  for  his 
father,  is  residing  on  the  old  farm,  and  has 
four  children :  Rachel  F.  J.,  the  youngest  of 
the  family,  is  the  wife  of  John  E.  Taylor, 
and  has  eight  children.  Mrs.  Martin  is  a 
Baptist.  Mr,  Martin  is  a  Democrat,  while 
his  sons  are  reformers. 


fQHN  HENDERSON  DAVIS,  of  sec- 
tion 29,  Huntsville,  is  numbered  among 
the  substantial  farmers  of  Schuyler 
county,  where  he  has  resided  since  1854. 
He  was  born  in  Rutherford  county,  Tennes- 
see, September  15, 1819,  being  a  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Bishop)  Davis.  John,  Jr.,  was 
but  a  small  boy  when  his  father  died.  He 
was  one  of  three  children:  John;  James  M., 
residing  in  Carthage,  Missouri;  and  Polly, 
now  Mrs.  John  Lomax. 

When  John  was  eight  years  old  the  mother 
and  other  children  came  to  Illinois  and  first 
settled  in  Green  county,  near  Whitehall,  and 
later  moved  to  Morgan  county,  near  Jackson- 
ville. From  there  they  went  to  Winchester, 
Scott  county,  and  from  there  to  Brown 
county,  settling  in  Pea  Ridge  township, 
where  the  mother  died.  John  was  reared  on 
the  farm  in  Brown  county  and  bought  a  farm 
in  Brown  county,  where  he  resided  until  1854, 
when  he  settled  where  he  now  resides.  He 
purchased  at  first  land  that  was  entirely  un- 
cultivated, but  now  has  300  acres  of  as  good 
land  in  as  fine  condition  as  any  in  the  county. 
On  this  farm  are  excellent  farm  buildings. 
He  has  farmed  and  dealt  in  live  stock  for 
many  years. 


416 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


He  was  married  in  Brown  county  to  Maria 
Beckam,  born  in  Ohio,  daughter  of  George 
and  Abigail  Beckam.  She  died  in  1867, 
leaving  ten  children,  namely:  William  H., 
and  youngest  sister,  Cornelia,  residing  in 
Pratt  county,  Illinois;  John  W.,  married,  re- 
sides in  Huntsville  township;  James  M., 
married  and  residing  in  Huntsville;  Minerva, 
married  to  Newton  Binkley,  and  resides  in 
Hancock  county;  Emily,  married  to  Luther 
Benson,  of  Harper  county,  Kansas;  Louisa, 
married  to  John  Swoap,  of  Adams  county; 
Nancy,  wife  of  William  Adams,  residing  in 
Adams  county;  Charles  H.,  at  home;  next,  one 
that  died  in  infancy;  Alexander,  married, 
and  is  living  in  Carroll  county,  Missouri. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but 
has  never  wanted  office.  He  is  a  man  who 
has  made  his  own  wa,y  in  the  world  and  has 
done  it  successfully  and  gained  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  every  one  wh,o  knows  him. 


fAMES  CUNNINGHAM,  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  stockman  of  township  17 
north,  range  9  west,  living  near  Phila- 
delphia, Illinois,  was  born  near  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  May  10,  1825.  He  comes  of  a 
family  of  sturdy,  honest  yoernanry,  whose  an- 
cestors have  been  of  that  bold,  upright  class 
which  has  infused  new  energy  into  the  slug- 
gish veins  of  his  country.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  baker  in  the  British  army, 
during  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  parents 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  were  John  and 
Ellen  (Taylor)  Cunningham,  both  of  them 
natives  of  bonny  Scotland.  In  1832,  the 
first  great  sorrow  fell  upon  the  little  family, 
when  the  devoted  mother  died,  leaving  six 
small  children  to  the  care  of  the  bereaved  fa- 
ther. Soon  afterward,  the  father  went  alone 


to  the  United  States,  and  worked  for  about 
three  years,  at  his  trade  of  a  miller,  in  Os- 
wego  and  Buffalo,  New  York.  He  then  re- 
turned to  his  native  country,  where  he  was  soon 
afterward  remarried;  and  in  1836,  together 
with  his  wife  and  six  children,  he  again  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States.  After  a  voyage 
of  live  weeks  they  arrived  in  New  York  city, 
whence  they  went  up  the  Hudson  river  to 
the  Erie  canal,  via  which  they  arrived  at  Buf- 
falo, New  York.  Thence  they  went  by  lake 
to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  whence  they  staged  across 
the  country  to  the  Ohio  river,  and  then,  by 
boat  uown  to  St.  Louis  and  up  the  Illinois 
river,  taveling  all  the  time  from  May  10 
until  July  4,  when  they  arrived  at  Beards- 
town,  Cass  county,  Illinois,  after  an  entire 
journey  of  fifty-five  days,  across  an  ocean  and 
half-way  across  the  American  continent.  In 
Cass  county,  near  Virginia,  his  father  pur- 
chased a  small  farm,  on  which  he  erected  a 
log  cabin,  in  which  he  and  his  family  resided, 
in  pioneer  fashion,  until  his  father's  death, 
two  years  later,  in  October,  1838.  His  fa- 
ther was  a  man  of  great  uprightness  of  char- 
acter, generous-hearted  and  cordial  in  man- 
ner, and  left  many  friends  and  well  wishers 
to  mourn  his  untimely  death. 

Two  of  the  six  children  who  accompanied 
their  parents  to  America  have  since  died. 
Six  children  were  by  the  first  marriage  and 
two  by  the  second.  Of  the  first  family,  Mar- 
garet was  the  eldest,  who  married  Martin 
Hoagland,  and  died  in  middle  life,  near 
Jacksonville,  Illinois,  leaving  a  family;  Jean- 
nette  married  Robert  Taylor,  a  Scotchman 
by  birth  and  a  well-to-do  farmer  in  the  San- 
gatnon  valley;  the  third  in  order  of  birth  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Thomas,  married, 
is  a  farmer  near  Virginia,  Illinois;  Archibald, 
married,  died  at  Sugar  Grove  some  twenty 
years  ago,  leaving  one  child;  John  is  a  farmer 


80HUYLER    AND    BMOWN    COUNTIES. 


417 


in  Missouri;  Marian,  now  Mrs.  Jacobs,  is 
the  sole  survivor  of  the  second  famjly,  the 
other  child  having  died  in  infancy. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  landed  in  Amer- 
ica on  his  eleventh  birthday,,  and  accompan- 
ied his  parents  to  the  little  farm  in  Cass 
county,  Illinois.  Here  he  continued  his  edu- 
cation at  the  subscription  schools  of  his  dis- 
trict, having  previously  attended  school  in  his 
native  country.  His  father's  death,  however, 
put  an  end  to  all  further  leisure  for  self-cult- 
ure, and  a  year  after  this  sad  event  our  sub- 
ject was  bound  out  to  a  neighbor,  Stephen 
Lee,  by  whom  he  was  reared  to  manhood. 
He  then  worked  for  a  number  of  years  in  a 
steam  saw  and  grist  mill  in  Sugar  Grove,  in 
which  he,  later,  bought  a  half  interest,  and 
finally  purchased  the  entire  property.  This 
he  continued  to  operate,  in  connection  with 
his  farm,  for  seven  or  eight  years,  when,  in 
1866,  he  sold  his  mill  and  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Tbis 
consists  of  280  acres  of  choice  agricultural 
land,  owned  by  Mr.  Cunningham  and  his 
son,  who  also  operate  eighty  acres  of  leased 
land.  This  land  is  usually  devoted  to  grain, 
but  a  great  many  hogs  are  also  grown  for 
market. 

In  October,  1856,  Mr.  Cunningham  mar- 
ried Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  Hopkins,  a  native 
of  Indiana,  who  came  to  Illinois  witb  her 
parents,  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Hopkins,  when 
she  was  only  two  years  of  age.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cunningham  have  two  children:  Henry, 
born  in  July,  1857,  is  unmarried,  and  man- 
ages his  father's  farm ;  Dorotha  Ellen,  born 
in  October,  1858,  married  F.  C.  Fox,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  cattle  feeder,  who  lives 
near  by. 

Mr.  Cunningham  was  originally  a  Whig 
in  politics,  but  has  been  a  Republican  since 
the  organization  of  that  party.  His  con- 


stituents have  shown  their  appreciation  of  his 
worth  by  electing  him  to  the  position  of 
Trustee  of  his  township,  which  office  he  has 
held  for  twenty-four  years,  serving  with  in- 
tegrity and  ability. 

Mrs.  Cunningham  is  an  earnest  and  useful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  although  Mr.  Cunningham  is  a  non- pro- 
fessor of  religion  yet  he  gives  liberally  of  his 
means  to  the  support  of  the  gospel  and 
other  religious  and  benevolent  movements. 

Thus,  unaided,  Mr.  Cunningham  has  at- 
tained, by  his  industry  and  honesty,  not  only 
a  competence  for  himself  and  family,  but 
has  been  able  to  donate  to  others  less  for- 
tunate than  himself,  all  of  which  has  en- 
deared him  to  his  community  and  left  his 
impress  on  many  an  honest  heart. 


ENRY  GREVE,  a  successful  manufact- 
urer and  dealer  in  tobacco  and  cigars, 
doing  business  on  Main  street  in  Beards- 
town,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Hanover,  in  the 
town  of  Wittlage,  May  20,  1844.  He  grew 
up,  obtained  his  German  education  and 
learned  his  trade  before  he  came  to  the  Uni- 
ted States,  which  he  reached  in  September, 
1866.  He1  was  the  second  of  the  family  to 
come  to  this  country,  his  brother  Anton 
having  preceded  him.  His  parents  lived  and 
died  in  their  native  country.  They  were 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church 
all  their  lives.  He  worked  at  his  trade  in 
New  York  city  for  some  time  before  he  came 
to  Beardstown.  After  his  arrival  here,  April 
2,  1867,  he  at  once  began  as  a  cigarmaker. 
He  associated  his  brother  Anton  with  him  in 
1876  as  a  partner,  and  they  did  business  to- 
gether until  1880,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  continuing  alone.  He  has  a  good, 


418 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


substantial  trade,  doing  quite  an  extensive 
business  and  giving  employment  to  several 
hundred  workmen.  He  has  accumulated 
considerable  means,  owns  a  good  home  and 
two  business  houses. 

He  was  married  in  this  city,  to  Miss  Anna 
M.  Keller,  from  Hanover,  Germany,  who  came 
over  in  the  same  vessel  with  her  husband. 
She  has  had  two  brothers  and  one  sister  settle 
iii  this  city  since  her  arrival.  Her  parents 
are  both  dead.  She  has  been  a  good  wife 
and  mother.  She  and  her  husband  attend 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and  have  nine  children: 
Lizzie,  Carrie,  Henry  A.,  John  F.  W.,  Anna, 
Fred,  William,  Emma  and  Hilda.  They 
have  all  been  educated  in  the  public  and  pa- 
rochial schools  of  Beardstown.  Mr.  Greve 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of  the  Ger- 
man order,  of  Beardstown  Lodge,  of  Prussia, 
No.  21,  and  is  a  trustee.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  is  a  very  reliable  man  in  every 
way, 


5SAAC  M.  STRIBLING,  one  of  the   most 
extensive   and  successful  farmers  of  Illi- 
nois, a  popular   and  influential  citizen  of 
Yirginia,  was  born  in   Logan   county,  Ken- 
tucky, January  13,  1821. 

His  parents  were  Benjamin  and  Nancy 
(Washburn)  Stribling,  both  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  paternal  grandparents  were 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Ayres)  Stribling, 
also  natives  of  the  Old  Dominion,  who  emi- 
grated to  Logan  county,  Kentucky,  in  a  very 
early  day.  There  his  grandfather  purchased 
a  tract  of  timber  land,  seven  miles  from  Rus- 
sellville,  which  he  improved  and  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death.  The 
grandmother  survived  her  husband,  and  ac- 
companied her  son,  father  of  the  subject  of 


this  sketch,  to  Illinois,  and  died  at  his  home. 
The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  notice  was 
married  in  Kentucky,  and  resided  there  until 
1827,  when  he  removed,  with  his  wife  and 
two  children,  to  Illinois.  The  journey  was 
made  overland  with  a  team,  and  they  brought 
provisions  and  cooking  utensils  with  them, 
and  camped  and  cooked  by  the  way.  He  first 
located  in  Morgan  county,  where  he  bought 
a  tract  of  land,  on  which  he  and  his  family 
resided  for  three  years.  In  1830  he  sold  out 
and  came  to  Cass  county,  settling  a  mile  and 
a  half  northwest  of  the  present  site  of  Vir- 
ginia, he  and  his  family  being  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  county.  He  bought 
eighty  acres  and  entered  720  acres  of  Gov- 
ernment land.  On  that  which  he  bought 
there  was  a  small  house,  the  sides  and  roof 
of  which  were  covered  with  split  boards, 
while  the  floor  was  made  of  puncheon.  The 
chimney  was  made  of  earth  and  sticks,  known 
in  those  days  as  a  "  cat-and-stick"  chimney. 
He  at  once  commenced  to  improve  his  land, 
and  resided  there  some  years,  after  which  he 
removed  to  land  which  he  had  purchased  on 
the  Sangamon  river  bottoms.  He  remained 
there  a  few  years,  eventually  moving  to 
Beardstown,  and  finally  to  Virginia.  In  the 
latter  place  he  bought  a  comfortable  home, 
and  spent  his  last  years  retired  from  active 
business.  His  first  wife,  mother  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice,  was  a  daughter  of  Philip 
Washburn,  and  she  died  on  the  home  farm  in 
1846.  Three  of  her  children  attained  matu- 
rity; Benjamin  F.  died  on  the  old  homestead; 
and  Thomas,  the  youngest  son,  now  resides  in 
California. 

Isaac  M.,  whose  name  heads  this  memoir, 
was  six  years  old  when  his  parents  removed 
to  Illinois,  and  he  has  a  vivid  recollection  of 
the  overland  journey  and  subsequent  pioneer 
life.  Central  Illinois  was  then  very  sparsely 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


419 


settled,  while  northern  Illinois  was  uninhab- 
ited except  by  Indians.  There  were  110  rail- 
roads for  many  years,  and  the  people  lived  on 
the  products  of  their  farms  and  wild  game, 
which  abounded  in  great  profusion,  such  as 
deer,  turkeys,  prairie  chickens,  geese  and 
ducks.  His  father  used  to  raise  flax  and  cot- 
ton, which  his  mother  would  card,  while  he 
and  his  brothers  would  spin  it,  after  which  it 
was  woven  in  a  hand-loom.  All  cooking  was 
done  by  a  fireplace,  while  the  method  of 
farming  was  quite  different  from  that  now 
employed.  Grass  was  mown  by  hand  and 
grain  was  cut  with  a  sickle  or  cradle.  As 
soon  as  he  was  large  enough,  our  subject  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  improvement  of  the 
land,  attending  school  as  opportunity  afforded. 
The  schools  were  supported  by  subscriptions, 
each  family  paying  according  to  the  number 
of  scholars  sent.  The  schoolhouse  was  of 
logs,  and  the  benches  were  made  of  rough 
slabs.  Fifty  cents  a  day  in  trade  was  the 
price  of  labor. 

Mr.  Stribling  remained  at  home  until  he 
attained  his  majority,  after  which  he  earned 
his  first  money  by  mowing  ten  acres  of  land, 
receiving  for  it  $1  an  acre.  His  father  gave 
him  a  tract  of  wild  land,  on  which  he  com- 
menced work  for  himself.  Most  of  it  was 
raw  prairie,  and  he  immediately  set  about 
preparing  the  land  for  cultivation.  He  built 
on  it  a  small  house,  in  which,  after  marriage, 
he  and  his  wife  commenced  life.  He  resided 
there  for  ten  years  and  then  moved  to  his 
present  home.  He  now  owns  2,000  acres  of 
choice  farming  land,  160  of  which  is  in  Me- 
nard  county,  and  the  remainder  in  Cass 
county.  His  property  consists  of  the  best  in 
those  localities,  for  which  he  paid  the  highest 
price  demanded  for  agricultural  lands.  None 
of  it  is  rented,  but  the  whole  is  under  his 
supervision.  His  principal  business  is  rais- 


ing and  feeding  stock,  his  various  farms 
being  well  supplied  with  a  high  grade  of 
shorthorn  cattle,  well-bred  hogs,  and  draft 
and  trotting  horses. 

He  was  first  married  in  1843,  to  Margaret 
BeggSj  an  intelligent  lady,  and  a  native  of 
Virginia,  daughter  of  Charles  Beggs.  By 
this  union  there  are  five  surviving  children: 
Joan,  James,  Thomas,  Kate,  Henry  C.  and 
Lou  M.  The  family  were  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  the  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
whose  life  had  been  one  of  continued  exertion 
in  their  interest. 

Mr.  Stribling  was  married  a  second  time,  to 
Maria  Carr,  an  estimable  lady,  a  native  of 
Cass  county,  this  State,  and  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Julia  Carr.  By  this  marriage 
there  are  eight  children:  Emma,  Carrie,  Nel- 
lia,  William  B.;  Hattie,  Frank,  George  and 
Howard. 

Mr.  Stribling  is  pre-eminently  a  self-made 
man,  and  has;  by  good  judgment,  steady  in- 
dustry, economy  and  integrity,  attained  his 
present  pheno'nlerial  prosperity  and  acquire 
the  universal  good  will  of  his  fellow  men. 


UCINDA  J.  VAN  DE VENTER. —This 
estimable  lady  is  the  widow  of  Barnett 
B.  Vandeventer,  is  a  native  of  Brown 
county,  this  State,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
John  W.  and  Margaret  (Brown)  Reid,  both 
natives  of  Tennessee,  who  came  to  Illinois 
when  single.  Here  they  met  each  other  and 
after  acquaintance  were  married.  John  Reid 
was  the  son  of  James  C.  Reid,  of  Ten- 
nessee, who  came  to  Illinois  at  a  very  early 
date,  about  1827  or  1829,  settling  on  a  mill 
site  on  McKee's  creek,  about  two  and  one- 
half  miles  west  of  Versailles,  where  he  laid 
claim  to  one  quarter  section.  There  is  no 


420 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


doubt  but  that  James  Held  came  from  Scot- 
land, he  having  married  a  Miss  Nancy  Cam- 
eron, of  Irish  descent,  a  lady  of  noble  ancestry. 
Mr.  James  Reid  erected  a  water-power  mill, 
having  preferred  a  mill  site  to  the  more  fertile 
acres  of  the  county,  when  he  took  up  his 
claim.  This  mill  was  a  great  success  and 
proved  a  boon  to  the  settlers  who  could  have 
their  grain  ground  here,  without  traveling  so 
far  to  obtain  a  little  meal  or  feed.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Reid  had  eleven  children,  all  of  whom 
lived  to  maturity.  Their  son,  Mrs.  Vande- 
venter's  father,  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Vandeventer  was  the  eldest.  Four  of 
of  this  family  are  still  living,  namely:  Wil- 
son, County  Clerk  of  Mt.  Sterling,  married 
Margaret  Bell  Vandeventer;  Martha,  wife  of 
Orlando  CaBteen,  residents  of  Anthony,  Kan- 
sas, where  they  live  with  their  two  daugh- 
ters, and  where  he  is  County  Treasurer  of 
that  county;  Luzena,  wife  of  Frank  Martin, 
of  Kansas;  and  Mrs.  Vandeventer. 

The  last  named  lady  was  married,  Novem- 
ber 18,  1866.  to  Barnett  Vandeventer,  brother 
of  Thomas  Vandeventer.  He  died  March 
17,  1886,  leaving  his  faithful  wife  to  mourn 
his  loss.  She  is  sustained  in  her  great  be- 
reavement by  her  loving  children  who  are  as 
follows:  Fred  R.,  aged  twenty-four;  O.  J.,  in 
his  twenty-third  year;  Horace,  in  his  twenty- 
first  year;  and  Dora,  eighteen.  They  have  all 
been  well  educated,  and  incline  toward  agri- 
cultural and  domestic  pursuits.  These  young 
people  are  all  at  home  and  are  a  great  com- 
fort to  their  widowed  mother,  who  bears  her 
affliction  with  Christiau  resignation  and  pa- 
tience. She  and  her  lamented  husband  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  as  were 
most  of  Mr.  Vandeventers  family.  This  gen- 
tleman was  only  fifty-three  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  yet  he  left  a  fine  estate,  in 
connection  with  the  estate  of  the  Vandeven- 


ter brothers,  in  which  he  had  a  third  interest. 
Mrs.  Vandeventer  and  her  interesting 
family  are  among  the  most  respected  and 
highly  esteemed  in  the  entire  township,  and 
all  consider  it  a  pleasure  to  know  them. 


LARKSON  DORSETT,  of  section  21, 
Huntsville,  has  had  his  residence  in 
Illinois  since  1835.  He  was  born  in 
Randolph  county,  North  Carolina,  April  28, 
1823,  being  a  son  of  Ezra  and  Mary  (Beck- 
erdite)  Dorsett.  In  1835  the  family  came  to 
Illinois  and  first  settled  in  Adams  county, 
and  Mr.  Dorsett,  Sr.,  entered  land  in  Hunts- 
ville township,  section  6.  There  Clarkson 
grew  to  manhood,  and  after  marriage  settled 
where  he  now  resides.  At  first  he  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land,  which  was  unimproved, 
and  here  he  has  since  resided.  He  now  owns 
ninety-seven  and  one-half  acres  of  land,  and 
has  a  good  set  of  farm  buildings. 

He  was  married  August  23,  1844.  to  Sarah 
Sprigg,  born  in  Meade  county,  Kentucky, 
October  11,  1824,  being  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  (Dorsey)  Sprigg,  natives  of 
Kentucky.  The  family  came  to  Illinois  in 
1835  and  settled  in  Huntsville.  Mr.  Sprigg 
died  in  Kentucky  while  on  a  visit.  His  wife 
survived  him  and  died  in  Schuyler  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dorsett  have  had  ten  chil- 
dren: Eliza  Ann,  born  August  28,  1845,  mar- 
ried Thomas  B.  Graham,  of  Huntsville  town- 
ship; Linza  D  ,  deceased  December  25,  1848; 
Nathan  G.,  born  December  12,  1849,  resides 
in  Ford  county,  Kansas;  Francis  A.,  born 
December  10,  1851,  resides  in  Huntsville 
township;  Elizabeth  Jane,  born  July  9,  1861, 
married  Lewis  Alexander  Frather,  resides  in 
Littleton  township;  William  M.,  born  March 
11,  1865,  at  home;  Mary  M.,  born  May  7, 


SO  SUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


421 


1867,  at  home;  and  Cynthia  E.,  born  August 
10,  1869. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dorsett  are  earnest  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
Mr.  Dorsett  has  been  a  member  since  he  was 
fourteen  years  old.  He  has  been  a  Class- 
leader  for  many  years  in  the  church  at  Shiloh, 
of  which  society  he  was  the  organizer  and 
liberal  supporter.  Mr.  Dorsett  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  has  been  School  Director.  He  and 
his  wife  are  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
them . 

Mrs.  Dorsett  had  five  sisters  and  three 
brothers:  Mary  Pendleton,  Eliza  Chappell, 
Nancy  Clark,  Sarah  Jane  Dorsett,  Matilda 
(Ezra)  Dorsett,  Melvina  Vetach,  Thomas  C., 
and  Samuel,  deceased. 


|ETER  S.  WILLIAMS,  of  Lee  township, 
was  born  in  Clermont  couuty,  Ohio,  in 
1847.  His  father,  Alexander,  now  liv- 
ing at  the  Mounds,  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1818, 
and  his  father,  Thomas  Jefferson,  was  a  Mary- 
land farmer  who  came  to  Ohio  a  young  man. 
He  died  there  on  his  farm  of  200  acres.  His 
wife's  name  was  Sarah  Jones.  Alexander 
Williams  married  Lydia  Ann,  daughter  of 
David  and  Sarah  Smith.  Peter  is  one  of 
nine  children.  His  parents  came  to  Illinois 
and  lived  in  Adams  county  five  years,  where 
they  bought  a  piece  of  land.  They  came  by 
water,  bringing  two  children  with  them. 
They  came  to  Brown  county  in  1856  and 
bought  a  farm  of  120  acres  on  section  7  and 
8,  in  Lee  township.  They  moved  to  Mound 
Station  in  1884,  where  they  have  lived  ever 
since.  They  have  lands  also  in  Kansas. 
They  gave  their  children  a  good  common 
schooling.  Mr.  Peter  Williams  raises  as 
many  as  100  hogs.  He  has  from  forty  to 


100  head  of  stock,  keeps  from  fifty  to  300 
sheep.  He  has  nearly  500  acres  of  land  all 
under  the  plow  and  also  sixty  acres  of  fine 
timber,  from  which  he  has  cut  the  largest  and 
most  valuable  oaks  and  walnut  trees.  They 
have  buried  one  little  son,  Charlie,  two  years 
old,  and  have  besides  five  children:  Ralph, 
Elmer,  Jennie,  James  and  Blanche.  They  in- 
tend to  give  them  all  a  good  education. 

Mr.  Williams  built  his  house  in  1880.  It 
is  a  large,  two-story  frame  building.  He 
built  his  barn  in  1884.  It  is  34x44,  for 
stock  and  hay.  He  has  also  built  another 
stock  barn,  40x44  feet.  He  has  sold  about" 
two  car  loads  of  cattle  per  annum  for  the  past 
fifteen  years,  but  it  has  not  paid  of  late.  Mr. 
Williams  and  his  wife  are  worthy  citizens  of 
the  county  in  which  they  live.  Mrs.  Will- 
iams was  born  at  her  present  home,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1835,  and  married  October  17,  1872. 
Her  parents  bought  124  acres  in  1832  and 
also  some  land  in  other  counties,  making  in 
all  about  500  acres.  She  was  Cora  Camp- 
bell, daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Mc- 
Corrnick)  Campbell.  They  moved  from  Ten- 
nesssee  into  Sangumon  county  in  1829. 

Mr.  Williams  is  serving  his  second  term  as 
Supervisor  and  has  served  as  Road  Commis- 
sioner for  the  township.  He  is  a  Democrat, 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  a  Knight  Templar. 
His  family  belong  to  the  Missionary  Bap- 
tist society. 


fOHN   HUESCHEN   dates  his  birth    in 
Prussia,  January  20,   1846.     A    review 
of   his    life  and   ancestry  gives  the  fol- 
lowing facts: 

His  father,  Henry  Hueschen,  was  one  of  a 
family  of  four  sons:  Matthias,  George,  Henry 
and  Deidrich.  His  parents  were  born  and 


422 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Off    OASS, 


passed  their  lives  in  Prussia.  Matthias  and 
George  reared  families  in  their  native  land, 
and  are  still  living  there,  Henry  and  Deid- 
rich  being  the  only  ones  to  come  to  America. 
Deidrich  is  now  a  resident  of  Springfield. 
Henry  Hueechen  learned  the  trade  of  weaver, 
and  was  employed  at  work  at  his  trade  and 
farming  in  Prussia  until  1852,  when,  with 
with  his  wife  and  three  children,  he  came  to 
America.  They  set  sail  from  Bremen  and 
after  a  voyage  of  nearly  four  weeks  landed 
in  New  Orleans;  thence  up  the  Mississippi 
and  Illinois  rivers  to  Beardstown.  After  his 
arrival  in  Illinois,  Mr.  Hueschen  found  em- 
ployment at  various  kinds  of  work.  He 
bought  a  home  at  Beardstown  and  resided 
there  for  many  years.  His  death  occurred 
at  the  home  of  his  son  John,  in  1883.  His 
wife's  death  occurred  some  years  before  his. 
Of  their  four  children  be  it  recorded  that 
Sophia  died  in  Germany  when  young;  that 
Sibilla  married  John  Henry  Betz,  and  lives 
in  the  State  of  Washington;  the  other  two 
are  John  and  William. 

John  Hueschen  was  only  six  years  of  age 
when  the  family  emigrated  to  America; 
consequently  he  remembers  little  of  his  na- 
tive land.  At  the  time  they  settled  in  Beards- 
town,  although  only  a  small  place,  it  con- 
tained a  large  packing  house  and  was  the 
principal  market  for  this  section  of  the 
country.  He  attended  a  German  school, 
and  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to  work 
was  variously  employed.  From  the  time  he 
was  twenty-one  until  he  was  thirty  he 
worked  on  a  farm  by  the  month,  after 
which  for  seven  years  he  rented  land.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  he  purchased  the  120 
acres  on  which  he  now  resides.  This  place 
is  well  improved  with  good  buildings*  etc. 

March  9,  1876,  Mr.  Hueschen  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Fidler,  a  native 


of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  arid  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Katherine  Fidler.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  three  children, 
namely:  Theodore,  born  January  25,  1877, 
and  died  April  5,  1892;  Huldah,  born  June 
7,  1887;  Alvin,  August  6,  1890,  and  died 
February  26,  1892. 

He  and    his   wife    are    members   of    the 
Lutheran  Church. 


ASPEK  STOCK,  general  farmer  on  sec- 
tion 34,  of  the  precinct  of  Beardstown, 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Ger- 
many, 1832.  He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Margaretta  (Shaffer)  Stock,  who  both  came 
of  old  Hesse  famlies  of  pure  German  blood. 
Thomas  was  reared  to  the  business  of  distil- 
ler and  was  thus  engaged  until  he  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  and  his  wife  with  their 
two  children  came  from  Bremen  and  landed 
in  Baltimore  after  a  six  weeks'  voyage  in  a 
three-mast  sailing  vessel.  After  the  usual 
trip  they  arrived  in  Beardstown,  October  26, 
1836.  The  father  purchased  and  settled  a 
year  latter  on  land  in  the  precinct  of  Arenz- 
ville,  which  he  cultivated  successfully  until 
his  death,  March  14,  1846.  He  was  a  good 
hard-working  man  and  was  very  ambitions, 
but  did  not  live  long  enough  to  realize  his 
hopes.  His  wife  is  still  living  with  her  son, 
Thomas,  Jr.,  on  the  old  homestead.  She  is 
eighty-one  years  of  age,  but  is  quite  active 
and  mentally  strong.  She  and  her  husband 
were  all  their  lives  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church. 

Casper  was  brought  to  this  county  when 
four  years  of  age  and  was  raised  as  a  farmer. 
He  has  always  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
and  one  of  its  most  worthy  German  citizens. 
He  is  a  quiet,  unassuming  man,  and  when  he 


SCUU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


423 


took  charge  of  his  farm  the  land  was  raw  | 
and  unbroken,  but  by  quiet,  persevering  ef- 
fort he  has  made  it  one  of  the  finest  places  in 
the  county.  He  owns  260  acres,  all  improved. 
He  has  lived  on  the  place  for  thirty-six 
years  and  has  owned  it  for  twenty-six. 

He  was  married  in  Cass  county  to  Cath- 
erine Seeger  of  Ohio,  and  came  when  very 
young  to  Cass  county  with  her  parents.  Her 
father,  Henry  Seeger,  is  a  retired  merchant 
who  lives  in  Beardstown.  He  is  one  of  the 
old  German  settlers  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1830,  living  in  Beardstown  since 
1849.  He  was  for  years  a  merchant  there 
and  his  wife  died  in  the  same  place.  Mrs. 
Stock  is  one  of  five  children,  all  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stock  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Henry,  a  farmer  of  Beardstown, 
married  to  Minnie  Hansmeir;  Mary  Pilger, 
living  in  Beardstown  ;  Rosa  Hinners  married 
a  farmer  of  Arenzville  precinct.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stock  attend  the  Lutheran  Church  and 
are  good,  prosperous  people.  Mr.  Stock  is  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  party. 


lEV.  WILLIAM  S.  GARNER  was  born 
in  what  is  now  Cass  county,  Illinois, 
December  16,  1837.  He  has  passed  his 
whole  life  in  this  county,  and  has  witnessed 
the  changes  which  have  transformed  the 
frontier  into  a  well-improved  and  thickly 
populated  section  of  country. 

His  father,  Rev.  James  Garner,  was  born 
in  North  Carolina,  October  7,  1792;  when 
very  young  went  to  Kentucky,  and  subse- 
quently to  Clark  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
was  married  and  resided  till  1830.  He  was 
converted  when  a  young  man,  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  became 
identified  with  the  ministry.  He  was  a 


member  of  the  Indiana  Conference,  and 
preached  in  different  places  in  that  State  till 
failing  health  compelled  him  to  relinquish 
his  labors.  It  was  then  that  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois. He  made  the  journey  to  this  State 
with  a  four-horse  team  and  wagon,  being 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  four  children. 
They  cooked  and  camped  on  the  road,  and- 
after  their  arrival  here  settled  in  township 
17,  range  10,  where  they  lived  a  year  or  two. 
Mr.  Garner  then  entered  a  tract  of  Govern- 
ment land  in  section  2,  township  17,  range 
9,  on  which  he  put  up  a  log  house,  built  after 
the  fashion  of  those  days,  with  rived  boards 
for  roof,  stick-and-mud  chimney,  etc.  In 
this  humble  abode  William  S.  was  born.  It 
was  some  years  before  there  were  any  rail- 
roads here.  The  first  railroad  built  in  this 
vicinity  was  from  Springfield  to  Jacksonville, 
the  rails  being  of  wood,  and  the  cars  drawn 
by  horses.  After  his  settlement  in  Illinois, 
James  R.  Garner  became  a  local  preacher. 
He  was  frequently  called  upon  to  marry 
couples  and  to  preach  funerals.  Often  he 
would  ride  a  number  of  miles  to  perform  a 
marriage  ceremony,  and  receive  50  cents  or 
$1  for  his  pay.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig, 
and  afterward  a  Republican.  He  was  a  strong 
anti-slavery  man.  The  subject  of  our  sketch 
remembers  when  Beardstown  was  the  chief 
market  and  depot  of  supplies  for  many  miles 
around.  The  merchants  in  Springfield  used 
to  go  to  Beardstown  with  teams  for  their 
goods.  The  price  of  all  farm  products  was 
very  low.  Dressed  pork  sold  for  75  cents  to 
$1.50  per  100  pounds;  corn  and  oats,  10  to 
15  cents  per  bushel;  a  cow  and  calf,  $8  to 
$10.  Deer  and  wild  turkey  were  plentiful 
throughout  the  State.  The  people  lived  on 
wild  game  and  the  products  of  their  own 
land,  dressed  in  homespun,  and  withal  were 
as  happy,  it  not  more  so,  than  they  are  to- 


424 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


day.  It  was  not  unusual  to  see  the  pioneer 
women  walking  two  or  three  miles  to  church 

o 

and  carrying  their  shoes,  putting  them  on  as 
they  neared  the  church. 

In  1855  Mr.  Garner  divided  his  land 
among  his  children,  and  moved  to  section 
36,  township  18,  range  9,  where  he  improved 
a  farm  and  resided  till  his  death,  September 
11, 1862.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Robertson.  She  was  born  in  Clark 
county,  Indiana,  October  15, 1795,  when  that 
State  was  a  part  of  the  Northwest  Territory. 
These  worthy  pioneers  reared  ten  children, 
viz.:  Mahulda  married  George  Beggs;  Green- 
bury,  Jane  Redman;  Susan,  J.  Fox;  Amos, 
Lucy  Bingley;  Mary  J.,  Robert  Robertson; 
James  R.,  Margaret  Wilson;  John  W.,  Lucy 
Carver,  and  after  her  death,  Melinda  Down- 
ing; Sarah  A.,  Henry  Sherrer;  and  William 
S.  All  their  sons  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  youth,  and  became  ministers 
of  the  same.  Greenbnry  and  Amos  united 
with  the  Illinois  Conference,  and  the  others 
became  local  preachers. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  primitive  schools  of  his  native 
county.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  he 
began  to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm,  and 
remained  with  his  parents  till  their  death. 
He  was  converted  at  the  age  of  nineteen, 
joined  the  church,  and  a  few  years  later  was 
licensed  to  preach.  All  his  life  he  has  been 
true  to  the  cause  he  espoused  in  his  youth, 
ever  showing  by  example  as  well  as  precept 
that  he  is  a  true  follower  of  the  Lord.  In 
1870  he  moved  from  the  old  homestead  to 
his  present  farm  of  120  acres.  Besides  this 
he  owns  other  land,  making  in  all  210  acres. 

Mr.  Garner  was  married  in  1858,  Septem- 
ber 30,  to  Nancy  M.  Crews,  a  native  of  San- 
gamon  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jesse  and  Susan  (Sneed)  Crews,  natives  of 


Kentucky  and  pioneers  of  that  county.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  eight 
children,  namely:  Hanson  A.,  Nellie  May, 
James  H.,  Lena  U.,  Belle,  Jesse,  Gertie 
and  Pearl.  Nellie  May  married  Charles  A. 
Schaeffer  (of  whom  see  sketch  in  this  volume). 
Lena  U.  is  the  wife  of  La  Fayette  Shankland. 

Politically,  Mr.  Garner  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  two  terms,  and 
as  Township  Trustee. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  life  of  one  of 
Cass  county's  well  known  and  highly  esteemed 
citizens. 


SRED  R.  PRINCE,  superintendent  of 
the  water  service  of  the  St.  Louis  division 
of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  having  headquarters  at  Beardstown, 
was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  February 
9,  1859.  He  was  the  son  of  Charles  Prince, 
of  Coventry,  England,  born  August  30,  1822, 
of  good  English  stock,  who,  having  grown  up 
in  the  trade  of  a  machinist,  had  no  difficulty 
in  obtaining  work  in  the  shops  of  Coventry. 
He  here  married  Emma  Taylor,  of  similar 
ancestry,  and  after  the  birth  of  three  children, 
in  1855,  started  for  the  United  States,  and 
landed  in  New  York  city.  They  started  on 
their  westward  journey  with  teams,  and  did 
not  stop  until  they  reached  Mount  Pleasant, 
Iowa,  which  was  yet  a  hamlet.  He  there 
worked  hard  and  established  a  shop,  and  has 
since  run  his  business  successfully.  He  is 
now  about  seventy  years  of  age,  but  is  still 
in  active  business.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
only  members  of  their  families  yet  living. 
They  are  Universalists  in  religion,  are  good, 
worthy  old  people.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and 
has  been  Alderman  of  his  city. 


8VHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


425 


Fred  is  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren. He  was  reared  in  his  native  city,  and 
learned  his  trade  of  machinist  before  lie  be- 
came of  age.  Soon  after  this  period  of  his 
life  he  associated  himself  with  the  Quincy 
Railroad.  He  is  a  thorough  machinist,  having 
learned  his  trade  under  his  father,  is  a  practi- 
cal and  valuable  man  for  the  company,  and 
has  given  good  satisfaction  to  his  employers. 
Before  accepting  his  present  position,  Mr. 
Prince  was  from  April  1, 1881,  to  September 
1,  1883,  a  machinist  at  the  shops  in  this 
place.  He  has  now  assumed  control  of  the 
above  mentioned  branch  of  the  Quincy  busi- 
ness. It  covers  about  300  miles  of  road, 
representing  the  employment  of  fifteen  men 
regularly. 

While  engaged  in  the  mechanical  depart- 
ment of  the  Boys'  Reform  School  at  Eldora, 
Iowa,  Mr.  Prince  was  married  to  Miss  Mat- 
tie  Champion,  of  Knox  county,  Illinois,  who 
was  born  in  1866,  reared  in  Iowa  and  edu- 
cated at  Oscaloosa,  that  State.  Her  father, 
Joseph  Champion,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
January  31,  1810,  and  died  on  his  farm  near 
Oscaloosa,  at  an  advanced  age.  Her  mother, 
Rachel  Champion,  was  born  in  Indiana,  Sep- 
tember 16,  1816,  and  is  also  deceased.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  wife  are  active 
young  people,  and  much  attached  to  their 
home.  They  have  no  children.  Mr.  Prince 
is  a  Democrat,  and  a  member  of  Ark  Lodge, 
No.  16,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


iNDREWB.  McCORMICKhasthe  hon- 
or to  be  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Schuyler 
county,  and  it  is  fitting  that  an  outline 

of  his  life  should  be  recorded  on  these  pages. 

He  is  a  native  of    the  Empire  State,   born 

April    7,    1828,    near    Albany,     Rensselaer 

county. 


His  father,  Andrew  McCormick,  was  born 
in  Scotland,  and  is  the  only  member  of  his 
family  who  emigrated  to  America;  hie  youth 
was  spent  in  Scotland.  Emigrating  to  the 
United  States  he  settled  in  New  York  city, 
where  he  was  married.  After  that  event  he 
located  in  Rensselaer  county,  where  he  was 
employed  in  a  rolling  mill  until  1836.  In 
that  year  he  removed  to  Illinois,  coming  via 
the  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo,  thence  by  lake  to 
Cleveland,  thence  by  canal  to  the  Ohio  river; 
the  journey  was  continued  by  the  Mississippi 
and  Illinois  rivers  to  Beardstown,  and  thence 
by  team  to  Rushville,  where  he  arrived  Nov- 
ember 15,  1836;  where  he  lived  until  the 
spring  of  1837,  and  then  settled  on  land  in 
Woodstock  township,  where  he  built  a  log 
house,  and  began  the  task  of  developing  the 
wild  waste  into  a  fertile  farm  it  the  end  of 
two  years  he  disposed  of  the  property  and 
removed  to  Rushville,  where  he  died,  March 
17,  1840.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Jane 
Hill;  she  was  one  of  the  girls  participating  in 
the  reception  of  La  Fayette  at  Sumbridge,  as- 
sistiug  in  strewing  flowers.  She  was  born  in 
Dutchess  county,  New  York,  and  was  the 
daughter  of  David  Hill,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica a  member  of  the  British  army,  but  after 
corning  here  his  sympathies  were  transferred 
to  the  colonists,  and  he  deserted  King 
George's  ranks,  and  took  up  the  cause  of  the 
oppressed.  When  the  war  was  ended  he 
settled  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  and 
engaged  in  farming;  there  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  a  strict  Presbyterian;  the  mother  in 
earlier  life  belonged  to  the  same  church,  but 
afterward  joined  the  Methodists.  She  was 
married  a  second  time,  and  spent  her  last 
years  in  Rushville;  she  was  the  mother  of 


426 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    0V    CASS, 


four  children,  born  of  her  first  marriage: 
Andrew  B.,  David,  Jane  E.  and  Samuel. 

Andrew  B.  was  a  child  of  eight  years  when 
his  parents  removed  to  the  frontier,  as  Illi- 
nois was  then  considered.  Since  that  day  he 
has  witnessed  the  wonderful  transformation 
from  a  wild,  almost  uninhabited  waste  into 
one  of  the  most  productive  and  prosperous 
States  of  the  Union.  He  was  only  twelve 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death, 
and  was  then  thrown  on  his  own  resources. 
He  found  employment  on  the  farm  by  the 
month,  and  worked  in  this  way  for  three 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to 
learn  the  cooper's  trade,  which  he  followed 
several  years. 

When  he  reached  his  majority  he  received 
an  inheritance  from  Scotland  of  £100,  and 
with  this  he  purchased  the  land  on  which  he 
now  resides;  he  then  turned  his  attention  to 
agriculture,  and  soon  came  to  be  recognized 
as  a  leading  authority  on  many  questions  re- 
lating to  husbandry. 

He  was  married  February  15,  1849,  to 
Miss  La  Master,  who  was  born  in  Rushville 
township,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Nancy  (Donahue)  La  Mas- 
ter; the  father  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Kentucky,  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Orpha 
(Erwin)  La  Master  (see  sketch  of  Charles 
Kennedy),  and  came  to  Illinois  with  his  par- 
ents in  1826;  he  resided  in  Kushville  town- 
ship for  a  time,  and  then  removed  to  Bain- 
bridge  township.  In  1850  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, making  the  entire  journey  overland, 
and  after  an  absence  of  three  years  returned 
to  Illinois  and  to  his  home  in  Bainbridge 
township,  Schuyler  county;  a  year  later  he 
went  to  Fulton  county  and  bought  a  fine 
farm  two  miles  north  of  Lewistown,  and  there 
lived  until  death;  his  wife  had  died  in  Bain- 
bridge  township,  many  years  previous  to  his 


own  demise.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCormick  are 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  four 
died  in  infancy  and  two  boys  after  twenty- 
one.  One  daughter  married,  and  died  in 
1881,  leaving  three  daughters.  David,  Rob- 
ert, Jessie  and  Delia  are  living  now. 

Mr.  McCormick  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive early  settlers.  In  his  youth  his  oppor- 
tunities were  exceedingly  limited;  schools 
were  taught  on  the  subscription  plan,  and 
were  conducted  in  primitive  fashion.  He 
has  been  a  wide  and  careful  reader,  and 
through  his  own  efforts  has  accomplished,  in 
later  years,  what  was  denied  him  in  his  youth. 
Politically,  he  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  its  prin- 
ciples. He  is  a  man  of  great  integrity  of 
character,  and  has  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  the  entire  community. 


HARLES  KENNEDY,  the  subject  of  the 
following  sketch,  was  born  in  Hardin 
county,  Kentucky,  May  31,  1810.  His 
father,  Peter  Kennedy,  was  an  old  settler  of 
Kentucky,  and  like  many  others  of  that  date 
went  through  some  very  thrilling  experiences. 
He  was  made  a  prisoner  by  the  Indians  when 
but  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  for  nine  years 
was  kept  captive  among  them.  Finally,  mak- 
ing his  escape,  he  managed  to  reach  Louis- 
ville, that  beautiful  city  being  then  but  a 
trading  fort.  In  those  days  acqnaitance- 
ship  grew  fast,  and  ere  long,  Mr.  Kennedy 
married  Rachel  Colvin,  a  Kentuckian,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Hardin  county,  where 
they  both  remained  during  life.  A  younger 
son  still  occupies  the  old  home  which  he 
owned. 

Charles  Kennedy   was  married    to    Sarah 
Phillips,  September  19,  1833,  and  he  and  his 


SCBUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


427 


wife  removed  Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  In 
1835,  he  purchased  a  farm  and  erected  neat 
buildings;  here  they  lived  until  May  21, 
1853,  when  Mrs.  Kennedy  died.  To  them 
were  born  four  children:  Jesse,  Francis, 
John  Q.,  and  Charles  C.,  two  of  whom  are 
still  living,  Jesse  and  John  Q.  The  latter 
served  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth 
Illinois  Infantry,  under  Captain  R.  L.  Greer. 
Mr.  Kennedy's  second  marriage  occurred 
March  8,  1854,  to  Miss  Nancy  La  Master,  a 
daughter  of  Abraham  and  Orpha  La  Master. 
Mr.  La  Master  was  born  in  Maryland,  and  his 
wife  in  Virginia,  of  French  extraction.  They 
were  married  in  Kentucky. 

Mrs.  Kennedy  was  but  three  years  old 
when  her  parents  removed  to  Illinois.  She 
being  an  early  settler  has  witnessed  the 
entire  development  and  growth  of  the  coun- 
try; Mrs.  Kennedy  is  still  living.  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy died  May  16,  1883;  to  them  were  born 
two  children:  Leander  and  Mary,  Leander 
married  Ellen  Malcomson  and  has  three  chil- 
dren: Bessie,  Ruby  and  James;  Mary  mar- 
ried S.  R.  Carey. 

Mrs.  Kennedy  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  more  than 
fifty  years,  Mr.  Kennedy  was  a  Baptist  in  be- 
lief, and  was  a  life  member  of  that  denomi- 
nation. 


jOBERT  TAYLOR,  a  pioneer  of  Illinois, 
and  a  prominent  citizen  of  Cass  county, 
dates  his  birth  in  Scotland,  ten  miles 
south  of  Campbeltown,  Argyleshire,  Novem- 
ber, 27,  1816.  His  father,  Robert  Taylor,  a 
native  of  same  place,  was  a  son  of  Angus  Tay- 
lor, who  was  also  bom  in  that  locality.  Both 
passed  their  lives  and  died  there.  The  father 
of  our  subject  was  a  farmer  by  occupation. 


He  married  Miza  McCoy,  a  native  of  the  same 
shire,  and  a  daughter  of  Neill  McCoy,  also  a 
native  of  that  place.  Mrs.  Taylor  survived 
her  husband  some  years.  She  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1837,  spent  the  rest  of  her  life  in  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  and  died  here  in  1845.  She 
reared  eight  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely: 
Angus,  Neill,  Alexander,  Archibald,  Flora, 
Duncan,  John,  Robert  and  William.  All 
came  to  America. 

Robert  Taylor  was  reared  and  educated  in 
in  his  native  land.  When  he  was  three  years 
old  his  father  died,  and  until  he  was  eight  he 
lived  with  his  mother.  He  then  found  a 
home  with  his  uncle,  Archibald  Taylor,  with 
whom  he  remained  three  years.  Returning 
to  his  mother,  he  lived  with  her  till  his  eigh- 
teenth year,  when  he  came  to  America.  He 
set  sail  from  Greenock  May  16,  1835,  in  the 
John  Hale,  accompanied  by  his  brother 
Angus,  and  landed  in  New  York  on  the  4th 
of  July  following.  His  uncle,  Alexander 
Taylor,  was  a  resident  of  Champaign  county, 
Ohio,  and  to  that  place  he  directed  his  course. 
In  Urbana  he  found  a  home  with  Douglas 
Luce,  learned  the  trade  of  tanner  and  cur- 
rier, and  remained  their  four  years.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1839,  he  came  to  Illinois,  accompanied 
by  his  four  brothers,  making  the  journey 
with  a  team.  They  settled  in  Cass  county 
and  bought  a  tract  of  land  four  miles  north- 
west of  Virginia. 

At  that  time  this  county  was  sparsely  set- 
tled. Deer,  wild  turkeys  and  other  game 
were  plentiful,  and  for  several  years  there  was 
not  a  railroad  in  the  country.  In  1840  Mr. 
Taylor  made  a  visit  to  Chicago,  going  by  the 
most  convenient  and  expeditious  route  at 
that  time,  namely,  by  team  to  Beardstown, 
steamer  to  Peru,  and  stage  to  Chicago.  Chi- 
cago's population  was  then  about  5,000.  A 
hotel  and  a  few  slab  shanties  were  the  only 


428 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


buildings  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  He 
put  up  at  the  Mansion  House,  which  then 
stood  opposite  the  Tremont,  after  six  weeks 
spent  in  the  city  returned  to  Cass  county. 
From  Chicago  to  Bureau  county  he  rode  with 
a  farmer  who  had  been  to  the  city  to  market 
his  grain.  Then  he  walked  to  Peru,  where  he 
took  a  steamer  for  Beardstown. 

For  sixteen  years  he  lived  on  the  land  he 
and  his  brothers  purchased.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  he  rented  it  and  purchased 
the  farm  he  now  owns  and  occupies  in  the 
Sangamon  river  bottoms,  located  in  section 
18  of  township  18,  range  10.  He  has  been 
very  successful  as  a  farmer,  has  purchased 
other  lands  at  different  times,  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  upward  of  1,000  acres. 

Mr.  Taylor  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  They 
were  among  the  original  members  of  the  San- 
gamon Bottom  Church.  The  first  meeting  of 
this  society  was  held  on  the  fifth  Sunday  in 
July,  1848,  and  was  organized  late  in  the 
month  of  August  following  by  Rev.  Nathan 
Downing  and  by  Rev.  James  White. 

Politically,  Mr.  Taylor  was  reared  a  Whig, 
but  joined  the  Republican  party  when  it  was 
formed.  He  has  always  been  a  Prohibition- 
ist in  principle,  and  of  late  years  has  voted 
with  that  party  in  national  elections. 


5SAAC    NEWTON    PEVEftOUSE    was 
born  on  the  farm  on  which   he  now  re- 
sides,   November    1,    1849.     His  father, 
John  J.  Pevehouse,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1818,  and  his  father,  John,  also  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  while  his  father  was  a  native 
of  Germany  and  came  to  America  in  colonial 
times  and  served  in  the   Revolutionary  war. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  lived   in   Washington 


county,  Pennsylvania.  John  served  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  removed  to  Kentucky  di- 
rectly after  the  war,  being  a  pioneer  of  Wayne 
county.  He  has  served  as  County  Com- 
missioner several  terms.  In  1833  he  removed 
to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Adams  county,  where 
he  bought  land  in  Honey  Creek  township, 
residing  there  until  his  death.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  Beeson.  She 
survived  her  husband  a  few  years  and  died  at 
her  home  in  the  house  of  her  son,  John,  Jr., 
in  Pea  Ridge  township.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  John,  Jr.,  was  sixteen  years  old  when 
he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents.  He 
made  the  entire  journey  overland  with  teams. 
At  that  time  the  county  was  but  sparsely 
settled  and  Quincy  was  but  a  hamlet.  He 
bought  eight  acres  of  unimproved  land  on 
time,  paying  $80  for  the  tract.  He  bought 
it  at  a  public  sale  and  did  not  have  the  money 
to  pay  for  it  with.  He  soon  found  a  pur- 
chaser for  his  bargain  at  a  small  advance. 
He  married  in  Brown  county  and  lived  there 
on  a  farm  of  147  acres  that  he  bought  at  a 
big  bargain,  and  also  bought  other  tracts  of 
land.  He  was  very  successful.  Here  Isaac 
was  born  and  when  his  father  died  he  left 
800  acres  for  his  heirs.  His  death  occurred 
March  17,  1891.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Susanna  Pevehouse,  born  in  Wayne 
county,  Kentucky.  Her  father,  Joseph  Peve- 
house, was  well  known  in  Kentucky  from 
which  he  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Scott  county,  where  he  resided  in  that  part 
which  was  Morgan  county  at  that  time.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  teachers  of  the  county. 
He  bought  land  and  followed  farming  and 
mercantile  business  in  Clayton  and  resided 
there  until  his  death  in  1863.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  Slagle.  She  was 
born  in  Kentucky  and  died  on  the  farm.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  is  still  living  on  the 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


429 


home  farm.  She  reared  five  children, 
Thersa  A.,  Elizabeth  J.,  Isaac  N.,  Martha  E. 
and  Sarah  E. 

Isaac  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
township  and  has  always  been  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  and  still  occupies  the 
old  homestead  where  he  has  always  lived. 

Politically  he  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party.  His  parents 
were  firm  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  Mr.  Pevehouse  is  an  upright 
gentleman  and  is  greatly  respected  by  all 
who  know  him. 


fRANK  LAWRENCE,  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Oakland  township,  was  born 
in  Winnebago  county,  Illinois,  in  1851, 
a  son  of  Thomas  Henry  Lawrence.  His 
father  removed  to  Illinois  about  1848,  and 
settled  near  Rockford,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  on  which  he  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  days;  he  died  in  1853,  in  the  prime  of  a 
prosperous  life,  leaving  a  widow  and  eight 
young  children.  Soon  after  Ids  death  his 
wife  disposed  of  the  estate,  which  was  valued 
at  $1,300,  and  returned  to  Orange  county. 
New  York.  Her  maiden  name  was  Sarah 
Randle,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Jesse 
Randle;  she  now  resides  in  Warwick,  New 
York,  and  is  still  vigorous  both,  in,  mind  and 
body.  Five  of  the  children  survive.  Thomas 
H.,  Jesse  R.  and  A.  P.  were  volunteers  in  the 
late  war;  they  all  came  out  alive,  but  all  were 
wounded;  Thomas  H.  and  Jesse  R.  are  both 
deceased. 

Mr.  Lawrence  came  to  the  West  in  1871, 
his  objective  point  being  Council  Bluffs, 
Iowa.  In  the  spring  of  1873  he  went  to 
Colorado,  making  part  of  the  journey  by  rail, 
and  the  rest  overland  by  pack  train.  In  1882 


he  returned  to  the  East,  and  then  came  to 
Ray,  Schuyler  county,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  E. 
Baxter  Sumner,  in  1885;  Mrs.  Lawrence  died 
July  15,  1889,  leaving  one  son,  Thomas  H. 
Lawrence,  born  in  August,  1888.  Mr.  Law- 
rence was  married  a  second  time,  February 
8,  1891,  when  he  was  united  to  Josie 
Glimpse,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah 
(Shirley)  Glimpse,  natives  of  Illinois;  the 
Shirley  family  is  from  New  Jersey,  and  the 
Glimpse  family  came  from  Indiana.  James 
Glimpse  died  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  forty-five 
years,  leaving  a  family  of  five  children.  Mr. 
Lawrence  occupies  a  pleasant  home  in  Ray, 
which  he  erected  in  1891;  he  owns  about 
sixty  acres  of  land.  He  has  had  charge  of  the 
Ray  tile  works  as  superintendent  and  fore- 
man; he  has  filled  the  position  with  marked 
ability.  Politically  he  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  belongs  to  the  blue  lodge, 
chapter  and  cpmmandry. 


,ENRY  STARK,  of  Mt.  Sterling,  was 
born  in  Prussia,  in  1848.  His  par- 
ents were  Peter  and  Elizabeth  Stark, 
both  of  Prussia.  The  father  spent  his  entire 
life  there,  and  after  his  death  the  mother  and 
children  came  to  America,  and  settled  in 
Mt.  Sterling,  where  she  spent  her  last  days. 
Henry  attended  school  quite  steadily,  until 
he  was  fourteen  years  old,  and  then  com- 
menced work  in  the  mines  for  three  years, 
and  worked  in  the  rolling  mills  until  1869, 
when  he  concluded  to  come  to  America  to 
try  and  better  his  condition.  He  came  di- 
rectly to  Rushville,  where  he  landed  with 
empty  pockets.  He  at  once  found  work  in 


430 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


the  mines,  where  he  continued  about  three 
months,  went  from  there  to  Beardstown,  and 
worked  on  the  railroad  for  nearly  a  year,  and 
then  went  to  Peoria   and  entered    the   coal 
mines.      A    short  time   after    his   employer 
failed    and   left   him    with   no  money.     He 
went  from  there  to  Rochelle,  and  from  there 
to  Mt.  Sterling,  and  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Wabash  Railroad  Company.       He    then 
worked  two  months  in  a  pork-packing  estab- 
lishment, in  a  brick-yard  one  summer,  then 
went  to  St.  Louis,  in  order  to  learn  a  trade, 
and  finally  back  to  Mt.  Sterling,  where  with  a 
partner  he  finally  opened  a  market.    He  very 
soon  failed  again,  bnt  a  friend  lent  him  money 
and  thus  far  he  has  met  with  remarkable  suc- 
cess.    In  the  meantime  he  has    engaged  in 
various  lines  of  business.     He  was    in    the 
junk  business,  and  for  two  years  he  ran    a 
skating  rink.     He  was  the  first  ice  dealer  in 
the  town,  and  for  about  twelve  years  engaged 
in  that  business.  He  continued  in  thebutcher- 
ing  business  for  eight  years,  and  then  entered 
into  his  present  business.     He  is  one  of  the 
largest    real-estate  owners  in    the  city.     In 
1890,  he  erected  a  handsome   business  block 
on  Main  street,  with  a  forty-foot  front,    and 
he  owns  another  block  on   the  same  street, 
40x100  feet,  seven  dwelling  houses,  besides 
vacant  property. 

He  married  in  1877,  Sarah  "Ward,  of  Mt. 
Sterling,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Ward,  of 
Ireland.  He  learned  the  trade  of  wheel- 
wright, came  to  America  a  young  man,  and 
carried  on  bis  business  in  Mt.  Sterling,  where 
he  died  as  the  result  of  an  accident  by  fall- 
ing backward  from  the  upper  story  of  his 
wagon  shop,  breaking  his  neck  in  the  fall. 
He  had  four  daughters.  This  death  left  the 
family  in  rather  straitened  circumstances,  bnt 
by  their  industry,  all  learning  the  dress- 
makers' trade,  they  managed  to  keep  the 


family  together.  One  of  Mrs.  Stark's  sisters, 
Kate,  is  married,  and  lives  in  Rushville;  the 
other  two  still  continue  to  carry  on  the  dress- 
making trade,  in  Mt.  Sterling.  Their  mother, 
nee  Bridget  McCabe,  a  native  of  Ireland,  is 
still  living. 

The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stark 
died  in  infancy.  They  both  are  members  of 
St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Stark  is  a  popular  and  well-thought-of  man, 
he  is  very  liberal  to  -the  poor,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  a  good  citizen. 


fOSEPH  ALLISON  was  born  near  Dover, 
Tuscarawas  county,    Ohio,  October    17, 
1828.     Joseph  Allison,  his   father,  was 
supposed  to  have  been  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
as  he  was  reared   and  married  in  that  State, 
and  moved  from  there  to  Ohio.     He  bought 
a  tract  of  timber  land  in  Tuscarawas  county, 
built  a  log  cabin  in  the  wilderness,  settled  on 
his  frontier  farm  and  began  the  work  of  clear- 
ing it.     He  lived  there   till    1840,  when  he 
came  Illinois,  being  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  eight  children.     He   made  the  journey 
overland  with  teams,  working  and  camping 
on  the  way.     After  a  month's  travel  in  this 
way,    they  landed  at  Jacksonville,    Morgan 
county.     At    that  time    Jacksonville  was    a 
hamlet  and  Springfield    only    a  small   place, 
the  surrounding  country  being  thinly  settled. 
Renting   land    in  Morgan    county,  he  lived 
there  four  years.     Then   he  moved  to   Cass 
county,  and  in  1847,  after  renting  land  here 
three  years,  bought  a  farm   in  section  23,  of 
township  18,  range  9,  it    being  unimproved 
at  the  time    of  purchase.     He  brought  a  log 
house  from  Morgan  county  and  erected  it  on 
this  place.     It  was   years   before  there  were 
any  railroads  here.     Settlers    were    few  and 


SCHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


431 


wild  game  was  plentiful.  Beardstown  was 
the  chief  market  for  supplies.  Mr.  Allison 
resided  on  this  place  till  his  death,  February 
11,  1859.  He  spent  years  of  toil  here,  im- 
proving and  beautifying  his  farm,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  had  it  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition, with  good  frame  buildings,  etc.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife,  mother  of  the  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch,  was  Elizabeth  Spawn. 
She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  died  on 
the  home  farm,  February  18,  1859.  They 
were  married  in  1812.  Following  are  the 
names  of  their  eight  children:  Mary,  Mar- 
garet, Jane,  John,  Elizabeth,  Martha,  Joseph 
and  Catherine. 

Joseph  was  twelve  years  old  when  his  par- 
ents came  to  Illinois,  and  he  well  remembers 
the  incidents  connected  with  their  pioneer 
life  here.  His  mother  used  to  card,  spin  and 
weave,  and  dress  her  children  in  hom,espun. 
He  resided  with  his  parents  until  their  death, 
and  now  owns  and  occupies  a  part  of  the  old 
homestead.  The  farm  contains  137  acres  and 
is  well  improved  with  good  buildings,  etc. 

Mr.  Allison  was  united  in  marriage,  De- 
cember 26,  1849,  with  Cecelia  E.  Logue,  who 
was  born  in  Warren  county,  Tennessee,  April 
26,  1829.  Her  father,  Oliver  Logue,  was 
born  in  the  same  county,  January  }7,  1805, 
son  of  William  Logqe,  thought  to  have  been 
a  native  of  Georgia.  William  Lpgne  was  a 
farmer  and  teacher,  and  served  as  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  in  "Warren  county,  Tennessee, 
where  his  death  occurred.  The  maiden  name 
of  grapdmother  Logue  was  Hannah  Sturgis. 
(She,  too,  died  in  Warren  county.  Oliver 
Logue  was  reared  and  married  in  Warren 
county,  and  from  there  moved  to  Illinois,  in 
1829,  becoming  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
what  is  now  Menard  county.  About  a  year 
later  he  moved  to  that  part  of  Morgan  county 
now  included  in  Cass.  Here  he  entered  a 


tract  of  Government  land,  improved  a  farm, 
and  resided  till  his  death.  Mrs.  Logue,  nee 
Rebecca  Cole,  was  born  in  Warren  county, 
Tennessee,  January  12,  1805,  daughter  of 
James  Cole. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allison  have  three  children: 
John  Wesley,  who  was  born  March  3,  1851, 
and  married  Mary  Mellstead,  and  has  two 
children,  Bessie  and  Cassie;  James  E.,  born 
in  1857,  who  married  Lillie  Wyatt,  has  one 
child,  Etta;  and  Arthur,  born  August  11, 
1866,  who  married  Sarah  Morgan;  Elizabeth 
E.,  born  June  1,  1854,  died  December  30, 
1854. 

Politically,  Mr.  Allison  is  a  Republican. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Allison  has  disposed  of  his  farm  and 
intends  to  retire  from  active  business  pursuits. 


AN  IEL  G.  SMITH,  M.  D.,  who  resides 
on  a  farip  in  Hickory  precinct,  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  is  well  known  as  a 
prominent  and  successful  physician  of  this 
vicinity.  Briefly  given,  a  sketch  of  his  life 
is  as  follows: 

Daniel  G.  Smith  was  born  a  mile  and  a 
half  east  of  Scottsville,  Macoupia  county, 
Illinois,  October  3,  1847.  His  father,  Sam- 
uel Smith,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Macoupin 
county,  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  North 
Carolina.  Grandfather  Smith  removed  with 
his  family,  from  North  Carolina  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  spent  his  last  years  and  died.  Sam- 
uel Smith  was  reared  in  Kentucky,  and  re- 
sided there  till  1835,  when  he  moved  to  Illi- 
nois, first  locating  in  Morgan  county.  At 
that  time  much  of  the  land  in  Morgan  county 
belonged  to  the  Government,  and  he  entered 
land  near  Woodson,  and  resided  there  a  few 


432 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


years.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved  to  Ma- 
coupin  county,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of 
land  near  Scottville,  a  part  of  it  being  prai- 
rie, and  a  part  timber.  After  improving  this 
laud,  and  residing  on  it  some  years,  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Franklin;  thence  to 
Waverly,  where  he  lived  retired  from  active 
business  until  the  time  of  his  wife's  death. 
He  then  went  to  Franklin,  and  spent  his  last 
days  with  his  daughter.  His  wife  was  be- 
fore her  marriage  Miss  Dorothy  Hull,  a  na- 
tive of  Tennessee,  and  a  daughter  of  Jesse 
Hull.  They  reared  eight  of  their  eleven 
children. 

Dr.  Smith  first  attended  the  district  schools 
and  afterward  the  Scottville  high  school. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  commenced  teach- 
ing, and  taught  and  worked  on  the  farm  for 
four  years.  He  then  began  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  G.  W.  Bradley,  of  Wa- 
verly.  He  attended  one  course  of  lectures  at 
the  Cincinnati  E.  M.  Institute,  and  two 
courses  at  the  American  Medical  College  at 
St.  Louis,  graduating  at  the  latter  institution 
with  the  class  of  1877.  He  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  Franklin,  and  after 
remaining  there  four  years  removed  to  Vir- 
ginia. Here  he  acquired  a  lucrative  practice, 
and  remained  a  resident  till  1889.  That 
year  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  section  1, 
township  18,  range  11,  moved  upon  it,  and 
has  since  conducted  farming  operations.  He 
still,  however,  continues  his  medical  practice, 
being  equally  successful  in  each. 

In  1866,  Dr.  Smith  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Melinda  J.  Thompson,  a  native  of 
Wayne  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
William  C.,  and  Amelia  Thompson.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  have  five  children  living:  Charles 
W.,  Fred  M.,  Dottie  E.,  Lois  and  Zella 
F.  Myrtie,  the  first-born,  died  in  her  fourth 


year,  and  Katie,  the  fourth,  died  in  her  tenth 
year. 

Politically,  the  Doctor  is  a  Democrat.  He 
and  his  wife  and  three  oldest  children  are 
members  of  the  Christian  Church. 


YMA.N  HAGER,  a  successful  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  living  near  Beardstown, 
was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  New 
Hampshire,  August  30,  1828.  His  father, 
Reuben  Hager,  was  also  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  died  in  1871.  His  parents 
had  died  when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age. 
He  was  afterward  reared  by  a  Mr.  Town 
until  he  was  of  age.  While  yet  in  Sullivan 
county  he  had  become  owner  of  a  small  farm, 
which  he  sold  in  1835,  and  with  his  wife  and 
children  came  West,  by  canals  and  rivers, 
until  he  landed  in  Beardstown.  He  made  a 
settlement  on  a  farm,  consisting  of  Govern- 
ment land,  and  later  added  to  it  from  time 
to  time  until  he  owned  a  farm  of  several 
hundred  acres.  He  spent  his  last  years  in 
quiet  comfort  in  Beardstown.  He  was  a 
genial,  good  man,  well  known  for  his  good 
judgment.  He  had  been  for  years  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Jury  of  Beardstown,  and  was 
often  called  upon  to  arbitrate  in  difficulties. 
His  wife,  who  had  died  in  1846,  was  named 
Sarah  Reed,  and  was  born  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. She  had  been  a  good  woman,  and  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 

Mr.  Lyman  Hager  could  not  help  being 
the  fine  man  he  is,  after  having  such  a  good 
father  and  mother.  He  has  lived  in  this 
county  since  he  was  six  years  of  age,  and  has 
spent  his  entire  life  since  then  near  where  he 
now  lives,  with  the  exception  of  five  years 
spent  in  California  during  the  '50s.  Since 


SCHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


433 


early  boyhood  days  he  has  been  a  hard  worker 
and  he  has  been  fairly  successful.  He  was 
not  able  to  obtain  much  early  education  in 
the  new  country. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  to  Cordelia 
Spalding,  of  Posey  county,  Indiana.  She  died 
at  her  home,  December  23,  1878,  at  the  age 
of  thirty- eight  years.  She  was  the  mother 
of  seven  children.  They  are:  Rose  Phelps, 
living  in  this  county;  Douglas,  a  farmer  near 
this  city;  Clara  Phelps,  of  this  township; 
Emma  Crum,  of  this  county;  Christina  Red- 
shaw,  also  of  this  county;  Mary  Thompson, 
of  the  same;  and  Joseph  at  home  helping  on 
the  farm. 

Mr.  Hager  was  a  second  time  married,  in 
Eeardstown,  to  Mrs.  Annie  Coort.  She  was 
born  in  1847,  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1853,  with  her  par- 
ents, who  are  not  living  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hager  have  three  children. 
One,  William  was  fatally  scalded  when  five 
years  old.  The  living  ones  are  Charles  and 
Eva. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hager  are  good  and  intelli- 
gent people,  and  she  is  of  the  Catholic  faith. 
Mr.  Hager  is  a  Democrat. 


^ARRISON  HINES,  foreman  in  the  car 
shops  of  the  Quincy  Railroad,  St.  Louis 
division,  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  .New  York,  February  19, 1841.  His 
father,  Henry,  and  grandfather,  John  Hines, 
were  natives  of  New  York,  but  came  of  Hol- 
land ancestry.  The  latter  lived  and  died  in 
the  Empire  State  a  very  old  man.  He  had 
married  a  kinswoman  of  Commodore  Perry 
and  she  also  lived  and  died  in  New  York. 
Henry  Hines  grew  up  in  his  native  State  as 
a  carpenter  and  mechanic.  After  he  came  to 


Illinois  he  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing and  helped  build  the  Chicago  division  of 
what  is  now  the  Quincy  railroad  main  line.  He 
lived  in  Aurora  and  spent  his  last  years  there, 
dying  some  fourteen  years  ago,  over  eighty 
years  of  age.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Betsey  Howard,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
New  York,  also.  The  old  stock  of  Hines 
were  Methodists. 

Harrison  is  one  of  eight  children,  all  living, 
and  was  only  one  year  old  when  his  parents 
came  to  Aurora,  Illinois.  He  learned  his 
trade  as  a  mechanic  under  his  father  and  be- 
came a  skilled  artisan.  Mr.  Hines  en- 
listed in  1861,  in  the  Forty-fifth  Regiment, 
known  as  Washburn  Lead  Mine  Regiment, 
Colonel  John  E.  Smith  and  Captain  Hoi- 
comb,  commanding.  He  served  through 
three  years  and  six  months,  being  in  the  First 
Division  of  the  Third  Brigade  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Army  Corps,  and  was  in  all  the  ter- 
rible battles  that  that  brigade  took  part  in. 
He  received  a  gunshot  wound  in  his  left  leg 
at  Shiloh,  and  at  Vicksburg  he  was  wounded 
in  the  head  by  the  bursting  of  a  shell.  He 
saw  much  hard  fighting  and  for  meritorious 
conduct  while  running  the  batteries  at  Vicks- 
burg, he  received  from  General  Grant,  through 
General  Rawlins,  a  grant  of  leave  home  and 
a  free  transportation.  He  is  justly  proud  of 
his  war  record.  He  was  all  through  the  Sa- 
vannah campaign,  march  of  Sherman  to  the 
sea,  and  finally  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  July  12,  1865.  He 
has  been  in  his  present  position  at  Beards- 
town  for  the  past  twelve  years.  He  came 
from  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  where  he  was  foreman 
in  a  car  shop  for  nine  years.  In  1866  he  be- 
gan with  the  Quincy  Railroad  at  Aurora, 
Illinois.  He  was  there  for  some  years  in  the 
building  department  until  1869,  when  he  was 
sent  to  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  was  there  in 


434 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


the  building  department  from  Galva  to 
Keithsburg,  Illinois,  until  1871,  when  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  car-building  depart- 
ment and  has  been  a  foreman  most  of  the 
time.  He  has  grown  very  popular  as  a  citizen. 

He  was  married  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  to 
Miss  Nettie  Thompson,  who  was  born,  reared 
and  educated  in  Wisconsin.  Her  parents, 
now  old  people,  live  in  Brookings,  Dakota. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hines  of  this  notice  are  prom- 
inent citizens  of  Beardstown  and  members  of 
the  Congregational  Church.  They  are  parents 
of  seven  children:  Russel,  Edgar,  Nettie, 
Augustus,  Grace,  Mabel  and  Ralph  M. 

Mr.  Hines  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education  and  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  MacLane  Post,  No.  91,  G. 
A*  R.,  of  Beardstown;  of  the  Masonic  chap- 
ter, of  the  Odd  Fellows  encampment  of  this 
place,  and  of  the  commandery  at  Rnshville. 
Mr.  Hines'  record  with  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad  is  an  excellent  one; 
for  his  fifteen  years  of  service  he  has  never 
missed  a  month's  salary.  He  is  a  refined 
gentleman. 


WILLIAM  MORRELL,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Elkhorn  township,  was  born 
September  28,  1825,  in  Clermont 
county,  Ohio.  He  was  the  son  of  El  more  and 
Nancy  (Wright)  Morrell,  born  in  Maine,  son 
of  David  Morrell,  of  Portland,  that  State. 
The  subject's  father  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
came  to  Fort  Washington,  now  Cincinnati, 
in  1812,  with  his  parents  and  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  who  in  1832  came  into  Illinois. 
The  journey  into  the  wilderness  was  made  by 
ox  team  and  they  suffered  all  the  hardships 
of  that  early  date.  He  was  married  in  Camp- 
bell county,  Kentucky,  where  his  wife  was 


born.  He  brought  his  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren to  Illinois  and  settled  first  in  Morgan 
county,  where  he  bought  eighty  acres  and  im- 
proved that,  aud  three  years  later  sold  this  out 
to  buy  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  lives 
and  there  he  spent  his  life,  dying  in  1891, 
aged  eighty-six  years.  He  left  his  original 
purchase  of  100  acres  on  which  he  first 
built  a  house,  the  lumber  for  which  was 
first  sawed  with  an  old-fashioned  whipsaw. 
That  was  the  first  lumber  sawed  in  this  part 
of  Illinois.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
one  of  the  first  and  most  active  pioneers.  He 
was  a  Democrat  politically.  His  wfie  was  a 
Universalist  and  her  life  ended  on  the  old 
farm  when  she  was  about  sixty-two.  She 
was  born  in  1806.  The  father  was  born  in 
1803. 

Our  subject  was  one  of  seven  children,  three 
of  whom  are  yet  living.  He  remained  at 
home  until  his  marriage  and  was  employed 
as  are  all  the  sons  of  farmers.  After  marriage 
he  picked  up  the  wagonmaking  trade  and 
rented  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  He 
lived  there  from  1853  to  1876,  when  he 
moved  into  his  present  home.  He  first  bought 
forty  acres  and  later  bought  more  until  he 
now  has  as  fine  a  farm  of  154  acres  as  there 
is  in  the  country.  He  also  has  a  fine  farm 
in  Buckhorn  township,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  farmers  in  the  State.  He  haa 
carried  on  a  mixed  farming. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Morrell  took  place 
February  6,  1846,  to  Miss  Abigail  Smith, 
who  was  born  in  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio, 
July  18,  1826,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Abigail  (Hackett)  Smith.  He  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire  and  she  in  Vermont, 
and  after  their  marriage  in  Ohio  they  came 
as  pioneers  to  Illinois,  and  in  1889  rented 
land  in  Morgan  county  for  two  years,  and 
then  went  over  into  Brown  county  and  re- 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


435 


mained  there  a  year,  and  then  finally  settled 
in  Cass  county,  where  Mr.  Smith,  died  at  the 
age  of  forty-six.  He  has  always  followed 
farming.  The  mother  died  in  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  aged  about  forty-four.  George  Hack- 
ett,  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Morrell,  came  to  the 
county  about  1824,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  central  Illinois,  and  the  owner  of 
the  first  tanyard  west  of  the  Illinois  river. 

Our  subject  is  a  strong  Democrat,  having 
given  his  first  vote  for  Franklin  Pierce.  He 
and  his  wife  are  both  church-going  people 
and  are  highly  esteemed  in  their  neighbor- 
hood. They  have  had  seven  children:  four 
yet  living.  Rosalie  is  a  widow  and  has  one 
grandchild  and  five  children.  Delah  is  mar- 
ried, with  four  children;  William  J.  is  a 
married  man;  Henry  has  two  children  and 
rents  all  the  old  farm. 

The  whole  family  are  good,  quiet  people, 
and  these  are  the  citizens  whose  names 
properly  appear  in  a  record  of  this  kind. 


|OBERT  RICH  was  born  in  Germany 
on  the  Rhine,  in  Baden,  in  1852.  He 
is  the  son  of  Matthias  Rich  of  the  same 
place,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1855,  settling  in  St.  Louis  with  his  wife  and 
two  children,  where  he  pursued  the  trade  of 
cooper,  which  he  had  learned  in  Germany. 
From  there  he  came  to  Brown  county  in  the 
fail  of  1858,  and  there  continued  his  trade. 
He  bought  100  acres  of  timber  land  that  had 
been  cleared,  although  there  was  plenty 
ofbruih.  Thib  farm  is  Mr.  Rich's  (Sn)  home 
at  present,  and  is  east  of  Cooperstown.  Al- 
though Mr.  Rich,  Sr.,  had  barely  enough  to 
come  to  this  country  with,  he  now  owns  300 
acres  of  good  land  in  this  county  with  fine 
farm  buildings  on  it.  He  raises  a  good  strain 


of  cattle.  Beside  this  he  has  500  acres  in  the 
bottoms  of  Illinois.  He  is  now  worth  about 
$35,000.  His  wife  is  named  Parthina.  They 
buried  one  infant  son,  and  have  ten  living 
children,  namely:  Robert;  Julius,  a  farmer  of 
this  township;  Emma,  now  Mrs.  Chnrlea 
Petei,  farmer  in  this  township;  Joseph,  a 
farmer  in  this  township;  Louisa,  wife  of 
Newton  Quinn,  farmer  of  Cooperstown; 
Sophie,  wife  of  J  ohn  Snyder,  farmer;  Matthias, 
fanner;  Henry,  farmer;  Ellora,  wife  of 
Charles  Barton,  farmer  of  this  county;  Perfina 
is  at  home  and  brightens  up  the  home  circle 
with  her  merry  presence. 

Robert  Rich  lived  on  the  home  farm  until 
he  was  twenty-one,  when  he  went  into  a  store 
as  a  clerk,  as  he  was  in  falling  health  and 
found  the  farm  work  too  wearing  on  him. 
This  work  did  not  suit  him,  either;  so  a  year 
later  he  went  to  California  by  rail,  in  the 
summer  of  1873.  There  he  worked  out  of 
doors,  doing  farming,  and  this  proved  of  great 
benefit  to  him.  He  was  there  until  the  win- 
ter of  1875,  when  he  returned  to  Brown 
county  to  his  old  farm.  Here  he  worked  on 
the  farm  again  for  two  years,  and  then  farmed 
on  his  father's  bottom  lands  for  three  years. 
He  then  bought  160  acres  of  his  present 
place,  buying  it  at  a  low  price,  $6,000  in  all 
for  the  worked  land.  He  moved  his  wife 
into  a  shanty,  where  they  lived  until  the  farm 
was  paid  for.  In  1888  he  built  their  present 
comfortable  two-story  frame  house,  one  of  the 
best  in  the  township,  costing  nearly  $2,000. 
In  1891  Mr.  Rich  built  a  fine  new  barn, 
40  x  60  feet,  costing  $1,200.  This,  too,  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  section.  Twenty-four  to 
thirty  fine  horses  or  cattle  can  be  housed  in 
the  large  basement.  Mr.  Rich  devotes  him- 
self chiefly  to  hogs,  although  he  does  other 
farming  also.  He  generally  grows  an  equal 
amount  of  corn  and  wheat,  but  has  eighty 


436 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


acres  of  wheat  this  year,  which  will  yield 
about  twenty  bushels  per  acre.  On  the  third 
year  he  grows  clover  about  even.  Mr.  Rich 
makes  money,  making  about  $1,800  clear  of 
expenses.  He  also  has  a  great  deal  of  tine 
stock. 

Mr.  Rich  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Quinn, 
in  1877.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rich  have  four  liv- 
ing children,  having  buried  an  infant  son. 
Those  living  are:  Delia  E.,  twelve  years; 
Nellie  Pearl,  ten  years;  Matthias  Benjamin, 
eight  years,  and  Robert,  six  years.  Their 
father  is  giving  these  children  a  good  educa- 
tion, and  he  is  a  School  Director.  Mr.  Rich 
has  been  a  very  successful  man  of  one  of  his 
age,  forty.  He  has  made  all  his  money  him- 
self, making  a  beginning  in  California  when 
he  saved  up  $1,000. 


fAMES  CRUM,  of  township  17  north, 
range  11  west,  postoffice  Arenzville, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Clark  county,  In- 
diana, September  22,  1806.  His  parents 
were  Matthias  and  Margaret  (Spangler)Crum, 
the  former  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Vir- 
ginia, of  German  ancestry,  and  the  latter  in 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  the  fort  there.  Her 
father  was  killed  there  by  the  Indians. 
They  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  James 
was  the  fourth.  Only  five  of  the  family  are 
living:  Joseph  lives  at  Paxton,  Ford  county, 
Illinois,  and  is  a  retired  farmer;  Isaac 
N.  lives  in  Iowa,  a  merchant,  farmer  and 
preacher;  Abraham  A.  lives  in  Morgan 
county,  Illinois,  farmer  and  wealthy  citizen; 
John  W.  owns  property  in  Jacksonville,  a 
widower  and  well-to-do  citizen;  William  died 
Indiana;  Christian  died  at  Ashland; 


n 


David  died  in  Missouri;   Samuel  died  from 
an    accident  received   in    California;    Mary 


married  Leander  E.  Cobb,  killed  by  a  horse 
in  Greene  county,  Illinois;  Elizabeth  was  the 
widow  of  Louis  O'Neil,  and  she  died  in  1892, 
of  the  grippe. 

James  came  to  Cass  county  in  1830.  The 
next  year  his  father  and  mother  came  and 
took  some  land  near  that  of  their  son,  where 
both  parents  died.  On  coming  here  Mr. 
Crum  and  his  brother,  Christian,  entered  160 
acres  and  bought  240,  which  they  divided 
equally. 

He  was  married  to  Christine  Ream,  Jan- 
uary 31,  1833.  Her  parents  were  Pennsyl- 
vanians  who  moved  to  Ohio,  where  she  was 
born.  They  had  a  large  family.  David,  de- 
ceased, was  the  eldest;  Thomas  Jefferson 
(see  biography);  James  F.,  a  Dakota  farmer; 
Sarah  Margaret,  wife  of  Dr.  J.  F.  Wilson,  of 
Tullnla,  Illinois;  Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
William  Howard  Thompson,  lives  in  Jackson- 
ville; William  Marcellus  resides  on  a  farm 
near  Virginia,  Illinois;  John  went  to  Iowa 
and  Kansas  and  returning  settled  in  Chapin, 
Illinois;  Amanda  C.,  wife  of  William  Henry 
Thompson  and  now  lives  in  Kansas;  Mar- 
quis L.  (see  sketch);  Charles  was  killed  on 
the  railroad  near  Keokuk,  Iowa,  it  being  a 
very  sad  affair;  he  was  a  teacher  in  the 
high  school  and  left  a  wife  and  five  children. 

Mr.  Crum  lost  his  first  wife  May  1, 1878. 
He  since  married  Mrs.  Eliza  Bean,  whose 
husband  died  in  the  army.  She  had  two 
daughters  by  her  first  marriage.  Mr.  Crum 
has  divided  his  property  liberally  between 
his  children:  most  of  them  have  received 
$10,000  and  some  a  greater  amount.  Mr. 
Crum  still  owns  a  section  of  land  where  he 
lives,  besides  having  extensive  interests  in 
personal  property.  Few  men  have  been  as 
successful  as  he  in  the  accumulation  of  wealth. 
He  has  always  lived  well  and  endeavored  to 
enjoy  life  as  it  came.  He  is  a  liberal  in  re- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


437 


ligious  views  and  a  believer  in  the  Christian 
religion,  to  the  support  of  which  he  has 
donated  liberally  out  of  his  means.  He  has 
been  a  life-long  Democrat,  has  voted  twice 
for  General  Jackson,  first  in  1828  and  again 
in  1832.  Very  probably  there  is  not  another 
man  in  this  part- of  the  State  that  can  say  as 
much.  He  has  held  various  offices  of  respons- 
ibility and  trust. 

The  ancestral  history  indicates  that  the 
Crum  family  have  generally  been  tillers  of 
the  soil,  of  a  hardy,  long-lived  family, 
usually  successful  in  anything  they  under- 
took. 

An  event  transpired  September,  1891, 
which  Mr.  Crum  will  never  forget,  it  being 
the  occasion  of  their  eighty-first  birthday. 
The  relatives  from  far  and  near  came  and  en- 
joyed the  jubilee.  Photographers  and  news- 
paper reporters  were  in  demand,  as  over  one 
hundred  relatives  were  present. 

Mr.  Crum  came  here  poor  and  was  sur- 
rounded by  neighbors  who  were  well-to-do  at 
that  time.  Since  then  he  has  outstripped  them 
all  in  accumulation  of  wealth.  He  has 
given  his  children  more  than  $100,000  and 
still  owns  about  $75,000  worth  of  property. 
When  eighty  years  of  age  Mr.  Crum  com- 
peted at  the  Cass  county  fair  for  the  old- 
gentleman's  prize  for  best  horseback  riding 
and  won  it.  The  prize  was  a  gold-headed 
cane,  inscribed:  "  Presented  to  James  Crum 
for  the  best  old-gentleman  riding,  August  6, 
1886." 


JRAM  EVANS  is  a  native  of  the  Old 
Dominion,  where  he  was  born,  in  Wash- 
ington county,  November  4,  1810.  His 
father  was  Robert  Evans,  an  industrious  and 
upright  man,  a  native  of  the  same  State,  and 


was  there  reared  to  manhood,  and  married 
and  there  resided  until  1811,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  and  settled  in  the  fa- 
mous Rock  Castle  county,  where  he  contin- 
ued to  reside  for  several  years.  He  then 
removed  to  Woodford  county,  of  the  same 
State,  and  followed  his  trade,  that  of  a  car- 
penter, until  the  year  1853,  when  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Missouri,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days  in  Rails  and  Monroe 
counties.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  formerly  Sarah  Peoples,  a  native  of 
Washington  county,  Tennessee,  who  died  in 
Rock  Castle  county,  Kentucky,  in  1813, 
while  the  family  resided  there. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother,  Hiram 
Evans  went  to  live  with  his  cousin  in  Rock 
Castle  county,  and  resided  there  until  the  age 
of  fourteen  years.  He  was  then  large  enough 
and  strong  enough  to  be  able  to  do  something 
for  himself,  and  accordingly  joined  his  father 
and  under  his  directions  commenced  to  learn 
the  carpenter  trade.  Thus  he  continued  until 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  when  he  started 
out  on  his  own  responsibility  even  with  the 
world.  He  went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  secured  work  at  his  trade,  receiving  one 
dollar  and  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  day  for 
his  services,  working  from  sunrise  to  sunset. 
Thus  he  continued  at  hard  work  for  eleven 
months,  when  he  went  to  Vicksburg,  Missis- 
sippi, where  he  found  employment  at  $60 
per  month  and  board.  He  followed  the  car- 
penter trade  in  Mississippi  and  Kentucky 
until  1836,  when  in  June  of  that  year  he 
came  to  Bushnell,  Illinois,  and  has  here  since 
resided.  Illinois  at  that  time  was  very  wild, 
and  deer  and  other  wild  animals  roamed  over 
the  prairies.  Mr.  Evans  entered  a  tract  of 
200  acres  in  Henderson  and  McDonough 
counties,  but  did  not  settle  there.  He  com- 
menced the  business  of  contracting  and  build- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


ing,  at  which  he  continued  successfully  for 
many  years;  but  finally  turned  his  attention 
to  loan  and  general  brokerage.  His  business 
life  was  successful  throughout,  and  was  char- 
acterized by  industry  and  honesty.  He  is  now 
well-to-do,  and  for  the  past  few  years  has 
lived  a  retired  life,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his 
labor,  and  well  earned  reputation. 

In  1845,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Susanna  Carrick,  a  native  of  Scott  county, 
Kentucky,  and  daughter  of  William  and 
Jennie  (Campbell)  Carrick.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Evans  were  born  two  children,  both  of  whom 
died  in  childhood.  Mrs.  Evans  died  in  1849. 
Mr.  Evans  has  been  a  useful  citizen,  and  was 
formerly  a  Whig,  but  since  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party  has  served  faithfully  in 
its  ranks. 

The  following  interesting  incident  of  early 
times  is  related  in  this  vicinity.  At  that 
early  day  little  or  no  attention  was  paid  to 
the  style  of  dress  worn  by  either  women  or 
men.  In  fact  it  not  uncommonly  occurred 
that  when  a  person  attempted  to  assume  a 
little  extra  style  he  was  laughed  at,  if  he  was 
not  absolutely  jeered.  On  one  Sunday  a 
party  of  civil  engineers,  unusually  well 
dressed  and  stylish,  attended  preaching  at 
one  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  churches. 
It  so  happened  on  that  day  that  the  minister 
preached  on  the  subject  of  the  sinfulness  of 
dress,  and  was  so  severe  in  his  remarks  that 
the  party  of  engineers  supposed  he  intended 
to  be  personal,  and  accordingly  became  very 
angry.  They  thereupon  determined  to  have 
revenge.  The  following  Saturday,  provided 
with  a  goodly-sized  bag  of  salt,  they  went  to 
the  church  and  thoroughly  filled  the  corners 
and  crevices  of  the  same  with  salt,  rubbing 
it  thoroughly  upon  the  steps  and  around  the 
sides  of  the  building.  The  next  morning 
about  the  time  services  were  to  begin,  all  the 


cattle  of  the  neighborhood  seemed  to  have 
assembled  around  the  church  for  a  picnic. 
The  people  gathered  and  drove  away  the 
cows,  but  no  sooner  had  they  gone  inside  and 
begun  services  than  the  cattle  returned  ap- 
parently wilder  than  ever.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  very  little  real  devotion  was  shown 
in  that  church  on  that  Sabbath-day.  The 
engineers  had  their  revenge. 

"%    '    ^'^y^y'1' '        f*~ 

ORNELIUS  L.  ATEN,  proprietor  of 
Browning  Roller  Mills,  was  born  in 
Astoria,  Fulton  county,  July  28, 1845, 
his  parents  being  Richard  and  Ann  (Peter- 
son) Aten,  both  natives  of  Hancock  county, 
West  Virginia.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm 
and  continued  there  until  1888,  when  he 
purchased  an  interest  with  Mr.  Nagel  in  the 
Browning  Roller  Mills.  Recently  Mr.  Nagel 
has  withdrawn  and  Mr.  Aten  has  become  the 
sole  owner  of  the  mills,  which  are  very 
valuable,  being  estimated  at  several  thou- 
sand dollars.  These  mills  have  a  capacity  of 
seventy-five  barrels,  and  Mr.  Aten  does  an  ex- 
change business,  dealing  in  grains  of  all 
kinds,  for  which  he  pays  the  highest  market 
price.  The  products  of  these  mills  have 
such  an  excellent  reputation  that  it  keeps 
Mr.  Aten  very  busy  to  fill  his  orders  for  flour, 
meal  and  feed.  In  addition  to  the  mill 
property  in  Browning,  Mr.  Aten  owns  a 
farm  of  140  acres  in  Astoria,  and  also  at 
Summum,  Fulton  county,  he  owns  the  Home 
Roller  Mills. 

Mr.  Aten  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  has 
been  a  Class-leader  and  Sunday-school  Super- 
intedent  for  many  years,  and  the  whole  fam- 
ily take  an  active  interest  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  Sunday-school  work. 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


439 


He  was  married  in  Fulton  county,  Novem- 
ber 19,  1868,  to  Susan  M.  Bryan,  of  that 
county.  They  have  nine  children,  all  living: 
Henry  W.,  Mary  Edith,  Alta  Emeline,  Car- 
rie Samilda,  Thomas  Richard,  Sabina  Mabel, 
Jeanette  Ann,  Chester  Arthur  and  Walter 
Wayne.  Mary  E.  is  a  teacher  in  the  public 
school  and  all  have  enjoyed  excellent  advan- 
tages in  the  public  schools. 


fRANCIS  ASBURY  CLARK,  a  promi- 
nent farmer  of  section  32,  Missouri 
township,  has  been  a  resident  of  Brown 
county  since  1835.  He  was  born  in  Logan 
county,  Kentucky,  September  11,  1820,  and 
is  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction.  His  father, 
Abner  Clark,  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Clark, 
who  came  to  this  country  some  time  before 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  died  at  Orange- 
burg,  North  Carolina,  near  the  close  of  that 
struggle.  A  copy  of  his  will  declares  him  to 
have  been  a  yeoman,  and  the  document  attests 
his  strength  of  character  and  sterling  integ- 
rity. His  widow  was  left  with  six  children 
exposed  to  the  ravages  of  war  and  the  small- 
pox. She  was  equal  to  the  emergency. 
Abner,  her  youngest  son,  described  her  as 
tall  and  muscular,  with  great  strength  and 
unflinching  courage.  To  a  British  officer  who 
rudely  demanded  to  know  her  political  prin- 
ciples she  replied :  "Sir,  I  am  a  helpless  widow 
with  six  children,  but  I  am  an  American." 
She  seems  to  have  impressed  the  stamp  of 
her  character  upon  the  family,  which  is  distin- 
guished for  simple  integrity  and  resoluteness. 
The  date  of  her  death  is  unknown,  but  it 
must  have  occurred  soon  after  the  death  of 
her  husband,  for  Abner  was  raised  by  a  Qua- 
ker family,  and  further  developed  those 
habits  of  blunt  frankness  toward  which  he 


had  a  natural  proclivity.  In  early  life  he 
came  to  Logan  county,  Kentucky,  where  he 
married  Nancy  Goram,  and  might  have  been 
rich  in  slaves  had  he  not  resolutely  chosen 
free  soil  and  set  his  face  toward  the  forest 
and  privations  of  Illinois.  In  1835,  bringing 
Francis  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  with 
him,  he  came  to  this  county;  "Dick,"  as  Fran- 
cis is  still  familiar  known,  drove  a  four  horse 
team  across  the  tire-swept  prairies  and  bridge- 
less  streams  of  western  Kentucky,  and  central 
Illinois  to  Brown  county. 

The  family,  composed  of  the  parents  and 
ten  children,  settled  in  Missouri  township,  and 
soon  succeeded  in  making  a  home  whence  the 
children  went  out  to  feather  the  nests  of  their 
own.  In  1843  Francis  took  his  new  bride, 
Eliza,  nee  Rankin,  into  the  woods  of  Pea  Ridge 
township,  and  they  set  up  in  a  log-house  with 
a  work  bench  for  a  table  and  other  things  in 
harmony.  Industry  and  economy,  inside  and 
outside,  soon  transformed  the  wilderness  into 
a  beautiful  field,  and  their  empty  house  to  a 
luxurious  home,  in  which  were  born  nine 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living.  The 
mother  was  Irish  by  birth,  having  come  from 
Ireland  to  Philadelphia  in  her  second  year. 

In  that  beautiful  city  she  resided  until  her 
thirteenth  year,  and  acquired  the  rudiments 
of  education.  At  this  early  age  she  was 
taken  from  school  and  carried  to  section  36, 
Pea  Ridge  township,  where,  surrounded  with 
a  waste  of  almost  tractless  forests  on  the  one 
side  and  a  sea  of  prairie  grass  on  the  other, 
she  wept  in  childish  grief  for  the  scenes  and 
playmates  from  whom  she  was  forever  sepa- 
rated. She  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mr. 
Clark  July  10,  1843,  and  the  "heart  of  her 
husband  safely  trusted  in  her,  and  she  did 
him  good  and  not  evil  all  the  days  of  her  life." 
"  Her  own  works  praise  her  in  the  gates,  and 
her  children  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed." 


440 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


She  died  the  15th  of  February,  1867,  leaving 
her  husband  with  a  family  of  children,  some 
of  whom  were  small,  to  mourn  his  bereave- 
ment. He  soon  after  married  Sarah  E.  Burk, 
a  widow,  with  one  lovely  daughter,  Alta  Vir- 
ginia, who,  in  her  nineteenth  year  when 
blooming  into  beautiful  womanhood  was 
attacked  by  fever,  to  which  her  frail  constitu- 
tion succumbed. 

Mrs.  (Burk)  Clark  is  an  estimable  lady,  and 
has  been  a  kind  mother  and  faithful  wife. 
Soon  after  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Clark 
came  to  his  present  home  two  miles  and  a  half 
northwest  from  Mount  Sterling,  a  farm  which 
he  had  purchased  some  ten  years  before,  and 
which  he  has  finely  improved. 

Hie  business  life,  which  was  "  about  cattle  " 
rather  than  farming,  though  he  did  and  had 
done  much  of  the  latter,  has  been  one  of 
almost  uninterrupted  success.  Beginning 
while  yet  a  boy  by  buying  a  heifer  he  con- 
tinued until  he  became  the  largest  stock 
dealer  of  the  county  and  rarely  handled  either 
cattle,  sheep,  hogs,  or  horses  without  realizing 
fair  profits.  Careful  trading  with  apprecia- 
tion of  values  made  him  a  handsome  fortune, 
which  he  has  carefully  and  equitably  distrib- 
uted by  gift  or  will  to  his  wife  and  children. 
In  character  he  is  a  man  affable  in  manner, 
sound  in  judgment,  resolute  in  purpose, 
sincerely  honest  and  reliable,  proud  that  his 
paper  is  always  at  par.  This  quality,  con- 
nected with  large  descretion  and  shrewd  busi- 
ness instincts,  is  the  key  to  his  success  in 
what  he  has  undertaken.  He  never  tried  to 
succeed  by  being  sharp,  though  he  might 
have  gained  temporary  advantage  by  shrewd- 
ness, but  by  being  square. 

In  politics  he  has  been  anti-slavery  from 
the  first,  believes  in  moderate  tariif  and  to- 
day tends  to  the  principle  of  prohibition  as 
a  means  of  dealing  with  the  liquor-traffic. 


In  theology  he  is  a  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian, but  has  never  been  identified  with  that 
church  or  any  other.  His  children  are  like 
himself,  prosperous,  and  are  gathered  round 
about  him:  Alexander  H.,  well-known  in 
the  county,  lives  two  miles  northwest  of  the 
county  seat;  Catherine  M.  McMurry,  his 
eldest  daughter,  just  outside  the  corporation; 
William  A.  West,  of  town,  one  and  a  half 
miles;  Abner  and  E.  E.  are  members  of  the 
faculty  of  Chaddock  College,  Quincy,  Illinois; 
Lydia  McDonald,  the  youngest  daughter, 
with  her  husband  resides  in  section  36,  Pea 
Kidge  township,  while  Benjamin  F.  is  still 
on  the  homestead.  Few  men  sitting  in  the 
twilight  of  life  have  greater  reasons  for  grati- 
tude than  Mr.  Clark. 


EOKGE  W.  ZIMMERMAN  was  born 
in  Pike  county,  Illinois,  August  5, 
1837.  He  was  the  son  of  George  and 

D 

Mariah  (Lutz)  Zimmerman,  of  German  de- 
scent. They  came  to  America  when  young, 
and  to  Illinois  in  1837,  and  settled  in  Pike 
county  and  built  a  frame  house  on  a  bit  of 
wild  land.  He  is  still  living  on  his  farm  as 
is  also  his  wife. 

Mr.  George  Zimmerman  remained  at  home 
until  married,  in  1859,  and  helped  his  father 
on  the  farm.  He  received  a  fair  business 
education  in  a  neighboring  school.  After 
his  marriage  he  rented  a  farm  in  this  county, 
of  his  mother-in-law.  He  remained  here  for 
two  or  three  years  and  then  bought  100  acres, 
on  which  there  were  no  improvements.  He 
built  a  small  frame  house  and  lived  in  it  for 
fifteen  years,  and  then  built  a  good  farm 
house,  in  which  he  still  lives.  He  has  added 
to  his  farm  until  now  he  has  300  acres,  while 
all  he  had  to  start  with  was  one  pair  of  horses. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


441 


He  has  held  local  offices.  He  voted  first  for 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 
When  the  Greenback  movement  started  he 
took  an  active  part  in  it,  and  still  advocates 
its  principles.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
State  convention  at  Danville.  He  was  made 
a  delegate  to  the  People's  party  Congressional 
convention  at  Roodhouse,  as  for  several 
years  he  has  been  giving  close  and  careful 
attention  to  their  movements.  He  was 
elected  from  Roodhouse  in  the  spring  of 
1892,  to  the  national  convention  held  at 
Omaha,  July  4,  1892.  Mr.  Zimmerman  is  a 
very  important  man  in  politics  in  this  part 
of  the  county.  He  has  faith  in  his  convic- 
tions and  is  not  afraid  to  express  them  upon 
all  occasions.  He  is  president  of  the  Alli- 
ance in  this  township. 

He  was  married  in  1859,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Winters,  born  in  Calhoun  county,  Illinois,  a 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Willmina  (Shaffer) 
Winters,  who  also  came  from  Germany  and 
died  on  the  old  farm  in  Brown  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Zimmerman  have  three  children, 
William  P.,  George  H.  and  Nettie,  all  mar- 
ried. Mr.  Zimmerman  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 


CHARLES  N.  lRWIN,«a  resident 
of  Mount  Sterling,  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Kentucky,  August  30,  1827. 
His  father,  John  M.  C.  Irwin,  was  born  in 
the  same  county,  and  his  father,  William 
Irwiu,  was  born  in  Virginia,  although  his 
father  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  He  came  to  America  in 
Colonial  times  and  settled  in  Virginia,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  His  son, 
William,  was  reared  in  Virginia,  and  after 


marriage  emigrated  to  Kentucky  with  his 
family.  The  removal  was  made  with  pack 
horses.  He  located  in  Fayette  county,  which 
was  at  that  time  very  sparsely  settled.  When 
about  to  trade  some  horses  for  some  land  the 
horses  were  stolen  from  him  by  the  Indians, 
who  were  numerous  and  sometimes  hostile. 
He  purchased  a  tract  of  land  eight  miles 
from  Lexington,  on  the  Lexington  and 
Frankfort  road.  There  was  a  fort  in  the 
neighborhood,  where  the  people  used  to 
repair  for  safety.  He  improved  his  farm 
with  hard  labor,  and  resided  there  until  his 
death.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Catharine  McClay.  She  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, of  pure  Scotch  ancestry.  She  died 
on  the  farm  in  Fayette  county.  Their  son, 
John,  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native  county.  He 
died  in  1857.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Martha  Nourse,  born  in  Mercer  county, 
Kentucky.  Her  father,  William  Nourse,  was 
born  in  England,  where  his  parents  spent 
their  entire  lives.  He  came  to  America  in 
Colonial  times,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  spent 
his  last  years.  Mrs.  Irwin  died  on  the  home 
farm  in  Fayette  county.  She  was  the  second 
wife  of  her  husband  and  reared  three  of  her 
five  children,  Martha,  Charles  N.  and  George. 
Charles  was  reared  in  his  native  State,  re- 
ceiving his  early  education  there.  In  1846 
he  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Jacksonville, 
where  he  remained  a  short  time  and  then 
came  on  to  Mount  Sterling,  and  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Witty.  He 
attended  lectures  at  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege in  Philadelphia,  and  in  June,  1850, 
commenced  practice  in  Mount  Sterling,  which 
he  continued  until  1862,  when  he  entered  the 
United  States  army  as  Assistant  Surgeon  of 
the  Third  Illinois  Cavalry,  joining  the  regi- 


442 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Of    CA88, 


ment  at  Helena,  Arkansas.  They  were  with 
Sherman  at  the  first  attack  on  Vicksburg,  and 
at  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post,  in  Grant's 
command  at  the  battle  of  Milliken's  Bend. 
Soon  after  this  the  regiment  was  detailed  to 
do  garrison  duty  on  the  Memphis  &  Charles- 
ton railroad,  guarding  different  points. 
During  that  time  the  regiment  made  frequent 
raids  into  Mississippi.  He  continued  with 
the  regiment  until  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  1864.  He  then  became  Assistant 
Surgeon  in  the  Provost  Marshal's  office  of 
the  Ninth  Illinois  District.  Upon  the  resig- 
nation of  Dr.  Worthington  as  Surgeon,  he 
was  appointed  his  successor,  continuing  in 
this  office  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  1865  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  drug 
and  hardware  store  of  Dr.  Stone,  Dr.  Burch 
being  his  partner.  One  year  later  Dr.  Burch 
sold  his  interest  to  George  Irwin.  In  1877 
Martin  O'Neil  purchased  the  interest  of 
George  Irwin,  and  the  firm  became  Irwin  & 
O'Neil,  and  have  so  continued  until  the  pres- 
ent time.  They  carry  a  full  line  of  drugs, 
agricultural  implements,  hardware,  etc.  Since 
the  Doctor  engaged  in  the  drug  business  he 
has  abstained  from  practice  as  much  as  possi- 
ble. He  is  frequently  called  in  consultation, 
besides  being  called  in  by  former  patrons. 

He  was  married  in  1851  to  Isabella  C. 
Dunlap,  born  in  Fayette  county,  Kentucky. 
Her  father,  Rev.  Latin  "W.  Dunlap,  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  but  resided  some  years 
in  Fayette  county,  Kentucky,  from  whence 
he  came  to  Mount  Sterling,  and  was  the  pio- 
neer Presbyterian  preacher  here.  He  organ- 
ized the  first  Presbyterian  society  here,  where 
he  was  a  resident  until  his  death  in  1889. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Irwin  have  one  child,  Nellie 
li.  Their  only  son,  Charles  D.,  died  in  1890. 
They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  the  Doctor  is  an  Elder,  and  has  been 


lor  many  years.  He  is  an  ardent  worker  and 
takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  Sunday-school. 
He  formerly  was  a  Whig,  and  has  been  a  Re- 
publican ever  since  the  commencement  of 
the  Civil  war. 


ENRY  GARM,  of  the  firm  of  Garm  & 
Son,  was  born  in  Altenburg,  Germany, 
in  1830.  He  was  but  a  small  child 
when  his  parents  landed  in  New  York  city- 
From  there  they  proceeded  to  Washington 
city,  but  had  not  been  there  long  when  the 
father,  John  Garni,  was  killed  by  a  horse  on 
the  roads  of  the  county.  He  had  been  a  hard- 
working man  and  his  family  felt  his  loss  in  a 
great  degree.  After  some  time  Mrs.  Garm 
left  Washington  city  and  proceeded  westward 
and  settled  in  Beardstown,  Illinois,  where 
she  resided  until  the  day  of  her  death,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three.  She,  like  her  husband, 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Mr.  Garm  first  engaged  in  farming  when 
he  came  to  Beardstown.  The  country  was 
very  new  and  uncultivated.  After  twelve 
years  spent  in  farming  he  went  into  town, 
and  in  company  with  John  H.  Harris,  now 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Beardstown,  purchased  a  large  stationary  saw- 
mill and  for  six  years  manufactured  lumber, 
also  engaged  in  the  pine  lumber  trade  with 
Mr.  C.  Hagener.  He  then  sold  his  milling 
plant  and  engaged  in  the  ice  business  with 
Captain  George  W.  Goodell;  after  two  years 
Mr.  Garm  organized  a  grain  and  transporta- 
tion company  and  carried  on  an  extensive 
trade  in  shipping  grain  to  St.  Louis,  that 
he  purchased  in  Beardstown  and  vicinity. 
This  business  lasted  for  four  years,  and  then 
Mr.  Garm  entered  the  merchant  tailoring 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNT  IS  8. 


443 


business  with  his  two  sons.  Robert  H.  at- 
tends to  all  the  financial  part  of  the  business 
as  well  as  being  chief  salesman,  and  John  T. 
does  the  cutting.  Mr.  Gartn  is  also  inter- 
ested in  other  local  enterprises.  He  was  one 
of  the  promoters  of  the  First  State  Bank,  and 
and  is  now  vice-president  and  director,  as 
well  as  an  extensive  stockholder.  This  bank 
was  organized  in  1889,  and  was  the  first  bank 
chartered  under  the  State  law  providing  for 
the  organisation  of  State  banks.  He  is  a 
stockholder  as  well  as  a  director  in  the  Elec- 
tric Light  Company,  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Mutual  Loan  &  Saving  Association.  When 
the  wagon  bridge  was  built  across  the  Illinois 
river  he  took  an  active  part  in  this  improve- 
ment. 

He  has  been  an  active  politician  and  the 
Democratic  party  has  rewarded  him  in  many 
offices  for  hi s  zeal  and  work  in  the  interests 
of  the  party.  He  was  twice  elected  County 
Commissioner,  and  is  now  serving  a  four- 
year  term  as  County  Treasurer,  and  he  is  also 
the  County  Assessor  of  Cass  county.  It  has 
not  been  in  county  offices  alone  that  he  has 
served  his'party,  but  he  has  been  extremely 
useful  in  the  City  Council  for  two  terms. 
As  he  is  one  of  the  leading  Democrats  in  the 
county,  he  has  been  chosen  delegate  to  the 
State  and  local  conventions  a  number  of 
times. 

Mr.  Garni  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to 
Mary  D.  Harris.  She  had  come  to  the  State 
of  Illinois  from  England,  when  yet  quite 
young,  with  the  relatives  of  her  parents. 
They  settled  in  Cass  county,  and  she  has  been 
since  a  resident  of  Beardstown.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Garm  have  eight  children  three  of 
whom  are  dead.  Those  still  surviving  are, 
Robert  H.,  who  married  Tillie  Dutch;  John 
T.,  married  to  Minnie  Lamoreux  of  Mason 
City,  Illinois;  Mamie,  now  the  wife  of  Dr. 


Norbury,  the  head  of  the  wards  at  the  in- 
sane hospital  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois;  Joe 
E.,  completing  his  education  at  the  Depauw 
University  at  Greencastle,  Indiana;  Frank,  a 
graduate  of  the  Beardstown  high  school,  and 
still  at  home. 

Mr.  Garm  and  the  oldest  son  are  members 
of  the  blue  odge  and  chapter,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.  The  latter  is  present  Master;  the  former 
has  also  served  in  the  same  capacity  for 
three  terms  previously. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garm  are  regular  and  con- 
sistent members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  Garm  is  a  man  of  which  his 
town  feels  proud,  as  well  it  may,  for  he  is  one 
of  the  representative  men,  not  only  of  his 
town  and  county,  but  of  the  State  to  which 
he  came  so  many  years  ago. 


AERY  J.  CRUM,  of  township  17  north, 
range  11  west,  section  24,  post  office 
Virginia,  was  born  in  Morgan  county, 
near  Prentice,  November  24,  1863.  He  is 
the  son  of  William  A.  and  Nancy  (McHenry) 
Crum.  The  McHenry  family  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  the  county.  Mr.  Crum 
came  here  about  1860,  and  was  married.  They 
first  lived  in  Morgan  county,  and  then  re- 
moved to  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  where 
he  now  resides.  Harry  is  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  are 
still  living.  The  grandfather  was  William 
Crum,  brother  of  James  Crum  (see  biography 
of  James  Crum). 

Harry  was  educated  in  Mattoon,  Illinois, 
in  the  high  school  of  the  place.  He  lived 
most  of  his  life  in  Coles  county,  but  came  to 
this  county  in  1883,  locating  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives. 


444 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


He  was  inarried  February  26,  1890,  to 
Mrs.  Ida  C.  Bowers,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Crum,  daughter  of  Kobert  Crnm,  and  third 
cousin  of  Mr.  Harry  Crum.  They  have  one 
child,  Robert  A.,  born  December  30,  1890. 

Mr.  Crum  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  is  a  young  man  of  intelli- 
gence and  progressive  ideas.  He  had  a  good 
financial  start  in  the  world,  which,  combined 
with  his  industrious  habits,  will  make  him 
one  of  the  foremost  men  in  the  county. 

A  maiden  sister  of  the  mother  of  Mr.  Crum 
resides  with  him,  Miss  A.  M.  McHenry.  She 
is  a  lady  who  is  a  fair  representative  of  the 
settlers  of  Cass  county.  She  owns  300  acres 
of  land  adjoining  the  farm  of  Mr.  Crum, 
which  is  highly  cultivated.  Mr.  Crum's  farm 
consists  of  160  acres  in  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. 


|ILDEROY  SETTLES,  one  of  the  larg- 
est landowners  in  Schuyler  county  and 
a  man  of  great  force  and  integrity  of 
character,  is  the  subject  of  the  following  bio- 
graphy. It  is  fitting  that  the  history  of  such 
men  be  preserved  to  the  coming  generations, 
that  they  may  have  some  idea  of  the  vicissi- 
tudes and  privations  and  trials  which  beset 
the  path  of  those  sturdy  pioneers  which  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  onward  march  of  prog- 
ress. To  this  worthy  band  belongs  Gilderoy 
Settles,  who  was  born  in  Fulton  county,  Illi- 
nois, November  14,  1837;  one  of  seven  chil- 
dren: Polly  Ann,  Gilderoy,  David  J., 
Serena,  Penina.  Nancy  and  Josiah.  His 
father,  William  Settles,  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  emigrated  from  that  State  to 
Illinois,  becoming  a  pioneer  of  Fulton  county; 
there  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Peggy 


Carlock,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Mary 
A.  Carlock;  he  spent  more  than  fifty  years 
in  Fulton  county,  but  died  in  Morgan  county, 
Illinois;  his  wife  died  in  Fulton  county; 
their  son  Gilderoy  was  reared  to  the  occupa- 
tion of  a  farmer,  and  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  and  guidance  until  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age;  he  then  began  to  face  the  world 
laying  the  foundation  of  the  fortune  which 
has  since  attended  his  path.  He  rented  land, 
as  he  had  no  capital  to  invest,  and  managed 
in  this  way  until  1859,  when  he  made  his 
first  purshase  of  eighty  acres,  at  $10  per 
acre;  there  was  a  log  cabin  on  the  place,  and 
this  was  the  extent  of  the  improvements,  but 
it  was  truly  a  home,  the  first  he  could  call  his 
own. 

Mr.  Settles  was  occupying  this  quiet  little 
place,  when  in  March,  1865,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  Third  Illinois  Cavalry;  he  joined 
the  regiment  at  Springfield,  and  did  garrison 
duty  until  October  of  the  same  year;  he  was 
then  honorably  discharged,  returned  to  his 
home,  and  resumed  the  pursuit  of  agriculture. 
The  following  year  he  bought  another  farm 
in  the  same  township,  and  afterward  sold  the 
farm  he  had  first  purchased;  he  resided  in 
Browning  township  until  1871,  and  then  re- 
moved to  land  he  had  bought  in  Frederick 
township;  this  was  his  home  until  1884  when 
he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives; 
this  tract  consists  of  204  acres  in  an  advanced 
state  of  cultivation  and  improved  with  excel- 
lent buildings;  besides  this  Mr.  Settles  owns 
another  farm  of  200  acres  in  the  same  town- 
ship, 120  acres  in  Oakland  township,  and  160 
acres  in  Clark  county,  Kansas. 

In  1857  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Penina  Tracy,  who  was  born  in  Fulton  county ; 
May  24,  1835,  one  of  the  eight  children  of 
her  parents:  Perry,  Leonard  R.,  Mary  A., 
Thomas  C.,  Penina  A.,  Minerva,  Arminda 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


445 


and  Cynthia  A.  Her  father,  Lyman  Tracy, 
was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  came 
to  Illinois  when  a  young  man;  he  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Fulton  county,  lived  there 
a  few  years,  and  then  removed  to  Missouri; 
at  the  end  of  seven  years  lie  came  to  Schuyler 
county,  and  settled  in  Browning  township, 
where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days; 
his  wife,  Annie  Oarlock,  died  on  the  farm  in 
Browning  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Settles 
are  the  parents  of  six  children:  Leander, 
Florentine,  Logan,  Doran,  Charles  and 
Orpha.  Politically  Mr.  Settles  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party. 


IDWARD  GUINN  HALL,  deceased, 
was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  Sep- 
tember 10,  1810.  His  father,  Wash- 
ington Hall,  whose  parents  were  Dutch,  was 
uncertain  whether  his  birthplace  was  in  Eng- 
land or  Maryland.  He  was  engaged  for  a 
number  of  years  in  the  wholesale  mercantile 
trade,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  removed 
to  Cecil  county,  same  State,  where  he  resided 
upon  a  farm  for  fifteen  years,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Baltimore,  where  retired  from 
the  cares  of  trade  he  enjoyed  in  tranquillity 
the  fruits  of  a  well  spent  life,  dying  a  good 
old  age,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Guinn,  bore 
him  seven  children,  namely:  Edward,  Wash- 
ington, Samuel,  Charles,  Richard,  Ann  R. 
and  Achsah. 

Edward  Gninn  Hall  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Baltimore.  He  graduated  when  he 
was  seventeen  years  old  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  before  he  attained  his  twenty-first 
year.  Soon  thereafter  he  settled  upon  a  600- 
acre  farm  owned  by  his  father  in  Cecil  county, 
living  there  until  the  year  1838,  in  which 

80 


year  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  what  is  now  known  as  Rushville 
township,  on  land  which  he  inherited  from 
his  father.  He  continued  to  reside  there  un- 
til his  death,  which  occurred  July  28,  1857. 

He  was  a  man  of  good,  strong  sense  and 
excellent  judgment.  A  sound  patriot,  he 
took  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
country.  An  admirer  of  old  "Tippecanoe" 
and  "Harry"  Clay,  each  of  whom  received 
his  vote  for  President,  the  defeat  of  the  latter 
sat  heavily  upon  him.  He  was  an  ardent 
Whig  and  at  the  organization  of  the  Republi- 
can party  in  1854  he  identified  himself  with 
that  organization,  continuing  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  it  to  his  death.  Being  educated  him- 
self, and  thoroughly  appreciating  the  advan- 
tages of  knowledge,  he  desired  his  children 
should  have  the  benefit  of  a  liberal  education, 
which  wish  his  widow  carried  out. 

He  was  married,  August  26, 1845,  to  Pris- 
cilla  Baker,  born  in  Flemingsburg,  Fleming 
county,  Kentucky,  April  9, 1825.  Her  father? 
Francis  Baker,  was  a  native  of  Maryland, 
having  been  born  near  Baltimore.  When  a 
young,  man  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  engag- 
ing in  farming  in  Fleming  and  Maysville  un- 
til 1837,  when  he  emigrated  with  his  wife 
and  four  children  to  Illinois,  making  the  en- 
tire journey  overland.  During  that  winter 
he  visited  in  Indiana,  and  in  the  following 
spring  settled  in  section  7,  Rushville,  where 
he  bought  a  tract  of  land.  At  that  time  the 
country  was  sparsely  settled  and  frame  houses 
were  the  exception,  the  people  being  well 
satisfied  to  own  log  cabins.  Wild  turkeys 
and  other  game  were  abundant  and  the  trusty 
rifles  of  the  neighbors  kept  their  tables  well 
supplied  with  this  kind  of  food.  Mr.  Baker 
died  there  in  1844,  aged  eighty-seven  years, 
universally  mourned.  He  was  a  soldier  dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812. 


446 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Hall's  mother 
was  Mary  Magdalene  Brandenburg,  who  was 
born  in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  who  died  at  the 
home  of  her  son,  Dorsey  Baker,  while  on  a 
visit,  February  16,  1858.  Pier  home  was  at 
Mrs.  Hall's.  When  a  girl  Mrs.  Hall  attended 
the  Black  Jack  school,  a  house  built  of  logs 
resting  upon  underpinning  of  logs,  with  slab 
seats  and  heated  with  a  fireplace.  She  re- 
sided with  her  parents  until  her  marriage. 
Mrs.  Hall  is  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Achsah  A.,  Washington,  Charles, 
Melinda,  Mary,  George  Edward  and  Richard. 
Mrs.  Hall  is  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  great 
worth  and  is  held  in  great  esteem  by  all  who 
know  her.  Her  days  pass  peacefully  and  she 
is  happy  in  the  consciousness  of  having 
done  well  the  duties,  and  responsibilities  of 
her  station. 


CARR  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
township  18,  range  10,  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  February  21,  1842.  As  one 
of  the  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  citizens 
of  this  county,  and  as  the  son  of  an  early  pio- 
neer, biographical  mention  of  him  is  appro- 
priate on  the  pages  of  this  volume.  We  ac- 
cordingly present  the  following  facts  in  re- 
gard to  his  life  and  ancestry: 

John  Carr,  grandfather  of  David  Carr,  was 
born  (tradition  says)  in  Ireland,  his  parents 
having  come  from  Ireland  to  America  and 
located  in  Philadelphia,  where  they  died  soon 
afterward.  Thus,  left  an  orphan  at  an  early 
age,  he  was  reared  by  strangers.  He  located 
in  Ohio,  and  resided  there  till  1825.  In  that 
State  his  son,  David  Carr,  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch  was  born.  In  1825  the 
Carr  family  started  for  the  far  West.  It  is 
said  Mr.  Carr's  destination  was  the  Platte 


Purchase.  He  was  accompanied  not  only  by 
his  wife  and  seven  children,  but  also  by  his 
son  Elisha's  wife  and  two  children,  and  Pe- 
ter's child,  its  mother  having  died  in  Ohio. 
They  took  passage  on  a  keel- boat  down  the 
Ohio  river  to  Shawneetown,  and  from  there 
wended  their  way  northward  with  teams. 
They  struck  the  Sangamon  river  bottom  in 
the  locality  known  as  Bluff  Springs.  At- 
tracted by  the  natural  beauty  of  the  country, 
they  concluded  not  to  go  further;  selected  a 
site  about  six  miles  up  the  river,  and  made 
permanent  settlement.  At  that  time  there 
were  very  few  families  residing  in  the  present 
bounds  of  Cass  county,  Indians  being  much 
more  numerous  than  whites,  and  all  the  land 
was  owned  by  the  Government.  Mr.  Carr  at 
once  made  claim  to  a  tract  of  Government 
land  on  section  6,  township  18,  range  10.  It 
is  said  that  the  family  had  but  seventy-five 
cents  in  cash  among  them  on  their  arrival 
here.  The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  build  a 
log  house,  No  nails  whatever  or  sawed  lum- 
ber were  used  in  its  construction.  He  rived 
boards  to  cover  the  roof,  and  they  were  held 
in  place  by  poles  which  were  laid  lengthwise 
of  the  cabin.  He  made  a  puncheon  floor, 
and  built  his  chimney  of  earth  and  sticks  on 
a  rock  foundation.  For  some  time  there  were 
no  flouring  mills  nearer  than  St.  Louis.  Mr. 
Carr  took  a  section  of  a  log,  hollowed  out  the 
top,  and  in  that  pounded  his  corn,  using  the 
finer  part  for  bread  and  the  coarser  for  mush. 
Cornmeal,  wild  game  and  fish  constituted 
their  chief  living.  As  there  was  no  improved 
laud  here  and  no  market  for  grain  even  if 
they  had  it  to  sell,  the  question  was  how  to 
raise  the  money  to  pay  for  the  land,  even  at 
$1.25  per  acre.  The  lead  mines  of  the  vicin- 
ity of  Galena  were  then  attracting  attention, 
and  in  the  fall  of  the  year  some  of  the  male 
members  of  the  family  walked  to  Galena,  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


447 


worked  in  the  mines  through  the  winter.  In 
the  spring  they  returned  and  continued  the 
improvements  they  had  commenced  on  the 
land,  afterward  working  several  seasons  at 
Galena.  In  this  way  the  father  and  sons 
earned  money  with  which  they  acquired  large 
tracts  of  land  in  the  Sangatnon  river  bottoms. 
The  grandfather  resided  here  until  the  time 
of  his  death.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Sarah  Wolliver.  She  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, of  German  ancestry,  and  died  on 
the  home  farm.  She  reared  seven  children: 
Elisha,  Peter,  William,  James,  Benjamin, 
David  and  Jemima. 

David,  the  youngest  son,  came  with  them 
to  Illinois  in  1825,  and  resided  in  the  parental 
home  until  the  time  of  his  marriage,  when  he 
located  on  the  place  where  his  son  David  was 
born  and  now  resides.  Here  he  passed  the 
rest  of  his  life.  His  wife  was  before  her 
marriage  Julia  A.  Wells.  She  was  boru  in 
Wheeling,  Virginia,  and  died  on  the  home 
farm. 

David  Carr,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  pioneer  log  school 
houses,  the  schools  being  taught  on  the  sub- 
scription plan,  each  family  paying  according 
to  the  number  of  pupils  sent.  When  a  mere 
lad  he  commenced  to  assist  in  the  farm  work, 
and  was  actively  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits till  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  At 
the  first  call  for  troops  he  enlisted  in  the 
State  militia,  served  one  month,  and  then 
enlisted  in  Company  A,  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  until  June  24, 
1864.  During  his  time  of  service  he  was  in 
Missouri,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Mississippi, 
Alabama  and  Georgia.  He  took  part  in  nine- 
teen different  engagements,  the  most  import- 
ant of  which  were  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and 
the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  June  24,  1864,  his 


term  of  enlistment  having  expired,  and  re- 
turned home.  After  his  return  he  located  on 
that  part  of  the  homestead  which  he  now 
owns  and  occupies.  He  has  bought  other 
land  and  is  now  the  owner  of  305  acres,  the 
home  buildings  being  located  on  section  8, 
township  18,  range  10. 

December  11,  1867,  Mr.  Carr  married  Mag- 
gie McNeill.  She  was  born  in  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  daughter  of  Lachlan  McNeill;  their 
union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  six  children: 
Florence  N.,  Julia,  William  D.,  Lizzie  J., 
Carrie  E.  and  Chalmer  M.  Mrs.  Carr  died 
May  25,  1890. 

Mr.  Carr  is  independent  in  his  political 
views.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  has  been 
Ruling  Elder  for  a  number  of  years. 


ETER  THOMAS,  Supervisor  of  Coopers- 
town,  was  born  iu  Brown  county,  in 
1842.  His  father,  William,  was  born 
in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  in  1809,  and  came 
to  Illinois  October  1.  18  —  ,  bringing  his  wife 
and  one  daughter.  He  and  his  brother-in- 
law  joined  teams,  and  they  came  emigrant 
fashion,  being  four  weeks  on  the  way.  He 
took  possession  of  a  log  cabin  in  Brown 
county,  in  what  was  then  Schuyler.  Here  he 
lived  four  years,  making  some  improvements, 
which  land  he  sold  and  then  entered  120 
acres  of  Government  land.  This  was  wild 
land,  on  which  he  built  a  rough  house,  went 
to  work  and  cleared  up  a  tine  farm,  where  he 
lived  until  1860.  He  came  with  but  enough 
means  to  reach  here,  and  had  three  bits  left 
when  he  crossed  the  Illinois  river  at  Beards- 
town.  Before  long  he  had  made  enough  to 
obtain  a  deed  for  his  land,  which  was  in  1837, 
and  he  moved  on  it  in  February,  1838.  His 


448 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


wife  was  Julia,  daughter  of  Morton  and  Sarah 
(Stivers)  De  Witt,  both  natives  of  Kentucky, 
where  this  daughter  was  born.  They  came 
to  Ohio  in  1815.  Mr.  DeWitt  died  in  Texas 
in  1836  or  1837,  and  was  no  doubt  killed. 
His  wife  died  in  Brown  county  in  1857,  aged 
seventy-five.  She  was  the  mother  of  six 
children. 

Mr.  Peter  Thomas  left  home  for  the  battle- 
fields in  July,  1862,  in  Company  D,  Eighty- 
fourth  Illinois  Infantry  (Captain  Davis),  at 
nineteen  years  of  age.  He  enlisted  as  a 
Corporal,  served  three  years  and  then  was 
promoted  to  be  Sergeant.  His  first  engage- 
ment was  at  Perryville,  where  he  had  the 
usual  experiences  of  a  raw  recruit,  and  the 
next  engagement  was  Stone  River.  Here 
over  one-half  of  the  regiment  were  killed  or 
wounded.  The  next  battle  was  at  Chicka- 
rnauga,  where  the  loss  was  heavy.  During 
his  three  years'  service  he  was  confined  in 
the  hospital  three  weeks,  and  detached  some 
eight  months,  guarding  prisoners  at  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee.  They  were  active  in  the 
Cumberland  campaign,  and  the  last  fight 
of  note  of  their  regiment  was  in  front  of 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  December,  1864.  Mr. 
Thomas  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield, 
June,  1865,  and  arrived  home  soon  after. 

He  was  married  December,  1868,  to  Irene, 
daughter  of  Fielding  and  Amanda  (O'Neil) 
Glenn.  She  was  born  in  Brown  county, 
although  her  parents  were  Kentuckians,  who 
came  to  Illinois  in  1830. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  began  married  life 
in  a  log  cabin  on  his  father's  farm,  but  at  the 
expiration  of  three  years  he  bought  fifty-five 
acres,  part  of  his  present  home,  which  is  now 
220  acres.  He  paid  $825  for  the  fifty-five 
acres.  His  next  purchase  was  152  acres  in 
1878,  costing  $1,800;  later  he  bought  fifteen 
acres  for  $325.  He  built  his  present  com- 


fortable frame  house  in  1886,  and  one  barn 
in  1878,  and  the  second  one  in  1887.  He 
has  under  the  plow  115  acres,  and  the  bal- 
ance is  in  woodland  and  pasture.  Be  grows 
wheat,  corn  and  hay,  and  raises  horses,  cattle 
and  sheep.  He  keeps  fifteen  to  forty  head  of 
cattle,  good  stock  of  dehorned  and  Short- 
horns. He  has  fifteen  head  of  draft  horses 
which  he  has  bred,  and  has  also  a  fine  Perch- 
eron  stallion. 

They  have  buried  an  infant  son,  and  four 
children  are  living:  Charles  S.,  Oliver  O., 
Daisy  E.  and  James  W.  They  have  enjoyed 
good  schooling  and  are  very  intelligent.  Mr. 
Thomas  has  served  the  township  as  Road 
Commissioner  and  Town  Clerk,  and  was 
elected  Supervisor  in  1891,  which  office  he  is 
filling  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  county.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  and 
Industrial  Union. 


§EONARD  SERROT,  who  is  well-known 
throughout  Schnyler  county  as  a  pro 
gressive  and  intelligent  agriculturist 
was  born  in  Scioto  county,  Ohio,  September 
12, 1832,  son  of  Peter  F.  and  Nancy  (Patton) 
Serrot.  The  paternal  grandparents  were 
born  in  the  city  of  Paris,  France,  and  emi- 
grated to  America  to  take  up  part  of  a  tract 
of  land  that  was  granted  to  La  Fayette,  near 
Portsmouth,  Ohio;  there  they  settled  and 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Peter 
F.  Serrot  lived  in  Ohio  until  1835,  and  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  removed  to  Illinois;  he 
made  the  trip  with  four  horses  and  a  wagon, 
and  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  eight 
children.  He  first  settled  in  the  village  of 
Rushville,  and  the  following  spring  bought 
the  land  on  which  Leonard  Serrot  now  lives; 
the  tract  consisted  of  160  acres,  and  the  con- 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


449 


eideration  was  $300;  there  were  no  improve- 
ments, and  the  land  was  heavily  timbered. 
He,  Peter  F.,  erected  a  log  house  which  was 
then  regarded  as  a  very  superior  structure, 
and  which  furnished  a  shelter  several  years, 
when  it  was  replaced  by  a  more  modern  edi- 
fice. Mr.  Serrot  was  an  old-tirne  Whig,  but 
joined  the  Republican  ranks  upon  the  for- 
mation of  that  party.  He  died  at  the  home  of 
his  son,  John,  aged  seventy-six  years;  his 
wife,  Nancy  Patton  Serrot,  was  born  in  Ohio, 
and  died  at  the  old  homestead,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-six  years.  Leonard  Serrot  spent  his 
boyhood  and  youth  at  home  with  his  parents. 
He  was  married  January  4,  1855,  to  Miss 
Evelina  Thompson,  who  was  born  in  Cecil 
county,  Maryland,  April  6,  1834,  a  daughter 
of  Ezekiel  and  Mary  (Thompson)  Thompson; 
her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
emigrated  to  the  West  at  an  early  day,  and 
was  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  Schuyler 
county;  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years,  and  his  wife  survived  to  the  age  of 
eighty-four  years;  they  reared  a  family  of 
seven  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Serrot  each 
received  a  fair  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  are  the  parents  of  two  children: 
Millard  F.  was  born  December  24,  1855;  he 
is  one  of  the  prominent  teachers  of  the 
county,  and  has  followed  the  profession  ten 
years;  Mary  E.  was  born  May  4,  1860. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Serrot  lived  on 
the  home  place  for  thirteen  years,  and  then 
embarked  in  the  grocery  trade  in  Ripley, 
Brown  county,  conducting  the  business  from 
1868  to  1871.  He  is  now  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming.  For  more  than  forty  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  has  lived  a  life  consistent 
with  its  teachings.  In  politics,  he  adheres 
to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange,  and  in  all 


movements  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  he 
takes  a  deep  interest.  He  has  always  em- 
ployed strictly  honorable  methods  in  his 
business  relations,  and  enjoys  the  highest 
regard  of  his  fellowmen.  Six  years  ago  he 
erected  one  of  the  handsomest  houses  in  the 
county. 

The  paternal  great-grandfather  of  Mr. 
Serrot  was  Captain  of  a  French  man-of-war, 
and  was  very  prominent  among  the  seamen 
of  his  day. 


DWARD  S.  FRANK,  for  many  years 
a  prominent  resident  of  Brown  county, 
and  identified  with  the  busines  inter- 
ests there,  was  born  in  Davidson  county, 
North  Carolina,  May  23,  1848,  His  father, 
William  Frank,  was  born  in  the  same  county, 
and  his  grandfather,  Peter,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  of  German  ancestors.  He  emi- 
grated to  North  Carolina  and  was  an  early 
settler  of  Davidson  county.  He  bought  a 
tract  of  land  on  the  Yadkin  river  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  there,  where  he  spent  the 
rest  of  his  days.  William  Frank  was  reared 
and  married  in  North  Carolina,  and  came 
from  there  to  Illinois  in  1852.  The  re- 
moval was  made  overland  by  teams.  He  lo- 
cated at  Buckhorn  and  there  established  the 
post  office  of  which  he  was  the  efficient  Post- 
master. It  was  kept  in  his  house  at  that 
time.  His  house  was  in  section  33,  of  what 
is  now  Lee  township.  He  followed  his  trade 
of  gunsmith  and  resided  there  eight  years, 
and  then  removed  to  the  locality  known  as 
Mt.  Pleasant  and  still  lives  there.  His 
wife's  name  was  Sarah,  daughter  of  Godfrey 
and  Martha  (Merrill)  Winkler. 

Edward  S.  Frank  was  four   years    of  age 
when  his  parents  brought    him    to    Illinois. 


450 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Lee  township, 
and  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  he  began  to 
assist  his  father  in  the  shop,  being  a  natural 
mechanic,  he  soon  developed  into  a  first-class 
workman.  He  finally  established  himself 
in  the  blacksmith  business  at  Mt.  Pleasant 
and  continued  there  nine  years,  then  closed 
out  that  branch  of  the  business.  In  it  he 
lost  less  than  one  hundred  dollars  on  account 
of  bad  bills,  and  never  sued  a  customer.  He 
was  married  in  1878,  to  Martha  J.  Morehead 
of  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Margaret  (Monks)  Morehead. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Nona 
Ruth  and  Jama  E. 

He  saw  the  need  in  that  section  of  a  reg- 
ular undertaking  business,  and  he  opened  a 
business  of  that  nature  and  continued  in  it 
successfully  for  thirteen  years.  In  1891, 
failing  health  compelled  him  to  change  his 
occupation  and  he  sold  out  this  business  and 
bought  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  one 
mile  southeast  of  Clayton,  where  he  is  now 
engaged  in  raising  sheep,  breeding  recorded 
Shropshire  sheep.  Sheep-raising  is  not  anew 
business  to  him.  While  he  was  in  the  black- 
smith business  he  bought  a  tract  of  rough 
land  and  in  clearing  it  up  he  stocked  it  with 
sheep,  so  that  he  has  been  in  the  sheep  busi- 
ness for  upward  of  twenty  years.  While  in 
the  undertaking  business  he  found  it  neces- 
sary to  divert  his  mind  in  some  way.  In  this 
way  he  began  in  his  leisure  hours  to  make  a 
study  of  sheep,  and  he  is  now  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  subject  of  sheep  farming 
and  breeding  for  vitality.  He  has  raised  dif- 
ferent breeds,  including  Merinos,  Cotswold, 
Southdown,  Oxforddown  and  Leicester,  and 
has  proven  that  the  Shropshire  are  by  far  the 
superior  all-around  sheep. 


Mr.  Frank  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He 
has  one  of  the  most  beautiful  homes  in  the 
east  side  of  Adams  county.  It  is  located  on 
an  eminence  and  is  partially  surrounded  by 
a  beautiful  glade.  From  the  natural  scenery 
his  home  takes  the  name  of  the  Crescent 
Glade.  Mr.  Frank  is  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent men  of  this  section.  He  is  a  thorough 
business  man  and  all  his  enterprises,  which 
have  been  many,  and  has  been  entirely  suc- 
cessful. It  would  be  well  if  all  the  men  in 
the  county  were  as  well  informed,  honest  and 
reliable  as  is  Mr.  Edward  S.  Frank. 


MOS  HARSHEY,  who  is  well  known 
throughout  Schuyler  county  as  a  lead- 
ing farmer  of  Littleton  township,  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  13,  1847,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Be- 
thiah  C.  (Barnes)  Harshey.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  the  same  county,  and  in  1858  he  emi- 
grated to  the  West,  locating  near  Rushville, 
Schnyler  county,  Illinois;  after  seven  years 
he  sold  the  land  he  had  taken  up  at  that  time, 
and  bought  the  farm  now  occupied  by  our 
subject;  here  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  forty- 
nine  years;  his  wife  is  a  native  of  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  still  living, 
a  resident  of  Littleton  township.  Her  par- 
ents emigrated  to  Schuyler  county  in  1859, 
and  were  living  here  at  the  time  of  death. 

The  youth  of  Mr.  Harshey  was  a  quiet,  un- 
eventful one,  and  he  was  at  home  until  after 
his  marriage.  He  was  united  to  Miss 
Marissa  R.  Prather,  September  10,  1872, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child, 
Ethel  G.,  born  January  24,  1877.  Mrs. 
Harshey  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio, 
April  5,  1848,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Bar- 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


451 


bara  (Young)  Prather;  the  parents  removed 
to  this  county  in  1851,  and  the  father  died 
here  at  the  age  of  eighty  years;  the  mother 
is  still  living. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Harshey  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  land 
for  a  period  of  five  years;  at  the  end  of  that 
period  he  bought  his  present  home,  which  he 
has  occupied  since.  He  has  130  acres  of  fer- 
tile land  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He 
carries  on  a  general  farming  business,  and  by 
good  management  and  industry  makes  the 
business  profitable.  In  politics  he  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party;  his  father  and 
grandfather  were  Whigs  before  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Republican  party,  but  after  its 
formation  they  joined  its  ranks.  In  1892  he 
was  elected  Supervisor  for  a  term  of  two 
years.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  are  actively  inter- 
ested in  the  work  of  this  society;  he  is  an 
Elder,  and  for  many  years  has  been  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sabbath-school.  He  belongs 
to  Friendship  Lodge,  No.  24, 1.  0.  O.  F. 


IHARLES  HILL,  a  retired  farmer  of  Mt. 
Sterling,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Coopers- 
town,  Brown  County,  Illinois,  Novem- 
ber 14,  1834.  His  father,  Robert  Hill,  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  and  was  at  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
was  the  son  of  John  Hill,  who  was  a  General 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  was  reared 
and  married  in  his  native  State  and  resided 
there  until  about  1825,  then  came  to  Illinois 
and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Schuyler 
county.  He  resided  near  Rushville  for  eight 
years  and  then  moved  to  that  part  of  Schny- 
ler,  now  included  in  Brown  county,  where  he 
bought  a  tract  of  timber  land.  The  log  cabin 


in  which  our  subject  was  born  was  the  same 
in  which  the  father  resided  until  his  death. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Angel,  who  lived  in  North  Carolina  and  was 
the  daughter  of  John  Angel  and  died  at  the 
home  of  her  son-in-law,  in  Cooperstown. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  his  native  State, 
where  he  married.  He  attended  the  pioneer 
schools,  taught  in  the  log  house.  In  his 
youthful  days  there  were  but  few  improve- 
ments in  the  county  and  deer  and  other  kinds 
of  game  were  plentiful.  He  resided  with  his 
parents  until  his  marriage,  and  then  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  account  and  was  an  act- 
ive and  successful  farmer  for  many  years 
and  now  lives  retired  in  a  beautiful  home  in 
this  city. 

Mr.  Charles  Hill  has  been  married  three 
times,  the  first  time  to  Miss  Farrington,  and 
she  died  on  the  home  farm  in  Cooperstown 
township.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Mrs. 
Ella  Crooks,  and  she  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
two  years;  and  his  third  marriage  was  with 
Miss  Lizzie  Irwin.  This  lady  was  born  in 
Mt.  Sterlingj  September  6,  1850.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Willam  and  Mary  A.  (White) 
Irwin.  Her  grandfather,  John  Irwin,  was  a 
native  of  Fayette  county,  where  he  spent  his 
entire  life  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  Irwin  was  born  in  Wood- 
ford  county,  Kentucky,  April  15,  1840,  and 
reared  and  married  in  his  native  State.  He 
came  from  there  to  Illinois,  in  1839,  and  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Brown  county.  He 
settled  on  section  1,  of  what  is  now  Mt.  Ster- 
ing  township.  Here  he  improved  a  farm 
and  lived  until  his  death,  July  30,  1887. 
His  wife  returned  to  Maysville,  Kentucky, 
in  1830  and  died  August  12,  1870.  The 
maternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Hill  were 
James  and  Elizabeth  (Browning)  White,  na- 
tives of  Kentucky  and  pioneers  of  Pike 


452 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


county:  later  they  moved  to  Macoupin  county 
and  died  there. 

In  politics  onr  subject  is  a  firm  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  Democracy  and  upholds 
the  party  measures  upon  all  occasions.  In 
religious  matters  Mrs.  Hill  is  an  active  and 
zealous  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


LARIUS  RUNKLE  was  born  in  Cham- 
pagne  county,  Ohio,  February  10,  1813. 
He  was  the  son  of  William  and  Mary 
(Pence)  Runkle.  William  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia and  went  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  fol- 
lowing his  trade  of  tanner  until  about  1850, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois,  rented  a  farm  in 
Morgan  county  and  lived  there  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  then  came  to  near  where  his 
son  now  lives,  and  died,  aged  eighty-four. 
His  wife,  also  born  in  Virginia,  died  at  the 
same  place,  aged  eighty-six.  The  Runkles 
came  from  Germany,  and  the  grandparents 
of  Darins  lost  their  parents  on  the  trip  over 
to  this  country. 

Darius  is  one  of  ten  children,  four  of 
whom  are  yet  living.  He  remained  at  home 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  working  at  the 
tanning  business  and  farming.  He  had  very 
limited  schooling  and  is  entirely  a  self-made 
man.  After  he  was  twenty-one  years  old  he 
worked  tor  $10  a  month  for  two  years  and 
then  clerked  for  a  brother-in-law  in  a  general 
store  in  Sidney,  Ohio,  for  two  years  more. 
He  then  started  for  Illinois,  coming  to  Beards- 
town,  and  then  walked  over  to  Doddsville, 
wading  two  miles  in  water.  This  was  in  the 
spring  of  1837,  and  he  came  to  take  charge 
of  Samuel  Dodd's  general  store.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  for  a  year  and  one-half,  and 
dnring  that  time  entered  eighty,  acres  which 
later  he  sold  and  then  bought  160  acres  of 


wild  land  where  he  now  lives.  He  also 
bought  another  eighty  acres  in  the  timber. 
In  the  fall  of  1838,  he  returned  to  Ohio  and 
remained  with  his  father  working  in  the  tan 
yard  for  two  years,  and  then  came  back  here 
and  commenced  improving  his  farm.  He 
broke  forty  acres,  built  a  story-and-a-half 
house,  and  on  October  12,  1840,  he  married 
Ann  Maria  Walker,  who  was  born  in  Adams 
county,  Pennsylvania.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Andrew  Walker  of  Adams  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, who  came  here  in  1840,  and  settled 
on  Mr.  Dodd's  farm.  Mrs.  Runkle  was  one 
of  nine  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ruukle 
have  ten  living  children.  The  sons  are: 
James  J.,  William,  Charles  W.,  Joseph  C. 
and  Stephen  A.;  and  the  daughters:  Mary 
A.,  Laura,  Liny  and  Clara  J.  Mary  A.  had 
two  sons  and  four  daughters:  Clara  J.  two 
daughters  and  two  sons;  both  the  mothers 
are  deceased. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Runkle 
moved  into  the  log  house  he  had  built,  and 
remained  there  until  1866,  and  then  moved 
into  his  present  fine  home,  which  is  one  of 
the  best  in  McDonough,  having  cost  $10.000 
and  being  first-class  in  every  particular.  Mr. 
Runkle  has  built  four  or  five  different  times 
where  his  sons  live,  and  has  bought  thee  farms 
with  houses  upon  them.  He  commenced  with 
$90,  and  had  to  borrow  $10  to  enter  his  first 
eighty  acres.  He  now  has  3,000  acres  of 
land,  970  in  Schuyler  county  and  1,940  in 
McDonough  county,  and  he  has  given  each  son 
a  fine  farm.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  fine  stock, 
and  has  been  engaged  in  various  kinds  of 
business  during  his  life.  In  1841  be  bought 
a  stock  of  goods,  and  was  a  merchant  for  two 
or  three  years,  and  was  Postmaster  in  1843- 
'44:  he  also  kept  a  stage.  He  was  Super- 
visor of  School  Boards  for  years,  and  he  with 
two  others  built  the  first  schoolhouse  in  this 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


453 


district,  and  it  also  served  as  a  church.  He 
also  loaned  money  to  build  a  pioneer  mill  and 
tried  to  get  a  railroad  through  this  section. 
He  has  helped  many  a  deserving  and  worthy 
object.  His  wife  has  been  a  church  member 
ever  since  their  marriage,  being  one  of  the 
first  to  take  an  active  interest  in  church  and 
Sunday-school  work  in  the  place.  She  was 
very  active  in  everything  tending  toward  the 
building  of, churches  and  schools,  and  was  a 
most  worthy  companion  to  as  public-spirited 
a  man  as  Mr.  Runkle.  Her  death  occurred 
in  1889.  Mr.  linnkle  can  count  his  friends 
by  the  number  of  his  acquaintances  and  his 
enemies  are  not  known.  He  treats  every  one 
well,  and  the  deserving  are  never  turned  away 
without  help  and  words  of  cheer.  Politically 
he  has  always  affiliated  with  the  Whig  and 
Republican  parties.  He  voted  first  for 
Henry  Clay,  and  at  the  birth  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  voted  for  Fillmore.  He  is  very 
well  satisfied  with  Republican  principles. 


,OBERT  NEWMAN,  an  extensive 
farmer  of  Cass  county,  Illinois,  dates 
his  birth  in  that  part  of  Grayson  county 
now  included  in  Carroll  county,  Virginia, 
August  31,  1834.  Jesse  Newman,  his  father, 
was  born  in  Botetourt  county,  Virginia.  He 
learned  and  followed  the  trade  of  cooper,  and 
in  connection  with  his  trade  also  operated  a 
sawmill.  He  resided  in  what  is  now  Carroll 
county  for  a  number  of  years.  From  there 
he  came  to  Illinois,  resided  in  this  State 
twelve  years,  and  then  went  back  to  Virginia, 
where  he  is  still  living.  His  wife,  the  mother 
of  Robert,  was  before  her  marriage  Miss 
Nancy  Bedsall.  She  was  born  in  Virginia, 
and  spent  her  whole  life  in  that  State.  She 
reared  six  children. 


The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  in  his 
native  State,  and  was  there  married  when  he 
was  nineteen  years  old.  Accompanied  by  his 
bride,  he  came  to  Illinois  the'  fall  after  their 
marriage,  making  the  western  journey  via 
the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  at 
that  time  the  most  expeditious  route,  and 
landed  at  Beardstown.  He  was  in  very  lim- 
ited circumstances  at  that  time,  being  unable 
to  go  to  housekeeping  for  want  of  means. 
He  was  industrious  and  persevering,  however, 
and  at  once  found  work  on  the  farm,  at  $15 
per  month.  Little  of  the  land  in  this  section 
of  the  country  was  then  improved,  most  of  it 
being  owned  by  the  Government.  It  was 
not  long  after  his  arrival  here  till  Mr.  New- 
man purchased  a  squatter's  claim  to  eighty 
acres  of  land,  in  section  9,  township  18, 
range  9,  for  which  he  paid  $8  per  acre. 
There  was  a  rude  log  cabin  on  this  place,  the 
cover  of  which  was  made  of  boards  rived  by 
hand,  there  being  no  floor  at  all.  They  at 
once  took  possession  of  the  place,  and  as  soon 
as  Mr.  Newman  could  get  the  money,  bought 
from  the  Government,  under  the  graduation 
law,  paying  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  acre. 
As  there  were  no  improvements  on  the  land 
and  he  had  no  team,  he  continued  working  by 
the  month  a  portion  of  the  time,  putting  in 
his  spare  hours  in  grubbing  on  his  own  land. 
This  he  continued  for  twelve  years.  At  the 
time  he  located  on  it.  his  land  was  covered 
with  a  heavy  prairie  grass,  prairie  fires  hav- 
ing run  over  it  every  year  and  checked  the 
growth  of  timber.  Deer  and  other  wild  game 
abounded  here.  There  were  no  railroads  in 
the  county  for  some  years,  and  all  produce 
was  marketed  at  Beardstown.  The  price  of 
grain  was  low,  corn  selling  as  low  as  ten  cents 
per  bushel.  Mr.  Newman  has  been  very 
successful  as  a  farmer,  has  purchased  other 
tracts  of  land  at  different  times,  and  is  now 


454 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


the  owner  of  554  acres.  Of  this  amount  245 
acres  are  in  Mason  county,  the  rest  being  in 
Case  county. 

The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Newman  was 
Mary  Mangus.  She  was  born  in  Roanoke 
county,  Virginia.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  two  children,  viz.: 
Sarah,  who  married  Thomas  Wortman,  and 
has  seven  children;  and  Alexander,  who 
wedded  Ellen  Cunningham,  and  has  six  chil- 
dren. 


fOHN  GLANDON  was  born  in  Harrison 
county,  Ohio,  February,  1834.  His 
father,  William,  was  born  in  1780  and 
moved  to  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
bought  a  small  farm.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Magdalene  Peacock,  of  German  descent, 
probably  born  in  Maryland.  Her  father  was 
Robert  Peacock,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution 
and  he  laid  his  land  warrant  for  160  acres  on 
the  historical  Mt.  Vernon  home.  She  was 
one  of  five  children,  and  her  parents  were 
stirring  farmers  of  that  time  and  died  in 
Ohio,  at  an  advanced  age.  Mr.  Glandon  is 
one  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  came  to 
an  adult  age  and  became  heads  of  families, 
but  all  have  passed  away  except  five.  The 
father  was  an  honest,  hard  working  man,  but 
did  not  accumulate  much  wealth  and  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy.  His  wife  was  much 
younger  than  he  and  survived  him  many 
years.  She  spent  her  last  years  at  the  home 
of  this  son,  but  while  on  a  visit  to  McDon- 
ough  county,  in  1866,  she  died  there,  aged 
seventy-two. 

Mr.  Glandon  had  but  very  limited  school- 
ing, as  he  had  to  work  hard  in  early  boyhood. 
At  the  age  of  twelve  he  carried  the  mail  for 
one  year  for  his  uncle  from  Cadiz,  Ohio,  to 


Cambridge,  a  distance  of  forty- two  miles. 
This  he  continued  daily,  except  Sunday,  and 
this  year's  experience  will  never  be  forgotten. 
He  worked  on  the  home  farm  from  the  age  of 
thirteen  to  sixteen,  when  he  engaged  as  sales- 
man, on  the  road  in  Ohio,  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia,  in  the  fanning-mill  business.  He 
was  a  success  at  this  for  two  years.  He  then 
returned  to  the  home  farm,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  death  of  his  father.  He 
then  took  the  contract  to  build  two  miles  of 
railroad  in  Harrison  county  on  the  Pan 
Handle  road.  He  next  went  to  Kentucky 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy  river,  where  he 
builttwo  miles  of  road  on  the  Lexington  &  Big 
Sandy.  This,  however,  was  not  very  profitable. 
He  had  married  in  Harrison  county  and  with 
his  wife  and  one  child  he  came  to  Illinois. 
His  wife  was  Delilah,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Catherine  (Wood)  Banister,  both  of 
whom  were  from  Maryland.  They  first 
bought  125  acres,  at  $13  dollars  an  acre  in 
1855.  Upon  this  place  there  were  a  small 
log  house  and  a  rude  stable.  Since  then 
from  time  to  time  they  have  added  ten  to 
twenty  acres  at  a  time,  until  he  now  owns 
985  acres,  all  fenced  in  and  700  acres  under 
culture.  Nearly  all  of  this  is  good,  arable 
land.  Much  of  it  is  very  fertile  and  is  very 
desirable  as  it  is  all  in  one  body.  When  he 
built  his  first  large  barn,  40x70,  with  base- 
ment, it  cost  him  $25,000.  It  is  one  of  the 
best  barns  of  the  section,  with  solid  stone 
basement.  About  six  years  later  he  built 
his  second  barn  in  which  he  can  stall  100 
head  of  cattle  and  ten  head  of  horses.  He 
built  his  present  large  farm  house  in  1885. 
These  buildings  are  on  an  eminence,  nearly 
100  feet  above  the  bottom  lands  and  com- 
mands a  view  of  over  500  acres.  He  grows 
from  400  to  500  acres  of  corn,  yielding  sixty 
bushels  to  the  acre.  He  rents  much  of  this 


SCHUYLER    AND    BKOWN    COUNTIES. 


455 


land  to  small  farmers,  for  twenty  bushels  to 
the  acre.  He  believes  in  a  rotation  of  crops 
and  has  for  twenty-five  years  fed  from  fifty 
to  150  head  of  cattle.  Of  late  years  he  feeds 
less  and  sells  his  corn.  During  the  war  he 
kept  sheep,  as  high  as  1,700  of  the  Merinos, 
and  sold  his  clippings  one  year  for  $1  per 
pound.  In  1882  he  bought  the  Brooklyn 
Water  Gristmill  of  which  he  had  to  rebuild 
the  lower  portion  and  put  in  the  roller  sys- 
tem. This  cost  a  great  deal  of  money,  but 
proved  a  great  succes  for  three  years-  Cus- 
tom came  from  far  and  near,  and  they  had 
more  than  they  could  attend  to,  as  there  was 
no  other  mill  like  it  nearer  than  Quincy;  but 
other  mills  of  this  kind  sprang  up  and  Mr. 
Glandon  moved  his  machinery  to  Walker, 
Ellis  county,  Kansas,  in  1888,  but  within 
two  years  he  exchanged  it  for  property  in 
Denver,  Colorado.  The  result  of  this  invest- 
ment is  yet  to  be  seen.  Mr.  Glandon  has  all 
he  can  do  to  look  after  his  tenants  and  busi- 
ness, but  he  has  often  followed  the  plow  and 
swung  the  ax.  He  has  served  as  Commis- 
sioner and  has  filled  all  the  minor  offices. 
He  always  votes  the  Republican  ticket. 

In  1865,  he,  in  company  with  William 
Hornley,  went  toGraystone,  Texas,  by  teams 
for  an  aged  couple  who  had  been  stranded 
there.  This  journey  of  about  2,000  miles 
took  from  October  4  to  December  1.  It 
was  an  arduous,  dangerous  journey  at  this 
time  of  civil  strife,  and  strong  and  resolute 
as  they  both  were  they  were  glad  to  land  here 
safely  with  those  dear  old  people,  and  the  two 
sons  of  Mr  Hornley  who  had  been  left  in  the 
South. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glandon  have  four  children: 
Belinda  Jane  McKelvie,  of  Clay  county, 
Nebraska;  James  William,  residing  in  Den- 
ver, Colorado;  Mary  Alice  Fowler,  on  a  farm 
close  by;  and  Edgar  Denis,  now  taking  a 


course  at  the  Eureka  College,  Illinois.  He 
took  one  term  at  Knox  College,  where  his 
brother  John  was  educated.  Mrs.  Glandon 
has  always  been  frail  in  health,  but  still 
superintends  and  does  much  of  her  house- 
work. There  are  but  few  finely  located 
homes  as  this  one. 


ENKY  W.  OETGEN,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  of  Frederick,  Illinois,  was  born 
near  Beardstown,  March  10,  1849.  His 
parents,  William  and  Katherine  (Middle- 
busher)  Oetgen,  were  natives  of  Hanover, 
Prussia.  The  father  was  born  May  31,  1817, 
the  mother  December  23,  1823.  They  came 
to  America  with  their  parents  when  quite 
young,  the  paternal  grandparents  locating  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  maternal  grandparents 
came  straight  to  Beardstown. 

Our  subject  was  the  third  child  of  his  par- 
ents. He  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Cass  county.  He  then  engaged 
in  farming,  which  has  been  his  life  work.  In 
the  fall  of  1882  Mr.  Oetgen  purchased  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  resides  and  moved 
there  the  following  spring.  He  owns  a  stock 
and  grain  farm  of  260  acres,  besides  some 
town  property  in  Frederick,  all  very  valuable. 
His  residence  is  a  modern  cottage,  beautifully 
located  and  nicely  furnished. 

He  was  married  in  Cass  county,  March  13, 
1879,  to  Miss  Augusta  C.  Hansmier,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Kate  (Smidt)  Hansmier. 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  Germany  and 
both  came  to  America  with  their  parents 
prior  to  marriage.  The  paternal  grandmother 
and  two  daughters  died  on  the  voyage.  The 
grandfather  located  in  Wisconsin,  where  he 
remarried,  afterward  coming  to  Beardstown, 


456 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


where  the  father  of  Mrs.  Oetgen  married  and 
now  resides. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oetgen  are  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church.  They  have  two 
children:  Arthur  H.  and  Inez  Bailie.  Mr. 
Oetgen  is  of  straight  Republican  faith.  He 
has  served  one  term  as  Tax  Collector  of  Fred- 
erick township  and  is  a  member  of  the  M. 
W.  of  A. 


JILLIAM  SEW  ALL,  one  of  the  earli- 
est settlers  of  Cass  county,  Illinois, 
was  a  son  of  Major-General  Henry 
Sew-all.  He  was  born  January  17,  1797,  in 
Augusta,  Maine;  received  a  good  business 
education  at  home,  and  also  took  a  short 
academic  course.  In  1818,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  obtained  a  clerkship  in  Wash- 
ington, but  on  his  way  thither  was  ship- 
wrecked, which  event  entirely  changed  his 
plans,  for,  in  working  the  ship's  pumps  his 
hands  were  so  badly  frozen  as  to  render  it 
impossible  for  him  to  fill  the  position.  He 
then  spent  a  year  teaching  school  in  Mary- 
land, Virginia  and  West  Virginia,  when,  in 
addition  to  the  common  branches  he  taught 
also  bookkeeping  and  the  higher  mathematics, 
including  astronomy,  navigation  and  survey- 
ing. To  illustrate  these  he  used  the  best 
brass- mounted  terrestrial  and  celestial  globes, 
with  maps,  charts  and  other  appliances. 

He  was  married  August  9,  1821,  to  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  W.  Adams,  who  was  born  in 
Charles  county,  Maryland,  July  27,  1795,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  W.  Middleton,  an  exten- 
sive planter.  Mr.  Sewall  removed  with  his 
family  to  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of 
1829,  and  while  residing  there  he  again 
taught  school.  He  was  present  at  the  or- 
ganization of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 


in  Jacksonville,  and  he   and   his    wife    were 
among  its  first  members. 

In  the  spring  of  1833  he  removed  to  his 
farm  of  640  acres,  entered  from  the  Govern- 
ment and  partially  opened  a  short  time  be- 
fore. It  was  in  the  Sangamon  bottom,  near 
the  present  site  of  Chandlerville.  At  that 
time  it  was  a  wilderness  which  the  Indians 
had  not  yet  wholly  abandoned.  Here,  as  was 
his  custom,  he  zealously  engaged  in  Sabbath- 
school  and  other  Christian  work,  and  exerted 
on  the  new  and  growing  community  an  in- 
fluence for  good  difficult  to  estimate.  Within 
a  radius  of  eight  or  ten  miles  he  organized 
three  or  four  Sunday-schools,  one  of  which 
was  at  his  own  house,  where  he  conducted  it 
for  a  considerable  time,  with  only  the  assist- 
ance of  his  wife.  They  furnished  free  to  each 
family  a  large  cloth  covered  Testament  for 
use  in  this  work.  Afterward,  in  the  secular 
schools,  these  became  the  only  reading  books 
for  many  of  the  children  for  a  number  of 
years.  By  their  constant  zeal  and  Christian 
labor  they  were  instrumental  in  preparing  the 
way  for  the  first  church  organization  in  the 
vicinity,  the  First  Presbyterian,  but  after- 
ward a  Congregational  Church,  and  located 
at  Woodstock,  now  Chandlerville.  Mr.  Sew- 
all  was  elected  its  first  ruling  Elder  and 
Sunday-school  Superintendent,  and  these 
offices  he  continued  to  fill  with  efficiency 
as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was  a  man  of  exten- 
sive reading,  and  rather  in  advance  of  his 
time — a  pioneer  in  material  improvements  as 
well  as  morals.  He  had  the  first  washing- 
machine,  the  first  cook-stove  and  the  first 
threshing-machine  ever  used  in  the  county. 
He  also  brought  the  first  Durham  stock  of 
cattle  into  his  neighborhood,  and  made  the 
first  brick,  which  were  of  unsurpassed  qual- 
ity. Shortly  after  his  death  his  widow 
bought  the  first  harvesting-machine  ever 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


457 


used  in  Cass  county.  He  also  was  a  good 
singer  and  performed  on  the  flute.  He  lived 
a  very  useful  life  in  all  respects;  and  al- 
though called  from  his  labors  in  the  prime  of 
life,  he  won  the  confidence,  respect  and  es- 
teem of  all  who  knew  him,  and  succeeded  in 
laying  the  foundation  for  a  competency  for 
his  family. 

Politically,  he  was  a  Whig,  but  never 
prominent  in  public  affairs.  He  was  thor- 
ougly  posted,  however,  on  the  political  ques- 
tions of  the  day,  and  prompt  to  express  his 
opinion  through  the  ballot-box. 

He  died  at  his  residence  near  Chandler- 
ville,  Illinois,  April  7,  1846,  at  the  age  of 
forty-nine  years.  His  widow  survived  him 
about  thirty  years,  and  to  her  was  left  the 
task  of  educating  a  large  family  of  children, 
and  of  managing  the  many  interests  of  an 
extensive  farm.  She  was  successful  in  set- 
tling up  the  estate  to  advantage,  showing  great 
energy  and  executive  ability.  She  removed 
an  incumbrance  on  the  farm  in  a  very  short 
time,  and  thus  succeeded  in  saving  the  place 
intact  for  the  family.  Two  or  three  years 
after  the  death  of  her  husband  she  removed  to 
Jacksonville,  Illinois,  to  educate  her  children, 
where  they  received  a  good  training.  A  short 
time  before  her  death  she  changed  her  resi- 
dence to  her  daughter's,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Goodell, 
at  Chandlerville,  where  she  died  October  5, 
1874,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sewall  had  two  sons  and 
four  daughters,  as  follows: 

Henry  M.,  born  near  Warrenton,  Virginia, 
March  6,  1823,  educated  at  Illinois  College, 
Jacksonville,  married  Mrs.  Ann  E.  Clark, 
formerly  Miss  Higgins,  November  22,  1849, 
and  settled  on  a  part  of  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  died  May  3,  1850,  aged  twenty- 
seven  years.  At  his  father's  death,  although 
a  Methodist,  he  was  chosen  Superintendent 


of  the  Congregational  Sunday-school,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three,  to  fill  his  father's  place. 
After  filling  that  place  for  a  year  or  two  he 
was  appointed  Class-leader  in  his  own  church, 
which  position  he  filled  until  his  death.  He 
had  one  son. 

Catharine  T.  H.,  born  near  Warrenton, 
Virginia,  November  6,  1825,  educated  at 
Monticello  Seminary,  married  Robert  Cole,  a 
farmer  of  Cass  county,  and  died  November  5, 
1854,  having  had  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. 

Susan  E.,  born  in  Harrison  county,  West 
Virginia,  July  29,  1829,  graduated  at  Jack- 
sonville (Illinois)  Female  Academy  in  1851, 
married  in  1867  Abiel  Fry,  Sheriff  of  Mus- 
catine  county,  Iowa,  and  after  his  death  mar- 
ried, in  1878,  Rev.  William  Barnes  of  Jack- 
sonville, at  one  time  pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  at  Chandlerville;  she  is  now 
a  widow,  residing  at  Jacksonville,  with  no 
children. 

William  W.,  born  in  Jacksonville,  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1832,  graduated  at  the  Illinois 
College,  same  city,  in  1856,  and  from  that 
time  until  1885  made  his  home  at  Virden, 
this  State,  where  he  married  Susan  E.  Cox, 
in  1858.  Enlisting  in  the  Union  army  during 
the  last  war,  he  served  three  years,  engaging 
with  his  regiment  in  a  number  of  important 
battles;  was  severely  wounded  at  the  capture 
of  Mobile.  After  the  war  he  established  the 
North  Star  Flouring  mill,  and  was  for  seven- 
teen years  a  joint  proprietor  of  the  same. 
For  many  years  he  was  successively  Deacon, 
Trustee  and  Ruling  Elder  of  his  chnrch,  the 
Presbyterian.  He  now  resides  at  Carthage, 
Missouri,  having  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Mary  M.,  born  near  Chandlerville,  July 
15,  1834,  educated  at  Jacksonville  Female 
Academy  and  married  Addison  L.  Cole,  in 
1853.  She  resided  on  a  part  of  her  father's 


458 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


farm,  where  she  died   April  16,    1857.     She 
bad  five  sons. 

Harriet  A.,  born  near  Chandlerville,  April 
4,  1838,  educated  at  Jacksonville  Female 
Academy,  married  in  1865  John  H.  Goodell, 
a  lumber  merchant  of  Chandlerville,  where 
she  still  resides,  having  three  sous  and  three 
daughters. 


fOHN  HENRY  CARLS  is  a  general 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  livingon  sections 
24  and  25,  township  17,  range  12.  He 
was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany.  December 
23,  1831.  He  grew  up  in  his  native  prov- 
ince, a  farmer  boy,  but  at  last  decided  to  come 
to  America.  Not  wishing  to  cross  the  sea 
alone  to  the  new  country,  just  before  he  sailed 
he  was  married  to  a  neighbor  girl  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Yoost.  She  came  of 
a  good  German  family,  and  proved  to  him  a 
good  wife.  Immediately  after  marriage  they 
took  passage  at  Bremen  on  the  sailing  vessel 
Theodore  Connor,  and  landed  in  New  Orleans 
after  a  passage  of  eleven  weeks.  From  there 
they  went  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  St. 
Louis  and  thence  to  Beardstown.  Mr.  Carls' 
ambition  was  to  become  a  farmer,  and  he  and 
his  wife  began  in  a  small  way  have  been  very 
successful. 

In  1845  he  first  purchased  forty  acres  of 
land,  and  has  since  increased  his  possessions 
until  he  has  now  240  acres  here,  and  200 
acres  in  an  adjoining  township.  He  has  im- 
proved the  land  very  much,  and  has  erected 
excellent  buildings. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carls  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  are  regarded  as  very 
excellent  citizens.  Mr.  Carls  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics.  He  and  his  wife  have  ten 
children,  two  deceased.  Lizzie  was  the  wife 


of  Charles  Meyer,  but  died  in  the  prime  of 
life,  and  Henry  died  when  two  years  old. 
The  living  children  are:  William,  a  farmer  in 
Morgan  county,  married  to  Anna  Hagener; 
Mary,  wife  of  William  Talkemeyer,  of  this 
township;  Lena  married  Gustaff  Anoldi,  a 
farmer  in  this  county  ;Anna  married  William 
Uush,  a  farmer  in  Morgan  county;  Harmon, 
a  farmer  in  Cass  county,  married  Katie  Uush; 
Tilda  married  William  Jockisch,  a  farmer  in 
Morgan  county;  George,  farmer  in  this  county, 
married  Dora  Linker;  and  Carrie  married 
William  Lovecamp,  a  farmer  in  Cass  county. 
They  are  among  the  best  of  our  German  citi- 
zens, and  are  highly  respected  by  all  who 
know  them. 


IRAM  M.  BACON  of  Huntsville  set- 
tled in  Schuyler  county  in  1863.  He 
was  born  in  Hancock  county,  August 
12,  1836.  He  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Elizabeth  (Brevard)  Bacon,  natives  of  South 
and  North  Carolina.  Mr.  Bacon.  Sr.,  came 
West  in  an  early  day,  and  first  went  to 
Missouri  and  then  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
Hancock  county  in  1835,  being  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Augusta.  He  was  a  merchant  at 
an  early  day  at  Pulaski,  later  entered  land  and 
engaged  in  farming.  He  had  over  1,000 
acres  of  land.  His  death  occurred  in  1860, 
aged  sixty-live  years.  His  wife  survived  him 
some  twenty  years,  and  was  over  eighty  years 
old  when  she  died.  They  had  nine  children: 
Alvin  G.;  Robert;  Lam  ira,  deceased;  LoisE., 
deceased;  Benjamin  F.,  deceased;  Margaret 
C.,  Hiram,  William  H.  and  Mary  E. 

He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Pulaski,  and 
followed  farming  as  his  occupation.  In  1863 
he  settled  in  Birmingham,  and  has  since 
resided  there,  and  at  Huntsville.  He  fol- 


aCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


459 


lowed  farming  until  1885,  then  engaged  in 
business  at  Hnntsville,  which  he  continued 
three  years.  Since  which  time  he  has  not 
been  engaged  in  active  business.  He  owns 
180  acres  of  land. 

He  was  married  at  Huntsville  in  1861,  to 
Miss  Emily  Louisa  Everson,  a  daughter  of 
Nathan  and  Cynthia  (Cooley)  Everson,  of 
New  York  State.  She  was  born  in  New 
York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bacon  have  one  daugh- 
ter, Hila  L.,  married  to  David  E.  McCreevy, 
of  Huntsville.  They  are  Methodists  in  re- 
ligion, and  Mr.  Bacon  is  an  ardent  Republi- 
can in  politics.  He  and  his  wife  are  valuable 
members  of  society. 


51LLIAM  TALKEMEYER  isasuc- 
cessful  farmer  of  Arenzville,  now  liv- 
ing on  his  own  fine  farm,  section  23, 
township  17,  range  12.     He  was  born  near 
Arenzville,  this  county,  in  1849.     He  grew 
up  and  obtained  all  the  education  possible  in 
the   common    school.      His    father,  William 
Talkemeyer,  was  a  native  of  Prussia,  Germany, 
and  was  the  first  member  of   his    family  to 
come  to  this  country.     He  came  some  time 
in  the  '80s,  landing  in  New  Orleans,  and  was 
engaged  as  a  Mississippi  boatman.    Later  he 
came  to   Beardstown   and  engaged   in  farm- 
ing, purchasing  his  first  land  in  Arenzville. 
About  1855  he  purchased  a  good   farm,  the 
same  now  occupiedby  our  subject.     Here  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Talkemeyer,  Sr.,  lived  and  worked 
hard,  and  by  honest,  economical  living,  man- 
aged to  obtain  240  acres.     Here  they  spent 
their  last  years,  Mr.  Talkemeyer  dying  in  1878, 
aged  seventy,  and  his  wife  about  1850,  when 
our  subject  was  only  a  year  old.     She  was  a 
Miss   Duvall,  who   was   born   and    reared  in 
Germany,  but   came   to    the    United    States 


when  a  young  woman.  She  and  her  husband 
were  both  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  he  had  been  a  Republican. 

William  was  one  of  four  children:  himself 
and  a  Mrs.  Lizzie  Crone,  of  this  county,  are 
all  that  are  now  living. 

He  was  married,  near  Arenzville,  to  Miss 
Mary  Carles,  who  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Cass  county,  and  was  the  daughter 
of  J.  Henry  Carles  (see  biography).  Mrs. 
Talkemeyer  is  a  fine  woman,  and  has  proved 
herself  a  good  wife  and  mother,  and  is  very 
highly  respected  throughout  the  community. 
They  have  five  children;  one,  George,  having 
died  when  young;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry 
Bill  Smith,  a  farmer  in  Morgan  county; 
Lucy,  William  Henry,  H.  Robert  and  Harry 
are  at  home. 

The  political  faith  of  Mr.  Talkemeyer  is 
Republican,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  highly 
regarded  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  Talkemeyer's  present  farm  consists  of 
600  acres,  very  well  improved  and  watered  by 
Indian  and  Bear  creeks.  He  has  been  very 
successful,  and  has  everything  in  first-class 
order  around  him. 


JSAAC  MEATS  was  born  in  England, 
in  1836,  December  9,  in  Herefordshire, 
son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Lawford) 
Meats.  Isaac,  Sr.,  was  born  in  1812  and  was 
a  farmer.  Marrying  in  1842,  he  turned  his 
face  for  the  United  States,  sailing  from  Liver- 
pool. Landing  in  New  York  he  went  from 
there  to  Chicago,  and  from  there  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  down  which  he  sailed  until  he 
came  to  St.  Louis  and  landed  at  Griggsville. 
The  trip  from  Liverpool  to  New  York  took 
five  weeks.  Mr.  Meats  brought  his  wife  and 
four  children  with  him  and  five  more  were 


460 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


added  to  the  family  after  arrival  in  this 
country.  Mr.  Meats  first  rented  in  Elkhorn 
township  until  1863  and  then  bought  ninety 
acres  in  Hancock  county,  where  he  lived  un- 
til 1868,  and  then  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Woodford  county,  Kansas,  and  bought  300 
acres  of  land  partly  improved.  He  later 
sold  that  and  traveled  in  California  for  a 
month  or  two,  then  went  to  Benton  county, 
Oregon,  and  bought  a  small  farm,  where  he 
lived  in  retirement  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four  years.  His  wife  was  born  in 
the  same  place  as  he,  and  she  still  lives  in 
Benton  county,  Oregon,  with  her  son,  Will- 
iam. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meats,  Sr.,  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for 
years.  Mr.  Meats  was  an  old-line  Whig  and 
later  a  Republican.  He  first  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket  for  John  C.  Fremont. 

Isaac  C.  Meats,  Jr.,  lived  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-six  years  old,  working  on  the 
farm.  He  enlisted  in  1861,  September  5,  in 
Company  I,  Thirty-third  Illinois  Infantry. 
He  was  mustered  out  November  24,  1865,  at 
Vicksburg.  Mr.  Meats  receives  a  pension 
for  injuries  received  which  confined  him  in  a 
hospital  and  from  which  he  has  never  re- 
covered. Part  of  the  time  Mr.  Meats  served 
in  special  detached  service.  After  he  was 
discharged  at  Fort  Butler,  in  1865,  he  re- 
turned home  and  spent  the  winter  visiting. 
In  the  next  spring  he  went  to  Hancock  and 
resided  there  for  two  years,  and  in  1869 
moved  to  his  present  farm  and  rented  for 
several  years.  He  was  so  well  satisfied 
with  the  land  that  he  bought  185  acres, 
known  as  the  old  Winslow  farm.  Here  lie 
has  lived  ever  since.  He  has  been  a  Com- 
missioner for  six  years,  succeeding  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald. He  has  also  held  various  other  of- 
fices, among  which  was  Trustee  for  several 
years. 


He  was  married,  March  4,  1866,  to  Mar- 
tha Ingram,  born  in  Pike  county,  April  17, 
1842,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Paulina 
(Kingston)  Ingram.  The  former  was  born 
in  Smith  county,  Tennessee,  December  1, 
1815.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois 
and  settled  in  Pike  county,  in  1856;  from 
there  he  moved  to  Brown  county  and  bought 
a  farm  in  Elkhorn  township,  of  200  acres. 
Here  he  died,  January  7,  1890.  He  was  a 
son  of  John  and  Rachel  Ingram,  also  of 
Tennessee,  who  came  here  in  1850  and  died 
when  very  old  people.  Mrs.  Meats  was  one 
of  six  children.  The  family  were  all  me- 
chanics. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meats  had  eight  children, 
Mary  E.  residing  in  Hancock  county;  George 
is  at  home;  Fred  J.  is  also  at  home;  Jessie, 
deceased;  Nellie;  Francis;  Dollie  and  Ralph. 

Mr.  Meats  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  of 
Versailles.  The  family  are  attendants  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Meats 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Irene  Lodge, 
No.  72,  at  Versailles,  and  has  held  different 
offices  in  the  order.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  voted  for  S.  A.  Douglas.  He 
and  his  wife  are  highly  respected  members 
of  the  township  in  which  they  live. 


HEODORE  SCHAAR,  dealer  in  guns 
and  manufacturer  of  adjustable  screens 
of  his  own  patent,  doing  business  in 
Beardstown,  Illinois,  was  born  in  the  Prov- 
ince of  Poseii  in  Prussia,  where  he  grew 
up  and  was  educated.  From  the  time  he 
was  a  small  boy,  he  began  to  be  educated 
in  his  native  language,  and  also  in  that  of 
Latin,  French  and  English  in  the  college  of 
his  native  town,  graduating  from  it  when  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  is  the  son 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


461 


of  Carl  Schaar,  also  a  native  of  Posen,  who 
spent  his  life  there  and  died  when  an  old 
man.  He  was  a  skilled  musician  and  a 
manufacturer  of  all  kinds  of  musical  instru- 
ments, being  so  known  in  his  native  country. 
He  had  taught  his  children  the  art  of  music, 
and  our  subject  has  been  a  successful  and 
skilled  teacher  on  different  instruments.  His 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Willhel- 
mina  Borkenhagen,  lived  and  died  in  her  Prus- 
sian home,  having  been  a  good  wife  and 
mother. 

Theodore  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
come  to  this  country,  but  he  has  since  been 
joined  by  his  brother,  Charles,  now  a  music 
dealer  on  State  street,  Chicago.  He  came  to 
this  city  in  1861  and  has  since  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  place.  His  adjustable  screens  are 
sold  extensively  to  the  trade  and  he  employs 
some  eight  or  ten  men  all  the  time.  This 
business  was  established  two  years  ago  and 
has  been  built  up  successfully.  He  is  one  of 
the  leading  public-spirited  men  of  Beards? 
town,  holding  the  office  of  Alderman,  with 
which  he  has  before  been  honored.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Equalization  of  the 
Twelfth  Congressional  district,  and  he  has 
tilled  that  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  ac- 
ceptably to  his  constituents.  He  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  local  politics,  having  been  a 
delegate  to  the  Congressional  and  county  con- 
ventions. He  returned  to  his  native  laud  in 
1871,  and  came  back  to  Beardstown  after  a 
pleasant  visit. 

He  was  married  in  1870,  to  Miss  Johanna 
Kulhen.  She  was  born  in  Posen  and  was 
there  reared  and  educated.  She  and  her 
brother  Fred,  a  farmer  in  Colorado,  are  the 
only  members  of  the  family  now  living  in 
this  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schaar  have  two 
children :  Clara,  wife  of  W.  T.  Quirk,  now  a 

train  dispatcher  of  Jacksonville,  on  the  Jack- 
si 


sonville  Southeastern  railroad.  Mrs.  Quirk 
was  educated  in  music  in  a  conservatory 
in  Chicago,  and  was  a  teacher  until  her  mar- 
riage. Martha,  a  recent  graduate  of  the 
high  school  at  Beardstown,  is  the  other 
daughter.  Mrs.  Schaar  and  the  children  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  Schaar  has  stood  by  the  Democratic 
party,  in  whose  ranks  he  has  been  a  leader 
ever  since  he  came  to  the  United  States. 


,ON.  LEWIS  D.  ERWIN,  formerly  of 
the  Illinois  State  Legislature,  now  liv- 
ing in  retirement  in  Rushville,  was  born 
in  Plattsburg,  New  York,  July  1,  1815.  His 
parents  were  Cornelius  M.and  Lucinda  (Fair- 
man)  Erwin,  both  natives  of  Vermont,  the 
former  having  been  born  in  Fairhaven,  Rut- 
land county,  and  the  latter  being  a  daughter 
of  James  Fairman,  a  man  of  some  promi- 
nence in  his  State. 

David  Erwin,  paternal  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  native  of  New- 
ark, New  Jersey,  and  was  an  able  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  He  was  with  General 
Washington  at  the  second  crossing  of  the 
Delaware  river  and  at  the  retaking  of  Tren- 
ton. He  afterward  went  from  his  native 
town  to  Fairhaven,  Vermont,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  nail  factory.  In  1804,  he  removed 
to  Franklin  county,  New  York,  engaging  in 
the  lumber  business  near  Westville,  and 
there  spent  the  rest  of  his  days.  His  wife, 
formerly  Catherine  Munson,  and  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  also  died  in  Franklin  county. 

Cornelius  M.  Erwin  removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  New  York  State,  and  was  engaged 
with  his  father  in  the  lumber  business  in 
Franklin  county.  He  was  a  resident  of 
Plattsburg  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 


463 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF   VA8S, 


of  1812,  when  he  entered  the  service  and 
was  assigned  to  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 
ment. In  1830  he  removed  to  Ohio,  then  the 
frontier  of  civilization,  locating  in  Birming- 
ham, where  he  operated  a  sawmill,  the  coun- 
try abounding  with  excellent  timber.  Four 
years  later  he  went  to  Toledo,  then  a  mere 
village,  where  he  worked  at  blacksmithing 
for  a  short  time,  later  engaging  in  the  gro- 
cery business,  in  which  latter  occupation  he 
continued  until  his  death  in  March,  1837. 
His  devoted  wife  died  in  Birmingham,  Ohio, 
in  August,  1833.  They  were  the  parents  of 
six  children:  Catherine,  David,  Eliza,  Lewis 
D.,  George  "W.  and  Phoebe. 

Lewis  D.,  whose  name  heads  this  bio- 
grapy,  remained  with  his  father,  assisting 
him  at  the  forge  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  when  he  commenced  life  on  his 
own  account,  engaging  in  clerking.  He  re- 
sided in  the  Buckeye  State  until  1839,  when 
he  removed  to  Illinois,  making  the  journey 
by  team,  through  a  wild  and  sparsely  settled 
country.  He  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in 
Erie,  then  a  small  town  on  the  Illinois  river, 
in  Schuyler  county,  which  was  quite  a  thriv- 
ing little  center.  In  1841  he  purchased  his 
land  in  Schuyler  county,  near  Littleton,  on 
which  he  engaged  in  farming.  Ten  years 
later,  he  came  to  Rushville,  which  has  ever 
since  been  his  home. 

Mr.  Erwin  was  married  in  1843,  to  Elvira 
Wells,  an  estimable  lady,  and  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Elizabeth  Wells.  They  had 
eleven  children:  David  D.;  Catherine;  Ma- 
tilda; Eliza;  Elizabeth  L. ;  Emma;  Lewis 
D.,  born  in  1859  and  died  in  1887;  George 
L.;  Anna  C.;  Sophie  B. ;  and  Edward,  who 
died  in  infancy.  In  1875  the  family  was 
called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  the  devoted 
wife'and  mother,  who  had  subordinated  her 
interests  to  their  welfare.  She  was  a  woman 


of  rare  Christian  character,  and  much  es- 
teemed in  her  community. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Martin  Van  Buren,  ever  since 
which  time  he  has  supported  the  principles 
of  the  Democracy.  Being  a  leading  man  his 
constituents  have  conferred  upon  him  various 
offices  of  trust  and  honor,  the  duties  of  which 
have  been  discharged  with  ability  and  fidelity. 
In  1844  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff, 
and  in  1850  was  elected  Sheriff.  In  1852, 
he  was  made  Circuit  Clerk,  to  which  position 
he  was  re-elected  in  1854.  In  1846  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Legis- 
lature, his  efforts  in  that  body  receiving  uni- 
versal commendation,  as  shown  by  his  re- 
election to  the  same  position  in  the  years  of 
1856,  1858  and  1860,  thus  serving  five  ses- 
sions, including  the  extra  session  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war. 

Such  universal  endorsement  makes  farther 
encomiums  on  his  character  and  qualifica- 
tions unnecessary,  as  they  are  so  plainly  in- 
dicated that  "  he  who  runs  may  read." 


ARCUS  WHETSTONE  was  born  in 
Adams  county,  Illinois,  March  6, 
1838,  son  of  Abija  and  Lucinda 
(Brunton)  Whetstone,  the  former  born  in 
1804,  in  Ohio,  near  Cincinnati,  following 
farming  when  a  young  man.  His  father  ran 
a  distillery  near  Cincinnati,  where  he  died. 
Abija  was  married  in  1832  and  then  moved 
to  Indiana,  where  lie  worked  on  a  farm  for 
twenty-four  years.  In  1834  he  sold  out  and 
came  to  Illinois  and  rented  in  Adams  county 
and  later  bought  wild  land  on  which  stood  a 
log  cabin,  where  they  lived  until  three  years 
later,  when  he  built  a  frame  house.  He  lived 
there  until  1853  and  then  came  to  this  county 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


463 


for  three  years,  returning  to  Adams  at  the 
end  of  that  time.  He  bought  the  farm  where 
Marcus  now  lives,  in  1850.  He  died  in  Mis- 
souri, at  the  home  of  a  daughter,  aged  eighty- 
one  years.  His  father,  Nathan,  was  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Subject's  mother  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  came  with  her  parents  to 
Ohio  at  an  early  date,  and  later  to  Indiana. 
In  1834  she  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
McDonough  county,  later,  moved  to  near 
Quincy  where  her  mother  died,  aged  eighty 
years,  her  father  dying  at  her  home,  aged 
ninety  years.  Mrs.  Whetstone  is  still  living 
with  her  oldest  child  in  Augusta,  Illinois. 
She  and  her  husband  had  eleven  children, 
seven  yet  living.  All  are  farmers  as  far  as 
known,  although  one  of  her  brothers  is  a 
school  teacher,  having  followed  that  profes- 
sion all  his  life,  and  one  of  her  daughters  fol- 
lows the  same  profession.  Marcus'  people 
came  overland  to  this  State  with  teams  and 
four  yoke  of  oxen.  Mr.  Whetstone,  Sr.,  had 
but  very  little  cash  when  he  came  to  Illinois, 
but  he  was  industrious  and  soon  had  his 
farm  paid  for.  He  and  his  wife  were  church 
going  people  and  active  in  any  good  work, 
he  being  instrumental  in  building  several 
churches  and  schoolhouses.  He  started  with 
eighty  acres  of  land,  but  kept  buying  inore 
until  at  his  death  he  had  nearly  1.3.00  acres. 
He  was  a  good,  hard-working  man. 

Marcus  remained  at  home  until  twenty 
years  of  age,  working  qn  the  farm,  driving 
oxen  and  attending  the  district  school  in  the 
winter.  When,  he  was  nine  years  old  he 
broke  prairie  and  has  been  one  of  the  hardest- 
working  men  in  this  county.  When  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  twenty  he  rented  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  lives,  from  his  father. 
There  were  no  improvements  but  the  house 
which  was  built  in  1854.  He  originally  had 
160  acres  whicli  his  father  gave  him,  and  he 


has  added  to  this  farm  until  he  has  740  acres 
of  as  tine  land  as  there  is  in  central  Illinois. 
He  has  made  numerous  improvements  on 
this  land. 

He  was  married  in  1863,  to  Clara  Tare, 
who  was  born  in  Schuyler  county,  daughter 
of  Jacob  and  Nancy  (Buck)  Tare,  natives  of 
Ohio,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  1834,  and  died 
in  this  county.  Mrs.  Whetstone  was  one  of 
eight  children,  seven  yet  living.  Her  family 
were  generally  farmers,  except  a  few  who 
were  mechanics. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whetstone  have  had  eight 
children,  four  living,  Mary  E.,  married  to 
W.  E.  Melvin  and  they  have  three  children: 
Mattie  F.,  Hattie  E.  and  James  G.  at  home. 
They  are  all  well  educated  and  graduated 
from  the  Augusta  and  Bushnell  schools.  M.r. 
Whetstone  cast  his  first  vote  for  S.  A.  Doug- 
las and  his  next  one  for  Abraham  Lincoln, 
He  is  a  Republican  and  his'family  were  of 
the  Democratic  faith,  being  old-line  Andrew 
Jackson  men.  He  has  filled  the  office  of 
Supervisor  for  nine  years  and  has  also  held 
other  offices,  among  which  are  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  Assessor,  the  former  for  eight  years 
and  the  latter  for  three.  He  also  has  been  a 
School  Director.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whet- 
stone are  attendants  at  the  Methodist  Chnrch, 
of  which  she  is  a  member.  The  family  are 
among  the  most  respected  and  honored  in  the 
county,  and  the  entire  family  are  upright  in 
their  dealings,  commanding  the  respect  of 
all  who  know  them. 


HOMAS  W.  WATTS,  the  oldest  and 
leading  merchant  of  Huntsville,  is 
numbered  among  the  pioneers  of  1838. 
He  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Kentucky,  No- 
vember 5,  1834.  His  father,  Simeon  Watts, 


464 


BIOGRAPHICAL    UK  VIEW    OF    OAS8, 


was  also  a  native  of  Scott  county,  being  born 
in  1806.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  in  1829 
married  Harriet  D.  Scott,  and  resided  in  Ken- 
tucky until  1838,  when  he  removed  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Rnshville, 
where  he  purchased  land,  and  resided  there 
about  five  years,  and  then  removed  to  Brown 
county  and  settled  on  a  farm,  four  miles 
north  of  Mt.  Sterling,  where  he  pursued  farm- 
ing until  1878,  when  he  removed  to  Hnnts- 
ville,  where  he  passed  his  remaining  years 
and  died  in  1886.  His  wife  died  in  Hunts- 
ville  in  1890.  They  had  nine  children,  of 
whom  eight  grew  up.  Mary  Smith  resides  in 
Huntsville  township;  John  F.  also  resides 
there;  Horace  W.  resides  in  Greensburg, 
Kansas;  Simeon  was  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  and  his  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Missionary  Baptist  Church.  He  was  a 
poor  man  when_  he  left  Kentucky,  but  be- 
came a  successful  farmer  in  Illinois.  He  had 
a  well  improved  farm  of  240  acres  and  dealt 
considerably  in  real  estate. 

Thomas  was  reared  and  educated  in  Illi- 
nois. He  was  raised  a  farmer,  but  in  1859 
he  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Rushville, 
where  he  stayed  five  years.  He  then  went 
to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  he  loaned  money 
and  also  operated  a  shingle  and  lath  mill,  and 
while  thus  engaged  lost  one  finger  of  his 
right  hand.  He  then  went  to  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Brown  county,  Illinois,  where  he  became  a 
merchant,  but  in  1866  he  resumed  his  busi- 
ness in  Huntsville,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued. His  brother,  Horace,  was  his  partner 
for  some  ten  years  in  a  large  general  store. 
He  owns  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Hunts- 
ville, also  320  acres  in  Hall  county,  Ne- 
braska, 160  in  Kiowa  county,  Kansas,  and 
160  in  Grant  county,  Kansas.  He  also  is 
the  owner  of  good  property  in  Huntsville  at 
Wood  river,  Nevada,  at  Ford  City  and  Hunt- 


ington,  Indiana,  most  of  which  is  well  im- 
proved, and  he  has  made  all  of  this  himself. 
He  was  married  in  1859  to  Nancy  A., 
daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Mary  (McCarl)  Lew- 
ton,  who  were  pioneers  of  Huntsville  town- 
ship. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watts  have  five  children : 
William  O.,  Secretary  of  the  Building  and 
Loan  Association  of  Huntington,  Indiana; 
Laura  Snyder  of  Caldwell,  Kansas;  Fred  L., 
at  home;  Salena  Denny,  of  Augusta,  Illinois, 
and  Frank,  still  at  home.  In  politics  Mr. 
Watts  is  a  Democrat  and  has  held  local  office, 
but  only  takes  enough  interest  in  polities  to 
perform  duty  as  a  citizen.  His  business  re- 
quires all  his  time.  He  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  a 
very  successful  man  in  every  way. 


AULIN  CAMPBELL,  a  successful 
farmer  and  truck  raiser,  was  born  in 
Gloucester  county,  New  Jersey,  Octo- 
ber 14,  1849.  His  father,  David,  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  who  was  the  son  of  Thomas, 
who  was  born,  lived  and  died  in  the  same 
State.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  he 
had  built  up  a  large  property  and  had  given 
his  children  all  a  farm  together,  and  the  place 
was  known  as  Campbelltown.  David  grew 
up  in  his  native  State  and  became  a  promi- 
nent man  in  a  local  way.  He  was  successful 
in  life  as  a  farmer,  truck  grower  and  lumber 
man,  furnishing  lumber  to  house  builders  in 
that  community.  He  gave  liberally  toward 
the  upbuilding  of  the  Methodist  Church  and 
was  Steward  in  it  for  many  years.  He  died  at 
his  home  about  twelve  years  ago.  His  wife 
had  been  Ann  E.  Nelson.  Her  ancestry  was 
similar  to  that  of  her  husband's  and  she  lived 
and  died  at  her  home,  her  death  occurring  in 


SCHU7LER     AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


465 


1870.  She  was  a  good  wife  and  mother  and 
was  devoted  to  the  Methodist  Church. 

Paulin  is  one  of  six  children  and  grew  up 
in  his  father's  business.  When  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  came  to  Illinois  and  has  since 
lived  in  Cass  county.  Mr.  Campbell  makes 
a  specialty  of  sweet  potatoes.  He  owns  a 
good  farm  of  120  acres,  in  section  7,  town- 
ship 18,  range  11.  He  has  been  in  the  county 
since  1872,  has  lived  on  his  farm  since  1880, 
and  has  owned  it  since  1882. 

He  was  married  in  this  county,  to  Miss  Jen- 
nie Johnson,  born  near  Brighton,  Illinois. 
She  was  educated  chiefly  in  New  Jersey. 
Her  father  was  Samuel  Johnson,  who  grew 
up  a  farmer  in  New  Jersey,  and  soon  after 
his  marriage  to  Ann  E.  Hiles,  who  came  to 
Illinois  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Brighton. 
He  there  engaged  in  farming,  but  was  ac- 
cidentally killed  while  pressing  hay.  His 
wife  is  yet  living,  the  wife  of  John  Elliott. 

Mr.  aud  Mrs.  Campbell  are  prominent 
young  people,  the  parents  of  one  bright  boy 
of  eleven,  named  Roy. 


SRANS  H.  D.  KRUSE  was  born  in  East 
Friesland,  Germany,  in  1821.  His 
father,  Dierk  Kruse,  son  of  George 
Kruse,  was  born  in  the  same  place.  The 
father  of  the  present  subject  learned  the  trade 
of  millwright  and  followed  it  in  his  native 
land.  He  bought  several  important  mills-ites 
erected  mills  and  set  them  in  successful  opera- 
tion, and  sold  them.  In  1835,  he  came  to 
America,  in  the  Virginia,  a  ship  sailing  from 
Bremen,  bringing  with  him  his  sons,  Frans 
H.  D.  and  Sunke  M.,  and  landed  in  New 
York,  July  4. 

From  there  he  went  to  Albany,  by  way  of 
the  Hudson  river,  thence  across   to    Schenec- 


tady,  and  by  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo,  thence  by 
lake  to  Cleveland  and  from  there  by  land  and 
the  Ohio  river  to  Cincinnati.  He  afterward 
went  West  into  Illinois  to  Beardstown,  and  a 
few  months  afterward  bought  a  mill  on  Sugar 
creek,  ten  miles  east  of  Rnshville.  Six 
months  later  he  sold  the  mill  and  bought  a 
small  farm  two  and  one  half  miles  east  of 
Rushville  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming. 
Here  he  resided  for  eight  years,  when  he  re- 
turned to  the  old  country.  Some  years  after- 
ward he  returned  to  America  and  settled  in 
Texas,  remaining  there  five  years.  He  after- 
ward came  to  Illinois  and  bought  a  farm  in 
McDonough  county.  This  farm  was  ex- 
changed for  a  farm  five  miles  southwest  of 
Rushville  in  Woodstock  township,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death  in  1860. 

The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  Hiske  J.  Miller.  She  was  a  native  of 
the  same  country  as  her  husband,  and  spent 
her  entire  life  there.  She  had  five  children, 
all  of  whom  grew  to  manhood,  the  present 
subject  being  the  youngest,  who  was  in  his 
fourteenth  year  when  he  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  father.  The  country  was  but 
sparsely  settled  at  that  time,  and  some  of  the 
land  was  still  owned  by  the  Government. 
Frans  assisted  his  father  at  the  mill  and 
afterward  in  cleaning  out  the  farm.  As  the 
land  was  heavily  timbered  they  were  able  to 
build  a  small  frame  house  on  it.  In  1843  he 
bought  the  farm  of  his  father  and  has  had  his 
residence  here  ever  since.  Good,  substantial 
buildings  have  since  been  erected  upon  it,  and 
the  farm  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

He  married,  in  December,  1843,  Elizabeth 
C.  Garrett,  who  was  born  in  Georgetown, 
Scott  county,  Kentucky,  in  April,  1824.  Her 
father,  Thomas  Garrett,  was  born  in  Delaware 
and  was  the  son  of  David  Garrett,  who  lived  for 
many  years  on  the  line  between  that  State  and 


466 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GASS, 


Pennsylvania  and  spent  his  last  days  there. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  Kruse  went  to  Kentucky 
when  a  young  man,  and  married  in  Lexing- 
ton, Snsanah  Wigert,  who  was  born  in  Mary- 
land and  went  with  her  parents  to  Kentucky, 
while  she  was  an  infant.  After  her  marriage 
she  removed  to  Georgetown  with  her  hus- 
band, and  some  years  later  again  removed 
with  him  to  Illinois  by  way  of  the  Cumber- 
land, Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  Mr.  Gar- 
rett  made  several  removals  in  Illinois  and 
spent  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  near 
Browning,  Schuyler  county.  The  mother  of 
Mrs.  Kruse  survived  her  husband  for  many 
years,  and  died  at  the  residence  of  a  younger 
daughter,  who  was  a  resident  of  Nebraska,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years. 


fACOB  1).  GERRISH,  born  in  Brown 
county,  Illinois,  March  12,  1861,  is  the 
son  of  Sewall  and  Elizabeth  (Grove) 
Gerrish.  He  owns  part  of  his  father's  farm, 
and  lives  with  his  mother.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat.  His  father,  Sewall  Gerrish, 
was  born  in  Boscawen,  New  Hampshire, 
March  18,  1809;  came  to  Brown  county  Sep- 
tember 8,  1836;  ran  a  sawmill  on  McGee 
creek,  and  later  was  a  farmer.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  his  political  faith,  and  held 
several  township  offices.  He  was  married 
January  8,  1846,  to  Elizabeth  Grove,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia,  February  22,  1825. 
Sewall  Gerrish  died  May  17,  1879.  He  was 
the  son  of  Lieutenant  Stephen  and  Hannah 
(Ames)  Gerrish.  His  father,  born  April  16, 
1770,  died  November  11,  1815.  He  in- 
vented the  first  practical  auger  for  boring 
logs  and  pumps,  also  the  attachment  of  the 
screw  to  the  pod  auger.  With  his  father  he 


used  to  make  the  mill  saws  and  cranks  on  the 
common  forge.  He  was  one  of  the  first  in 
New  Hampshire  to  make  cut  nails. 

February  7,  1796,  he  married  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Lieutenant  Samuel  Ames;  she 
was  born  January  14,  1776,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 18,  1834.  Stephen  Gerrish  was  the  son 
of  Colonel  Henry  and  Martha  (Clough)  Ger- 
rish. His  father,  born  May  3,  1742,  died 
May  16,  1806;  married  Martha,  daughter  of 
Jeremiah  Clough,  November  10,  1763.  She 
was  born  November  10,  1742,  and  died 
October  15,  1826. 

Henry  Gerrish  was  the  son  of  Captain 
Stephen  and  Joanna  (Hale)  Gerrish.  His 
father,  born  January  22,  1711,  died  in  1788, 
in  Boscawen,  New  Hampshire.  He  married 
Joanna  Hale,  July  15, 1741,  who  was  born  in 
June,  1715,  and  died  in  1792. 

Stephen  Gerrish  was  the  son  of  Colonel 
Joseph  and  Mary  (Little)  Gerrish.  Colonel 
Joseph  lived  in  Newbury,  Massachusetts,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Legislature 
twenty  years.  He  married  Mary  Little, 
February  26,  1703.  She  was  born  March  20, 
1682,  and  died  January  1,  1765. 

Joseph  Gerrish  was  the  son  of  Colonel 
Moses  and  Jane  (Sewall)  Gerrish.  Colonel 
Moses  Gerrish,  born  in  Newbury,  Massachu- 
setts, May  9,  1656,  married  Jane,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Henry  Sewall,  September  24,  1(577. 
She  was  born  in  Badesly,  England,  October 
25,  1658,  and  died  in  January,  1717;  he 
died  in  1694.  Colonel  Moses  Gerrish  was  a 
son  of  Captain  William  and  Joanna  (Oliver) 
Gerrish.  Captain  William  Gerrish  was  born 
in  Bristol,  England,  August  20,  1617;  came 
to  New  England  in  1639,  and  settled  that 
year  in  Newbury,  Massachusetts;  was  the 
first  captain  of  the  military  band  in  that 
town,  and  representative  in  1650-'54;  mar- 
ried Joanna  Oliver,  of  Newbury,  April  17, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


467 


1645,  who  died  June  14,  1677,  and  he  moved 
to  Boston  in  1678.  At  the  serai-centennial 
anniversary  meeting  of  Boston,  March  14, 
1686,  Captain  Gerrish  opened  and  closed  the 
exercises  with  prayer.  He  died  in  Salem, 
Massachusetts,  August  9,  1687. 

Elizabeth  (Grove)  Gerrish,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Catharine  (Staley)  Grove, — he  of 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  she  of  Lynchburg, 
Virginia, — -came  to  Illinois  in  1826,  settling 
in  Sangamon  county  in  1828;  came  to  Elk- 
horn  township  and  entered  land.  She  died 
in  1846,  and  he  was  married  a  second  time, 
to  Elizabeth  (Hunter)  Clamp  in  1851,  and 
died  in  October,  1858.  Mrs.  Gerrish  is  one 
of  twelve  children.  All  are  prosperous  farm- 
ers, mostly  in  Missouri. 

Grandfather  Jacob  Grove  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  Virginia.  His 
wife,  Margaret  (Garinger)  Grove,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  and  died  in  Maryland.  Grand- 
father Stephen  Staley  died  in  Virginia,  and 
his  wife,  Barbary  (Yeasley)  Staley,  died  in 
Virginia.  She  was  born  in  Germany. 

Mrs.  Gerrish  was  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren; eight  are  yet  living.  Hannah  married 
Fred  Wenneker,  and  has  four  children, — 
Frank  F.,  Henry  G.,  August  C.  and  Katie 
M.  Harriet  married  Samuel  C.  Gerrish,  and 
has  three  children, — Nettie  M.,  Harry  E.  and 
Carlos  A.  Martha  married  George  E.  Rich- 
ardson, and  has  five  children, — Otis  E.,  Josie 
L.,  Sewall  H.,  George  E.  and  Nina  L.  Samuel 
S.  married  Addie  Hargus,  and  they  have  two 
children, — Myrtle  C.  and  Loren  E.  Jose- 
phine married  Joseph  J.  Moore,  and  they 
have  six  children, — Joseph  G.,  Edith  M., 
Frank  G.,  Harlan  E.,  Dallas  J.  and  Mabel  C. 
Mary  E.  married  P.  C.  Sweeny,  and  has  one 
child, — John.  Jacob  D.  and  Cynthia  are  at 
home.  Her  people  came  to  America  in  1717, 
and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  The  first  was 


John  Grove,  who  came  from  Holland,  —  a 
Quaker.  Some  were  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  The  family  belong  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  are  highly  regarded  in  the 
county. 


[HRISTIAN  S.  KRUEGER,  a  farmer 
of  sections  22,  3,  and  14,  township 
17,  range  12,  was  born  on  the  farm  he 
now  owns  in  1846.  He  was  reared  on 
this  farm,  and  has  since  lived  on  it.  His 
father,  John,  was  a  native  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many; who  grew  up  and  was  married  there 
to  Mdry  Hendricker,  of  the  same  place. 
After  the  birth  of  two  children,  in  1839  the 
family  decided  to  come  to  America.  They 
came  from  Bremen,  and  after  many  weeks, 
landed  in  New  Orleans,  coming  from  thence 
td  Beardstown.  He  purchased  the  land  where 
he  lived  and  died,  the  latter  event  occurring 
August  11,  1873.  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of 
his  age.  He  was  a  good,  hard-working  man, 
always  very  quiet  and  peaceable.  He  was  a 
Lutheran,  and  embraced  the  Republican  po- 
litical faith.  His  wife,  who  was  also  a  good 
Lutheran,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty. 

Our  subject  is  the  younger  of  four  living 
sons,  a  sister  having  died  young.  The  chil- 
dren are:  Henry,  a  farmer  in  Morgan  county; 
John  and  Fred  are  farmers  in  Nemaha  county, 
Kansas. 

Christian  was  married  in  Cass  county,  to 
Elizabeth  Meyer,  who  was  born  May  10,  1853, 
in  this  county,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
here.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Minnie  (Rusch)  Meyer,  natives  of  Prussia, 
Germany,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in 
the  '40s,  and  made  a  settlement  on  a  farm  in 
section  17,  Cass  county,  afterward  selling 
that  and  buying  land  in  range  17,  township 


468 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


12,  where  they  died,  both  past  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  Mrs.  Krueger  is  the  youngest  of 
her  father's  children,  and  she  with  the  eldest, 
a  brother,  Charles  H.,  a  farmer  in  this  county, 
are  the  only  members  of  the  family  living. 
Mr.  Krueger  is  a  Eepublican,  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  They  have  eight  children:  Chris- 
tian V.,  Minnie  K.,  Henry  E.,  Charles  F., 
Lydia  N.,  John  F.,  Amelia  M.  and  Benj.  H. 
Mr.  Krueger  now  owns  160  acres  of  land, 
which  he  purchased  from  the  heirs  of  his 
father's  estate,  having  owned  it  eighteen  years. 
He  has  improved  it,  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  success  f  ul  farmers  of  the  county. 


fAMES  M.  EEAD  was  born  in  Birming- 
ham township,  October  2,  1842.  He 
was  the  son  of  Amasa  Head,  who  was 
born  in  Massachusetts,  and  Jane,  nee  Hender- 
son of  Ohio.  The  grandfather,  with  two 
brothers,  came  to  America  from  England 
when  they  were  young  men,  and  followed 
farming.  Amasa  and  two  brothers  came  to 
Ohio  at  a  very  early  day,  and  settled  at 
Xenia.  In  1837  Amasa  sold  out  his  land, 
and  with  a  wagon  came  overland  to  this 
county.  He  traded  his  team  to  some  men  to 
build  him  a  house.  In  1837  he  went  back 
and  brought  his  family  and  settled  on  the 
farm  where  our  subject  now  lives.  When  he 
came  back  the  house  was  not  finished,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  rough  it  for  nine  months 
without  doors  or  windows.  The  most  of  the 
children  were  born  in  this  old  log  house. 

James  was  one  of  six  children,  three  yet 
living.  His  father  died  in  the  old  log  house 
five  years  after  coming  here  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years,  and  his  wife  died  in  1890, 
aged  eighty  years.  Amasa  Read  ran  a  clock 


factory  in  Ohio,  and  when  he  first  came  to 
Illinois  he  started  a  nursery.  He  was  an  old- 
line  Whig,  and  voted  for  William  Henry 
Harrison. 

James  remained  at  home  until  his  mar- 
riage, January  3,  1871,  to  Sophia  King, 
daughter  of  Louis  and  Harriet  King,  who 
came  to  Huntsville,  Illinois,  in  1838  or  1839, 
and  are  still  living.  Up  to  the  time  of  his 
marriage,  James  worked  at  home,  attended 
the  district  school,  and  went  one  year  to 
Abingdon  Seminary.  John  Brown,  of 
Harper's  Ferry  fame,  was  an  own  cousin  of 
Mr.  Read.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Read  have  five 
children:  Effie  M.,  Ellen  J.  and  Eliza  S.,  now 
in  school  at  Augusta,  and  preparing  for  col- 
lege; George  M.  and  James  M.,  are  both  at 
home. 

After  bis  marriage  he  still  lived  on  the  old 
farm  where  he  had  bought  out  all  of  the  heirs. 
Later  he  sold  eighty  acres,  leaving  him  240 
at  present.  He  has  built  a  fine  house  and  barn, 
and  has  as  good  a  farm  as  is  in  the  county, 
on  which  he  raises  a  good  deal  of  stock.  He 
voted  first  for  Lincoln,  and  has  been  a  Re- 
publican ever  since.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Read 
attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr . 
Read  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  the  age  of  nineteen.  His  sister,  Eliza  J., 
at  the  age  of  twenty-six  taught  kindergarten 
in  Chicago,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Rev.  J. 
T.  Sunderland.  Mr.  Read  has  a  delightful 
family  and  a  very  fine  home. 


fOHN  SCHULTZ,  of  the  firm  of  Schultz 
&  Baujan,  proprietors  of  the  Home  Mills 
and  Elevator,  located  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Illinois  river,  where  they   do  a  large 
business,  was  born  in  Bavaria,   in  tho  Rhine 
province,  on  the  river   Rhine,  June  1,  1849. 


SG  SUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


469 


He  learned  his  trade  of  wagon  and  carriage 
maker  before  he  left  for  America  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1860.  He  proceeded  to  Beardstown, 
joining  his  sister,  Mrs.  Anton  Kink,  who  had 
come  before.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
a  native  of  Germany,  and  died  there  when 
sixty.  He  was  a  farmer  and  small  land-owner, 
and  married  a  German  lady,  Miss  Margaret 
Caalmann,  who  died  when  forty-eight.  She 
had  six  children. 

Mr.  Schultz  began  in  Beardstown  as  a  car- 
riage and  wagon  maker.  He  then  became  a 
dealer  in  wines  and  liquors  for  three  years. 
His  present  business  is  successfully  carried 
on  by  himself  and  the  two  sons  of  his  old 
partner,  Mr.  Baujan,  who  took  their  father's 
place  when  he  died  in  1890.  Their  brands 
of  flour  are  represented  by  traveling  men  and 
they  do  business  all  over  the  State.  The  mills 
have  a  capacity  of  200  barrels  per  day,  and 
the  elevator  of  80,000  bushels.  They  have 
warehouses  also  at  Spring  Bluffs  and  other 
places.  The  mills  have  nine  sets  of  rollers 
and  are  run  by  steam  power.  Their  main 
brands  are  Sunbeam  and  Sea  Foam.  It  was 
started  in  1875,  under  the  firm  name  of  Bau- 
jan &  Company. 

Mr.  Schultz  is  also  connected  with  other 
local  enterprises,  being  a  stockholder  in  the 
First  National  Bank  and  the  Beardstown 
Electric  Light  &  Power  Company,  and  a 
director  in  both.  He  has  been  a  leader  in 
many  other  enterprises  that  have  affected  the 
welfare  of  the  city. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown  to  Miss 
Eosa  A.  Baujau,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Cass  county.  They  have  four  children :  Harry, 
now  dead;  Olive  A.,  Etta  A.,  Alfred  C.  Mrs. 
Schultz  is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  Mr.  Schultz  is  a  strong  Democrat 
and  has  been  Alderman  of  the  city,  and  also 


delegate  to  the  State  Congressional  Commit- 
tee. He  is  a  member  of  the  order  A.  O.  U. 
W.,  and  has  tilled  the  chairs.  He  has  been  sent 
to  the  Grand  Lodge. 


AYLOR  L.  SMITH,  Superintendent  of 
the  Railroad  Round  House  at  Beards- 
town  for  the  St.  Louis  &  Rock  Island  di- 
vision of  the  Chicago  Burlington  &  Quincy, 
was  born  near  Zanesville,  Ohio.  His  father, 
James  Smith,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
of  Dutch  ancestry.  He  had  grown  up  in  his 
native  county  of  Washington,  at  which  place 
his  father,  William  Smith,  had  followed  the 
occupation  of  butcher.  Later  he  came  to 
Ohio  and  there  lived  and  died  at  Newark, 
Licking  county.  It  was  there  that  his  son 
James  had  settled  and  engaged  in  the  butcher 
business.  He  had  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Leggett  in  Pennsylvania.  After  settling  in 
Newark  they  became  prominent  in  society, 
and  Mrs.  Leggett  died  there  when  she  was 
forty-three.  Mr.  Smith  was  married  a  sec- 
ond time  to  Miss  Lotta  Frink,  in  Ohio,  and 
in  1887  moved  to  Butler,  Bates  county,  Mis- 
souri, and  are  now  living  there,  Mr.  Smith 
still  actively  engaged  in  the  meat-market  busi 
ness.  They  are  good,  hard-working  people. 
Taylor  L.  is  the  third  child  of  six  chil- 
dren, all  married  and  prominent  persons  in 
life.  He  grew  up  an  industrious,  hard-work- 
ing boy,  and  earned  his  bread  by  his  own  per- 
sonal endeavors.  He  was  reared  near  the 
place  of  his  birth,  and  later  became  an  appren- 
tice to  a  firm  selling  portable  and  stationary 
engines  at  Newark,  Ohio.  Three  years  after- 
ward, he  became  connected  with  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Railroad.  He  came  to  Beardstown 
a  number  of  years  ago,  began  in  the  machine 
shops  and  being  a  practical  machinist  and 


470 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS8, 


good  workman,  soon  became  overseer  of  the 
engine  repair  shops.  He  was  engaged  there 
for  more  than  three  years,  when  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  round  house  and  has  since 
been  thus  connected,  having  some  twenty- 
five  men  under  him,  besides  having  to  direct 
about  one  hundred  engineers.  He  has  held 
this  office  for  two  years.  He  has  been  very 
successful,  and  owns  a  comfortable  home  in 
Beardstown. 

He  was  married  in  Newark,  Ohio,  to  Miss 
Mary  Dalton  of  Newark,  a  very  intelligent 
lady,  the  daughter  of  Michael  and  Mary  Dal- 
ton, now  living  in  Newark,  both  in  the  60s. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Maybell,  Edith,  Anna  and  Warren, 
all  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  promi- 
nent in  Beardstown  society.  Mr.  Smith  is  a 
Master  Mason  and  is  a  member  of  Arch  Lodge 
No.  16,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  also  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  lodge,  No.  207.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  a  genial,  pleasant  gentleman. 


KOSES  HARBISON,  an  intelligent 
and  progressive  farmer  of  C  a  s  s 
county,  Illinois,  numbered  among 
the  substantial  men  of  this  section,  was  born 
in  Barren,  now  Metcalt'e  county,  Kentucky, 
September  3,  1831. 

His  parents  were  Adam  B.  and  Hannah 
(Rhea)  Harbison,  the  former  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, who,  when  a  young  man,  operated 
different  mills  and  also  did  teaming.  In  1831, 
he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  wife's  people, 
although  at  the  time  unmarried,  his  union 
taking  place  in  the  latter  State.  Accom- 
panied by  his  wife,  he  shortly  afterward  re- 
turned to  Kentucky,  where  they  resided  for 
a  year  or  two,  after  which  they  removed  to 
Washington  county,  Missouri,  in  which 


place  he  farmed  for  about  five  years.  He 
then  sold  out  and  returned  to  Illinois,  settling 
in  Mason  county,  where  he  entered  200  acr.es 
of  good  land,  and  built  a  log  house.  Here 
he  died  two  years  later,  at  the  comparatively 
early  age  of  forty-four  years.  He  was  twice 
married,  his  first  wife  being  the  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  She  died  on  the  farm 
in  Missouri,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-three 
years,  leaving  three  small  children  to  the 
care  of  her  bereaved  husband. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  these  children.  He  lived  at  home 
until  his  father's  death,  after  which  his 
stepmother  bound  him  out  to  a  farmer.  Two 
years  later,  however,  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years,  he  took  "  French  leave,"  and  started 
out  in  life  for  himself.  He  first  worked  for 
$2.50  a  month,  which  was  in  1845.  At  the 
end  of  five  months,  he  bought  a  sow  and  pig, 
which  was  his  first  speculation  in  pork.  Out 
of  his  small  income,  he  provided  them  with 
corn,  and,  like  Jacob's  kine,  they  waxed 
strong  and  beautiful.  This  was  only  the 
beginning  of  his  schemes  for  advancement. 
In  1848  he  rented  sixteen  acres  of  land, 
which,  with  one  horse,  he  started  to  improve. 
The  following  year,  he  bought  another  horse, 
and  thus  continued  to  rent  land  and  work  it 
until  1853,  when  he  and  a  brother  came  to 
where  our  subject  now  lives,  and  bought  160 
acres  of  land.  An  old  house  was  on  the 
place  and  ninety  acres  were  under  cultiva- 
tion. This  land  they  industriously  improved, 
and,  in  1868,  Mr.  Harbison  erected  on  it  his 
present  substantial  farm  house.  He  has  re- 
cently sold  some  of  his  land,  but  still  re- 
tains 342  acres,  most  of  which  is  under  culti- 
vation. 

He  was  first  married,  January  7,  1857,  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Davis,  an  intelligent  and 
energetic  lady,  and  a  native  of  Cass  county. 


SQBUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


471 


This  union  was  destined  to  be  of  short  dura- 
tion, the  devoted  wife  and  mother  dying  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  leaving  a  child 
to  the  care  of  her  bereaved  husband,  which 
afterward  died,  aged  nineteen  months.  Her 
people  were  very  old  and  esteemed  settlers 
of  this  State. 

March  13,  1863,  Mr.  Harbison  was  again 
married,  his  second  wife  being  Miss  Lydia  F. 
Mason,  an  estimable  lady,  and  a  native  of 
Culpeper  county,  Virginia.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Emma  (Milliner) 
Mason,  also  natives  of  the  Old  Dominion. 
They  came  to  Illinois  in  1856,  settling  first 
in  Cass  county,  whence  they  removed  to 
Joplin,  Missouri,  where  the  mother  died, 
aged  seventy  years,  the  father  still  surviving. 
This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  are  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harbison  have  ten  children: 
Virginia  S.,  married  and  has  one  child,  a 
daughter;  Charles  C.,  who  is  at  home;  Mary 
C.  is  married  and  has  one  son.  The  other 
children  are  still  at  home  and  are  as  follows: 
Arthur  J.,  Robert  F.,  Estella,  Alice,  Martha 
C.,  Emma  and  Nancy  A. 

Politically,  Mr.  Harbison  is  a  Democrat, 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Gen- 
eral Pierce.  His  constituents  have  recog- 
nized his  ability  and  integrity  of  character, 
and  have  sought  to  gain  the  benefit  of  these 
traits  by  electing  him  to  various  local  offices, 
in  all  of  which  he  has  served  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community.  He  has  been  an 
efficient  member  of  the  school  board  for 
twenty-two  years,  which  fact  of  itself  speaks 
volumes  in  favor  of  his  excellent  judgment 
and  moral  force  of  character. 

Mr.  Harbison's  life  would  furnish  an  in- 
spiration to  many  poor,  young  men,  who, 
alone  and  unaided,  are  starting  in  life,  with 
no  compass  by  which  to  guide  their  course. 


Happy  are  they,  if,  like  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  they  keep  their  eyes  stedily  fixed  on 
the  North  Star  of  Truth,  while  industriously 
spreading  their  sails  to  the  breezes  of  pros- 
perity, which  will  eventually  waft  them  to 
'he  desired  haven  of  comfort  and  happiness. 


ATHANIEL  H.  EOONE,  M.  D.— This 
gentleman  was  born  in  Troup  county, 
Georgia,  June  6,  1836,  and  was  the 
son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Bradford) 
Boone.  He  was  a  farmer  in  South  Carolina, 
and  died  in  Mississippi,  aged  forty-nine 
years.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  also 
born  in  South  Carolina  and  died  at  the  same 
place,  aged  seventy-four. 

The  subject  of  the  present  notice  was  one 
of  ten  children,  three  of  whom  are  yet  living. 
He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  occurred  his 
father's  death.  He  then  was  sent  to  an 
academy  for  several  years  at  College  Hill, 
and  then  to  medical  college  at  Nashville.  He 
graduated  at  this  college  in  1860,  and  in  1861 
he  married  Miss  Cornelia  Blackwell  of 
Georgia,  but  Dr.  Boone  had  met  her  at  Pine 
Bluff,  where  he  had  gone  to  practice.  Her 
life  was  short,  as  her  death  occurred  at  the 
the  age  of  twenty-three.  Her  two  children 
died  also.  She  was  the  daughter  of  James 
and  Mary  Blackwell  of  Georgia,  who  later 
removed  to  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas,  and  there 
died,  he  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  or  sixty,  and  she 
about  fifty  years  old.  Our  subject  was  mar- 
ried a  second  time  September  25, 1870,  to  Miss 
Harriet  H.  Codington,  who  was  born  in  Me- 
nard  county,  Illinois,  December  21, 1838,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Leeper) 
Codington.  They  were  natives  of  Barren 
county,  Kentucky,  and  he  followed  black- 


472 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


smithing  until  in  1829  or  1830  he  came  to 
Illinois.  He  drove  his  stock  and  wagon  and 
a  carriage  for  the  family,  and  first  settled  in 
Menard  county,  and  took  up  Government 
land  and  then  built  a  log  cabin  upon  it. 
Here  they  lived  for  quite  a  time  in  a  tent  and 
in  the  log  house,  probably  eight  years.  The 
father,  Mr.  Codington,  brought  three  chil- 
dren with  them  and  seven  more  were  born 
here,  and  six  of  this  family  still  live.  His 
life  extended  to  seventy-two  years,  and  that 
of  his  wife  to  sixty-four  years.  The  Coding- 
tons  were  of  German  ancestry,  and  on  the 
mother's  side  a  little  Irish.  Mrs.  Booue  says  of 
those  early  times  that  the  country  was  sparsely 
settled  and  wild  game  was  abundant. 

Dr.  Boone  practiced  medicine  in  Pine 
Bluff,  Arkansas,  about  three  years,  and 
in  1864,  he  sold  out  there  and  came 
North  and  settled  in  Chandlerville,  this 
county.  Later,  he  bought  land  and  kept  on 
adding  to  it  until  now  he  farms  over  1,700 
acres  in  this  State  and  in  Kansas,  and  rents 
the  most  of  it.  He  works  a  host  of  men 
and  presents  the  unusual  spectacle  of  a  suc- 
cessful professional  man  who  is  also  a  success- 
ful farmer. 

Dr.  Boone  has  taken  no  active  part  in  poli- 
tics, but  his  first  vote  was  for  Bell,  and  since 
he  has  been  a  Democrat  and  a  Prohibitionist. 
He  has  served  the  town  for  years  in  the  town 
Council.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  the  Doctor  has 
been  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  for 
many  years. 

Living  with  the  subject,  is  his  nephew, 
Howard  B.  Boone,  who  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Mississippi,  May  30,  1870.  He  was 
the  son-  of  William  Sanford  and  Ophelia 
(Watson)  Boone.  William  S.  Boone  was 
born  in  the  same  place  as  our  subject,  March 
6, 1841,  and  there  died  aged  about  thirty- 


five  or  forty  years.  His  wife  Ophelia  still 
lives  in  Mississippi,  on  the  old  homestead. 
Howard  B.  is  a  very  promising  young  man 
and  medical  student,  and  will  receive  every 
advantage  the  best  medical  colleges  afford. 


E.  NIEMANN,  a  successful  dealer  in 
wines  and  liquors  at  the  corner  of 
9  Washington  and  Main  streets,  in 
Beardstown,  was  born  in  West  Darling, 
Prussia,  Germany,  April  17,  1832.  He  lost 
his  father,  Casper  Niemann,  who  lived  and 
died  in  his  native  province  in  Prussia.  His 
death  occurred  in  his  sixty-seventh  year. 
He  had  been  a  live-stock  dealer  and  trader. 
His  mother  lived  to  come  to  this  country 
with  her  children  in  1859,  where  she  spent 
her  last  days.  She  and  her  husband  were 
consistent  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  Niemann  came  to  Beardstown  in  1859 
and  began  as  a  poor  man  and  has  for  twenty 
years  been  steamboating  on  the  Mississippi 
river  and  for  the  last  few  years  as  mate.  He 
has,  however,  always  lived  in  Beardstown  and 
been  closely  connected  with  the  town  in  its 
growth.  Since  he  came  from  Prussia,  land- 
ing at  New  Orleans,  he  has  lived  to  see  the 
great  changes  come  over  the  steamboating  of 
the  great  rivers.  He  has  been  in  his  present 
business  fourteen  years. 

He  was  married  in  this  city  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Howard.  She  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  and  was  twenty  years  of  age  when 
she  came  to  the  United  States.  Her  parents 
and  relatives  all  died  in  her  native  country. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Niemann  have  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  four  are  now  living. 
They  were  among  the  first  members  and  or- 
ganizers of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  this 


SGHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


4-13 


place,  to  which  they  have  always  subscribed. 
He  lias  always  been  a  Republican  in  politics, 
but  in  no  sense  is  he  an  office-seeker.  He 
has  many  warm  friends  among  his  large 
circle  of  acquaintances. 


THEODORE  FRANKENFIELD.— The 

subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  Decem- 
ber 28,  1850,  in  Prussia,  and  was  the 
son  of  Adolph  and  Johannes  (Fielden)  Frank- 
enfield,  who  were  natives  of  the  same  place. 
The  father  was  a  soldier  for  thirty  years. 
Our  subject  came  to  America  when  twenty- 
five  years  of  age  and  was  seventy-five  days  on 
the  trip,  and  landed  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  worked  at 
this  business  until  he  came  to  Illinois.  His 
first  change  in  this  new  country  was  from 
New  York  to  Pennsylvania,  and  from  there 
he  weut  to  various  places  until  in  1861  he 
settled  near  where  he  now  lives.  He  worked 
by  the  month  and  at  his  trade,  and  in  June, 
1863,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  C. 
Morris,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  where  our 
subject  now  lives.  She  was  born  April  28, 
1846,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Joshua  and 
Nancy  (Hickey)  Morris.  Her  father  came 
from  Kentucky  and  settled  here  about  1830, 
locating  in  this  township  with  his  father  and 
mother,  Henry  and  Mary  Morris,  and  lived 
and  died  here,  aged  about  seventy  years. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  Frankenfield  was  born  in 
the  year  1801  and  lived  until  1881.  He 
was  of  Irish  ancestry,  and  was  proprietor 
of  a  frontier  grocery  store.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  of  the  pioneers  of  this  section  and 
lived  in  a  primitive  log  house,  but  at  his 
death  he  owned  700  acres  of  land  to  bequeath 
to  his  family.  He  built  the  present  home 


about  eighteen  years  ago.  He  was  a  kind- 
hearted  man,  was  very  active  in  politics  and 
was  an  ardent  Republican. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  was  one 
of  five  children,  of  whom  he  is  probably  the 
only  survivor.  He  served  four  years  in  the 
German  army  and  soon  after  his  discharge 
came  to  America,  where  he  has  been  a  very 
successful  man.  He  and  his  good  wife  have 
four  living  children,  as  follows:  Joshua  T.  was 
born  April  16,  1864,  and  is  now  married  and 
the  father  of  one  boy;  William  E.  was  born 
September  28,  1866,  and  a  girl  is  now  the 
comfort  of  his  home;  Matilda  C.  was  born 
May  1,  1869,  and  now  in  her  home  has  a  boy 
and  girl  of  her  own:  Henry  P.  was  born  Sep- 
tember 27,  1876;  and  Frank,  a  lad  of  eleven 
years  is  dead.  All  the  children  received  an 
education  in  the  district  school. 

Mr.  Frankenfield  believes  in  the  principles 
of  the  Democracy  and  cast  his  first  vote  in  this 
country  for  James  Buchannan.  He  and  all 
of  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  he  has  been  very 
active  in  work  in  the  church  and  Sunday- 
school.  He  has  carried  on  a  system  of 
mixed  farming  and  has  300  acres  of  land. 
He  is  a  man  who  commands  the  respect  of 
the  whole  neighborhood,  and  the  family  is 
one  which  has  been  very  prominent  among 
the  pioneers  of  this  grand  old  county. 


§OHN  W,  MORRIS,  a    contractor    and 
builder  of  Rushville,  was  born  in  Rock- 
ingham  county,  Virginia,  April  8,  1832. 
His  father,  William   Morris,  was  a  native   of 
Augusta   county,  the    same    State,  and  the 
father  of  the  latter  was  a  life-long  resident  of 
the  Old  Dominion.     The  father  of  John  W. 
Morris    was  reared    in    Virginia,    where   he 


474 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  a  calling  he 
followed  there  until  1833,  when  he  emigrated 
to  Ohio  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  six 
children,  making  the  journey  with  teams.  A 
year  was  spent  at  Lancaster,  Fairfield  county, 
when  another  migration  was  made,  this  time  to 
Franklin  county,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
timber  land  near  Groveport,  where  he  resided 
ten  years,  all  the  time  carrying  on  the  business 
of  contractor  and  builder,  besides  superin- 
tending the  improvement  of  his  farm.  Sell- 
ing out  again,  he  again  took  his  family  with 
him,  settling  in  Delaware  county,  purchasing 
a  farm  near  Centreville.  Pie  pursued  farming 
until  1862,  when  the  spirit  of  change  again 
came  over  him,  and  he  found  a  home  in  Grand 
View,  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  where  two 
daughters  and  one  son  continued  to  reside. 
He  lived  there,  retired  from  business,  until 
his  death,  which  came  peacefully  in  May, 
1879,  when  he  was  seventy-seven  years  old. 
His  wife's  death  preceded  his  a  few  months, 
she  having  passed  away  in  February  of  the 
same  year.  Her  maiden  name  was  Eliza 
Palmer,  and  she  was  born  in  Virginia,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Robert  and  Martha 
Palmer.  She  reared  eight  children :  Harriet 
Stevenson,  George,  Charles  L.,  James  H., 
William  B.,  John  W.,  Jane  F.  and  Caroline 
Cavendish. 

John  was  so  young  when  his  parents  left 
Virginia  that  he  has  no  recollection  of  his 
native  place..  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Franklin  and  Delavan  counties,  and  when 
not  in  school  assisted  his  father  at  his  trade 
and  on  the  farm.  He  was  a  natural  mechanic 
and  gave  evidence  of  skill  with  edged  tools 
at  a  very  early  age.  He  did  journeyman's 
work  in  Ohio  until  1856,  when  he  went  to 
Grand  View,  Edgar  county,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1862,  when  he  removed  to  Ful- 
ton county,  following  his  trade  at  Marietta 


for  tvvo  years.  Mattoon,  Coles  county,  was 
next  his  home,  and  then,  in  1866,  he  removed 
to  Rushville,  where  he  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits  for  two  and  a  half  years;  tiring  of 
this  he  followed  farming  for  two  years,  when, 
settling  in  Rushville,  he  began  the  business 
of  contractor  and  builder,  which  he  has  con- 
tinued ever  since.  The  principal  business 
blocks  of  Rushville  were  erected  by  him,  and 
they  are  so  many  monumects  to  his  skill  and 
to  the  fidelity  of  his  work. 

Mr.  Morris  was  married  in  1860,  to  Eliza- 
beth Cary,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1840. 
His  married  life  has  been  a  happy  one,  and 
three  living  children  bless  their  union,  viz.: 
Mary  C.,  Annie  E.  and  Alice  G.  Two,  Cary 
and  Charles  L.,  are  deceased. 

Mr.  Morris  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  1859,  and  has  continued 
since  that  time  to  be  a  consistent  member  of 
that  body.  In  politics  Mr.  Morris  is  a  Re- 
publican, earnestly  advocating  the  measures 
of  that  party. 


EV.  DANIEL  A.  BLOSE,  pastor  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  Beards- 
town,  was  born  in  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  May  23, 1854.  He  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm,  and  there  remained  until 
seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered 
Covode  academy  in  the  same  county,  and  a 
year  later  attended  an  academy  in  Armstrong 
county,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1875, 
and  then  entered  the  University  of  Lewis- 
burg,  now  known  as  Bucksnell  University,  and 
graduated  there  with  the  class  of  1878, 
receiving  100  per  cent,  in  all  class  examina- 
tions, also  the  first  honors  with  the  oration 
in  the  scientific  course.  He  entered  in  the 
fall  of  1878,  the  Auburn  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  Auburn,  New  York,  and  graduated 


SUHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


475 


with  the  class  of  1881.  He  was  then  li- 
censed by  the  Kittaiming  Presbytery  of  the 
synod  of  Pennsylvania,  that  being  their  cus- 
tom. He  was  ordained  by  the  Geneva  Pres- 
bytery of  the  synod  of  New  York,  January 
12,  1882,  and  soon  after  became  pastor  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Dresden,  New 
York.  In  1886  he  became  connected  with 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  has  since 
been  an  earnest  worker.  It  was  in  De  Kalb, 
Illinois,  that  he  did  his  first  work  as  a  Con- 
gregational minister,  and  the  beautiful  stone 
church  edifice  of  that  place  stands  as  a  silent 
monument  to  his  labors.  Being  overworked 
he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  position  against 
the  unanimous  protest  of  the  people.  He 
was  immediately  called  to  the  church  at 
Tonica,  Illinois,  which  he  accepted  under  the 
promise  of  being  able  to  rest.  During  his 
one  year  there  the  membership  was  doubled. 
At  the  close  of  the  year  an  anti-Masonic  fac- 
tion caused  a  lack  of  harmony  in  the  church, 
and  the  Rev.  Blose  resigned  against  the 
united  request  of  the  congregation.  He  im- 
mediately received  a  call  from  four  churches, 
and  decided  to  accept  theone  from  La  Harpe, 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  fifteen  months, 
and  increased  the  membership  by  fifty  mem- 
bers. He  was  then  unanimously  called  to 
the  church  at  Beardstown,  which  he  accepted 
much  against  the  wishes  of  his  congregation 
at  La  Harpe. 

He  was  married  May  1,  1881,  at  Burns, 
Allegany  county,  New  York,  to  Mamie  E. 
Coray,  born  December  15,  1857,  educated  in 
the  Union  High  School  of  Canaseraga,  New 
York,  graduating  in  1879.  She  is  an  ac- 
complished lady,  an  enthusiastic  worker  in 
the  church  and  in  all  the  avenues  where  good 
may  be  promoted,  and  is  the  devoted  mother 
of  two  very  bright  children;  Minnie  Coray 
and  Charles  A. 


Mr.  Blose  is  a  sound  Republican,  his  faith 
being  born  of  intelligence  vitalized  by  right- 
eousness and  patriotism.  He  feels  that  he 
has  a  right  to  spread  his  principles  and  advo- 
cate his  political  faith  from  the  rostrum  as  he 
preaches  his  religion  from  the  pulpit. 


ENRY  YETTE,a  general  farmer,  was 
born  in  Prussia,  May  10,  1864.  His 
father,  William  Vette,  was  a  brick  ma- 
son, and  died  when  he  was  thirty-eight  years 
old.  His  wife  had  died  the  preceding  year, 
and  they  both  were  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church. 

Henry  was  left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  ten, 
and  grew  up  as  a  maker  of  cigar  boxes  in  his 
native  province  until  seventeen  years  of  age, 
and  then  he  and  a  friend  set  out  for  this 
country.  They  set  sail  from  Bremen  in  1882, 
landed  in  New  York  city  in  the  same  year 
and  then  came  to  Illinois,  reaching  Beards- 
town  with  $1.10  in  his  pocket.  He  began 
work  first  as  a  laborer  with  his  uncle,  Henry 
Vette,  and  after  some  years  of  economy  he 
was  able  to  purchase  the  large  farm  he  is  uow 
rapidly  paying  for.  The  farm  consists  of  125 
acres,  well  improved,  and  other  land  that  is 
not  under  plow,  amounting  to  372  aaras.  He 
is  a  young  man  of  good  judgment,  and  has 
shown  what  he  can  do  and  is  bound  to  succeed. 

He  was  married  in  Cass  county,  to  Anna 
Shave,  who  was  born  in  Beardstown,  March 
22,  1867,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  this 
county.  She  is  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Ingle  (Shave)  Shave.  They  are  now  living 
in  this  county,  successful  farmers,  owning 
tine  property.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vette  are 
members  of  the  Sixth  Street  Lutheran  Church 
in  Beardstown.  They  are  the  parents  of 


476 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


three  children,  Hilda  1.,  William  H.  and 
Edna  L.  Mr.  Vette  is  an  ardent  Republican, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  highly  esteemed 
by  all  who  know  them. 


>ARON  LOGSDON  was  born  in  Madi- 
son county,  Kentucky,  May  7,  1821. 
His  grandfather  was  Edward  Logsdon, 
a  native  of  Maryland,  who  moved  to  Ken- 
tucky in  early  life,  where  the  thirteen  chil- 
dren were  born.  These  all  grew  to  adult  age 
and  reared  families  of  their  own.  The  mother 
of  this  family  was  Polly  Brown,  also  a  native 
of  Maryland.  George  Logsdon,  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  the  youngest 
of  the  family.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
was  early  accustomed  to  hard  work,  only 
having  the  meager  schooling  of  the  time. 
He  lived  at  home  on  the  farm,  which  finally 
became  his  own  at  the  death  of  his  father, 
Edward.  The  latter  was  a  man  of  wonderful 
strength,  perfectly  fearless,  and  in  his  old  age 
was  a  match  for  many  men  who  were  younger. 
He  weighed  nearly  200  pounds,  and  was  six 
feet  high.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Kentucky,  and  in  those  days  strength  and 
courage  were  the  only  safeguards  of  a  man 
He  was  a  very  peaceable  person,  but  had 
some  encounters  with  fighting  men,  and 
never  was  conquered.  He  married  Sally  Mc- 
Kinzie,  a  daughter  of  John  McKinzie.  The 
union  took  place  in  Kentucky,  and  there 
they  lived  and  there  their  family  of  eleven 
children  were  born.  Two  of  these  died  in 
infancy,  but  all  of  the  others  grew  up  and 
became  heads  of  families,  and  seven  of  them 
are  still  living.  The  parents  came  to  Illinois 
in  1856,  bringing  three  children  with  them. 
Our  subject  had  preceded  them  in  1852,  with 
his  wife  and  five  children,  coining  by  water 
to  Lagrange. 


The  first  wife  of  our  subject  was  Lucinda 
Dunbar,  who  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  of 
consumption,  and  left  him  two  daughters 
and  an  infant  which  soon  died.  The  daugh- 
ters were  Sally  and  Minerva.  Mr.  Logsdon 
was  again  married,  to  Martha  J.  Johnson, 
the  daughter  of  Thomas  Johnson  and  Re- 
becca Shearer,  the  latter  from  Ireland  and 
the  former  from  Pennsylvania.  They  were 
early  settlers  in  Kentucky,  and  the  father  is 
still  living  and  hearty  at  his  old  home.  He 
reared  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  are  still 
living,  the  youngest  being  forty-six  years  of 
age. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Logsdon  came  here  without 
means,  and  rented  land  for  one  year,  but  then 
bought  160  acres  of  wild  land  for  $500,  pay- 
ing $200  of  it  down.  They  occupied  the  log 
cabin  for  several  years,  were  frugal,  and  as 
soon  as  they  had  paid  for  their  first  land  they 
bought  forty  acres  adjoining  for  $600,  and 
still  later  bought  more  until  he  owned  at  one 
time  400  acres.  He  has  sold  off  and  given 
to  his  eons  until  he  has  only  155  acres  left. 
He  has  retired  from  active  labor,  and  his 
sons,  Aaron  and  Ed.,  are  working  the  farm. 
Mr.  Logsdon  and  his  present  wife  have  had 
eleven  children.  The  eldest  daughter,  Mary 
E.,  is  the  wife  of  John  Lear,  who  died  in 
January,  1883,  aged  thirty-six,  and  left  two 
children.  Mary  is  dead,  and  Grandpa  Logs- 
don has  adopted  the  children.  The  living 
children  are:  Minerva,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  Simmons,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Missouri; 
Thomas  W.  is  a  farmer  in  Nebraska;  George 
lives  near  by;  Rebecca  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Behymer,  a  farmer  near  Versailles;  Lucinda 
is  the  wife  of  William  Betzmer;  Aaron  mar- 
ried Maria  Ballard,  of  this  county;  Nancy  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Wright,  a  farmer  near 
by;  Edward  owns  a  part  of  the  homestead, 
and  lives  near  with  his  wife,  Minnie  Brewer, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


477 


and  two  children;  Martha  A.  is  the  wife  of 
James  Harper,  a  fanner  of  this  county.  This 
fine  old  couple  rejoice  in  their  ten  great- 
grandchildren, and  have  thirty-two  grand- 
children, living,  and  have  seen  ten  buried. 
There  was  patriotism  in  this  family,  for  the 
brother  of  Mr.  Logsdon  went  all  through 
the  war,  and  the  brother  of  Mrs.  Logsdon 
carries  a  bullet  wound  and  had  two  others; 
and  the  son-in-law,  Robert  Johnson,  went 
three  years  through  the  great  struggle,  and 
bears  three  wounds. 

Mr.  Logsdon  ha?  been  a  Master  Mason  for 
thirty  years,  and  has  been  a  Republican  for 
many  years.  The  family  are  religious  people, 
and  belong  to  the  Church  of  God. 


i^EZEKIAH  LEEK,  M.  D.,  has  b,een  a 
resident  of  Schnyler  county,  Illinois, 
since  he  was  a  child  of  seven  years. 
He  was  born  in  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  Janu- 
ary 25,  1840,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Adiathia 
(Leek)  Leek.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
Henry  Leek,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  but 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
man;  he  was  married  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  later  resided  in  Pennsylvania, 
Ohio  and  Illinois,  being  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  last-named  commonwealth;  he 
first  located  in  Wabash  county,  and  later  re- 
moved to  Peoria  county,  and  finally  came  to 
Schuyler  county,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years;  his  wife  lived  to  the  same  ad- 
vanced age.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven 
children:  Benjamin  F.,  William,  Allen, 
Robert,  George,  Wright,  Levi,  Adiathia, 
Abigail,  Pernina  and  Mary.  Jacob  Leek, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Ohio, 
and  removed  from  that  State  to  Illinois,  set- 
tling in  Peoria  county.  In  1847  he  came  to 

82 


Schuyler  county  and  entered  laud  in  Freder- 
ick township,  which  he  occupied  until  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1842.  He  left  a  family 
of  six  children;  Sarah,  wife  of  Abraham 
Yuble;  Margaret,  wife  of  Annis  Davis; 
Henry,  deceased;  Hezekiah,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Alexander,  wh'o  died  in  the  old 
homestead;  Jacob  F.,  a  minister  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Baptist  Church.  The  mother  died 
in  the  autumn  of  1891;  she  was  a  woman  of 
rare  force  of  character,  and  for  forty  years 
had  been  a  consistent  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church 

Dr.  Leek  spent  his  youth  on  the  farm,  and 
received  his  literary  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  Having  determined  to  pursue 
the  science  of  medicine,  he  began  its  study 
about  1857,  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  under 
the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  Smith  of  Cuba;  he 
subsequently  studied  at  Olney,  Illinois,  and 
iu  Wabash  county.  He  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  McDonough  county, 
Illinois,  and  remained  there  until  1871, 
when  he  returned  to  Schuyler  county.  In 
1880  he  received  a  certificate  from  the  State 
Board  of  Health,  having  practiced  fourteen 
years.  He  now  resides  in  Rushville,  but 
ihs  patients  are  scattered  over  a  wide  terri- 
tory. He  has  been  very  successful  and  has 
won  a  reputation  as  a  skillful  and  careful 
dhysician. 

Dr.  Leek  has  been  married  twice:  In 
1859  he  was  united  to  Drusilla  Tungate, 
who  died  in  1866,  leaving  four  children: 
Abel;  Margaret,  wife  of  William  Shriver; 
Amos,  deceased;  and  Minerva,  deceased. 
His  second  marriage  was  to  Angeline  M. 
Johnson,  a  daughter  of  Joel  Johnson;  she 
died  in  Aleny,  Illinois,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren: Joel  C.,  Harmon  J.,  Asa,  deceased, 
and  one  child  that  died  in  early  life.  In 
politics  he  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the 


478 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Republican  party.  During  the  war  he  was 
president  of  the  Union  League.  He  was 
once  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
later  was  in  the  Christian  Church  in  the 
same  capacity;  he  does  no  ministerial  work 
at  the  present  time,  but  devotes  himself 
wholly  to  his  profession.  He  has  always 
been  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his 
county  and  town;  in  his  profession  he  has 
won  the  highest  respect  of  his  colleagues, 
and  as  a  citizen  he  enjoys  the  respect  of  all 
who  know  him. 


lEESE  H.  GRIFFITH,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing merchants  of  Rushville,  is  an  Amer- 
ican by  adoption,  his  native  land  being 
Wales;  there  he  was  born  November  5,  1824. 
His  parents  were  Humphrey  and  Mary  (Da- 
vies)  Griffith,  the  latter  a  native  of  Hanover, 
Wales.  His  father  was  reared  in  the  Inde- 
pendent faith,  and  became  a  minister  of  that 
denomination  in  Wales.  In  1825  he,  with 
his  wife  and  one  child,  sailed  from  Liverpool 
for  America.  Landing  in  this  country  he 
settled  in  Somers,  Westchester  county,  New 
York,  where  he  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  until  1832.  He  then  removed 
to  Michigan  Territory,  and  located  in  Tecum- 
seh,  Lenawee  county.  Michigan  was  then  a 
wilderness,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  land 
was  owned  by  the  Government.  Mr.  Grif- 
fith purchased  a  tract  near  Tecumseh,  in 
which  place  he  was  later  called  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he  being  the 
second  minister  of  the  society.  His  family 
had  remained  in  Detroit  while  he  was  pre- 
paring a  home  for  them  in  Tecumseh.  In  the 
fall  he  started  back  for  them,  but  was  taken 
ill  at  Ypsilanti,  where  he  died.  Thus  his 
wife  was  left  a  widow  with  four  small  chil- 


dren, one  of  whom  died  soon  after  the  father. 
Fortunately  for  her  and  those  dependent  on 
her,  she  was  a  woman  of  superior  education 
and  unusual  energy.  To  support  herself  and 
children,  she  opened  a  select  school  in  Te- 
cumseh and  became  prominent  among  the 
early  educators  of  the  State.  In  addition  to 
providing  for  her  family,  she  lifted  a  heavy 
indebtedness  that  rested  upon  the  land  pur- 
chased by  her  husband.  Her  last  days  were 
passed  in  Rushville,  Illinois,  where  she  died 
in  1877,  in  her  seventy-ninth  year.  The  three 
children,  who  attained  a  mature  age,  were: 
Reese  H.,  the  subject  of  this  notice;  Hum- 
phrey, who  died  in  Sacramento,  California; 
and  Theophilus  D.,  a  resident  of  Kansas  City, 
Kansas. 

Reese  H.  was  an  infant  when  his  parents 
crossed  the  sea  to  this  country,  and  was  but 
eight  years  old  when  his  father  died.  He 
was  thus  reared  and  educated  by  his  mother, 
who,  fortunately  for  him  was  a  woman  of  un- 
usual intelligence  and  activity.  He  later 
attended  a  branch  of  the  of  the  Michigan  Uni- 
versity, and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  com- 
menced to  teach,  which  profession  he  followed 
in  Michigan  for  nine  years.  He  then  went 
to  northern  Alabama,  and  was  engaged  for 
five  years  in  teaching  in  Florence.  In  the 
spring  of  1852  became  to  Rushville,  Illinois, 
where  he  taught  school  one  year,  which  ter- 
minated his  career  in  that  capacity.  He  next 
embarked  in  the  hardware  business,  in  which 
he  has  been  very  successful.  He,  his  son 
Charles  and  a  nephew,  Humphrey  Griffith, 
compose  the  corporation  under  the  firm  name 
of  the  Griffith  Hardware  Company. 

Mr.  Griffith  was  married  March  15,  1852, 
to  Susan  P.  Stebbins,  an  estimable  lady,  a 
native  of  Simsbury,  Connecticut,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  S.  and  Laura  (Bester)  Stebbins, 
also  natives  of  that  State.  They  have  six 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


479 


children:  Charles,  Eflie,  Harry,  Edwin,  Laura 
and  William.  The  nephew,  Humphrey  Grif- 
fith, has  been  a  member  of  the  home  circle 
since  early  youth,  and  is  esteemed  as  a  son. 
The  parents  and  children  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Politically,  Mr.  Griffith  was  formerly  a 
Whig,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Zachary 
Taylor.  Since  the  formation  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  he  has  been  a  supporter  of  its 
principles,  and  has  served  that  party  in  va- 
rious positions  of  trust.  He  has  been  a  dele- 
gate to  numerous  county,  district  and  State 
conventions',  and  in  1892  ;vas  alternate 
delegate  from  his  district  to  the  National 
Republican  Convention  at  Minneapolis.  He 
also  takes  a  prominent  part  in  all  church 
matters  of  his  denomination.  He  has  always 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  Sabbath -school  work, 
has  served  as  president  of  the  Illinois  State 
Sabbath-school  Association,  and  was  the  first 
president  of  the  Schuyler  county  Sunday- 
School  Association,  having  been  a  member  of 
the  executive  committee  of  the  latter  society 
since  its  organization.  In  1861  he  acted  as 
delegate  to  the  Presbyterian  Conference  at 
Syracuse,  New  York,  and  went  to  New  York 
in  the  same  capacity  in  1889. 

It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  that  Rnsh- 
ville  should  have  a  man  of  such  superior 
intelligence  and  morality,  fqr  though  this 
combination  is  very  pleasing,  it  is  too  often ' 
conspicuous  for  its  absence.  He  who  founds 
his  life  on  these  lines  builds  with  success, 
and  is  eminently  worthy  of.  the  esteem  of  all 
good  men. 

(EQRQE  P.   HUFF  was  born  in  Schuy- 
ler county,  Illinois,  July  28,  1850.   His 
father  was  William  Huff,  born  in  North 
Carolina  in    1808.   and  his  grandfather  was 


John  Huff,  also  of  North  Carolina,  where  he 
lived  and  died.  The  name  of  his  grand- 
mother was  Charity  Adams,  born  in  North 
Carolina. 

William  A.  Huff  married  Betsy  Ann  Tea- 
uey,  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  Teaney. 
She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1812.  When 
she  was  fourteen  years  old,  her  parents  moved 
to  Bartholomew  county,  Indiana,  which  they 
did  with  their  own  team.  Mrs.  Huff  was 
married  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  fifty-seven 
years  ago.  They  set  out  for  Illinois  with 
their  own  horse  and  buggy  and  reached  Rush- 
ville  in  the  fall,  where  they  remained  thir- 
teen years,  and  then  moved  to  their  present 
home.  They  had  enough  means  to  buy  nine- 
ty-six acres  of  Government  land  on  which 
they  built  a  hewn  log  house  containing  one 
room.  This  land  was  all  wild,  the  country 
entirely  unsettled,  abounding  in  game,  large 
and  small.  Mr.  Huff  afterward  bought  eighty 
acres  more,  making  his  farm  in  all  156  acres. 
In  186.0  they  built  the  present  frame  house, 
which  was,  nearly  completed  in  the  fall  of 
186.1,  when  he  died.  They  had  buried  one 
son,  John,  who  left  a  widow.  Since  the  death 
of  her  husband  she  has  buried,  Sarah  Huff, 
aged  thirty-four;  Melissa  Tucker,  about  forty 
years  old.  and  Martha  Duncan,  who  died  at 
fifty-two  years,  leaving  ten  children.  Mrs. 
Huff  has  eight  children  still  living:  Mary 
Clampitt  of  Greeley,  Kansas;  Amanda  Line- 
burger,  of  Hancock  county,  Illinois;  Maria 
Fisher,  of  Creston,  Iowa;  Francis,  a  stock 
dealer  of  Hancock;  George  F.  and  Homer 
W.,  are  still  at  home;  Perry  P.,  a  farmer  on 
an  adjoining  farm,  and  Eliza  Wilborn,  living 
on  the  old  homestead. 

Mrs.  Huff  is  still  well  and  active  in  mind 
and  body,  and  considering  that  she  has  been 
the  mother  of  twelve  children,  has  been  a 
toiler  these  many  years,  being  now  eighty 


480 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


years  old,  she  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  sturdy 
pioneer  women  of  early  days.  Mr.  Huff  died 
in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Church,  of  which 
his  widow  is  a  member.  He  and  his  sons 
have  always  been  Republicans,  and  they  are 
highly  regarded  in  the  commnnity  in  which 
they  live. 


IRA  N.  GIBSON,  of  Browning,  Illinois, 
was  born  January  1, 1843,  near  New  Cas- 
tle, Pennsylvania,  his  parents  being  John 
and  Mary  F.  (Fervor)  Gibson.  They  were 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  They  removed  to 
Morris,  Illinois,  stayed  there  seven  years; 
thence  they  went  to  the  army,  at  the  close 
of  the  war,  went  to  Peoria,  when  the 
subject  was  twelve  years  of  age.  Both 
parents  are  still  living. 

Ira  Gibson  grew  to  manhood  in  Peoria, 
but  in  the  fall  of  1863,  while  prospecting  in 
Iowa,  he  enlisted  in  the  Iowa  Cavalry,  at  Sioux 
City.  He  was  sent  out  on  the  plains,  where 
he  remained  fighting  Indians  and  guarding 
the  frontier  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when 
he  was  mustered  out,  at  Davenport,  in  1865. 

He  returned  to  Peoria  and  engaged  in  mill- 
ing, where  he  remained  seven  years.  He  was 
head  miller  in  the  mill  of  Frank  Fields,  for 
two  years. 

Quitting  the  milling,  he  engaged  in  the 
fishery  business  on  the  Illinois  river,  and  this 
has  been  his  occupation  since.  In  it  he  has 
acquired  a  comfortable  living  and  a  nice 
property  in  Browning,  Illinois.  He  furnishes 
his  stock  both  winter  and  summer  to  J.  W. 
Peters,  at  St.  Louis,  where  he  finds  a  ready 
sale  for  all  his  products.  He  puts  up  his 
own  ice  and  operates  the  business  in  a  sys- 
tematic manner. 


Mr.  Gibson  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  venture  into  matrimony  was  when  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  to  Miss  Frances  Smith  of 
Peoria.  At  her  death  she  left  four  children: 
Alice,  Frank,  Louisa  and  Viola. 

Mr.  Gibson  was  married  a  second  time  in 
Browning,  to  Miss  Mary  Williams,  who  was 
born  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  in  1858.  To 
this  union  there  are  two  children:  Frances 
and  Ethel,  bright  little  girls,  at  home. 

Mr.  Gibson  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
is  a  member  of  Browning  Lodge,  No.  309,  I. 
O.  O.  F.  He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.,  but  the  post  disbanded  and  he  has 
not  yet  joined  any  other. 

His  first  wife  was  a  Roman  Catholic  in  re- 
ligion, but  the  present  Mrs.  Gibson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


§  THOMAS  LAWLER,  a  widely  and  fa- 
vorably known  citizen  of  Woodstock 
°  township,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  is 
a  native  of  Virginia,  having  been  born  in 
Fauquier  county,  that  State,  May  7,  1824. 
His  parents  were  Alexander  and  Margaret 
(White)  Lawler,  both  natives  of  Virginia. 
His  father  served  with  distinction  in  the  war 
of  1812.  His  father  was  a  cooper,  and  fol- 
lowed his  trade  in  his  native  State  until  the 
spring  of  1839,  when  he  with  his  family 
drove  from  Virginia,  to  Ohio,  and  thence  to 
Schuyler  count}1,  bringing  all  their  worldly 
goods  in  their  wagon.  Arrived  in  Illinois, 
they  purchased  160  acres  of  wild  timber  land 
in  Woodstock  township,  on  which  they  built 
a  log  house,  and  began  the  life  of  pioneers. 
Both  father  and  mother  lived  here  until  their 
death,  although  it  had  been  much  improved 
during  their  possession,  both  with  buildings 
of  a  substantial  kind,  as  well  as  the  land  well 


8CHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


481 


cultivated.  The  father  died  here  at  the  age 
of  sixty-four  years,  while  the  mother  sur- 
vived him  for  a  long  time,  dying  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  seventy-three  years.  The  Law- 
lers  were  originally  from  Ireland,  where 
they  were  well-to-do  people. 

Our  subject  was  one  of  a  family  of  four- 
teen children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living. 
He  was  reared  in  Woodstock  township,  and 
and  received  his  education  at  the  country 
schools  of  his  day.  He  lived  at  home  until 
be  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  working  on 
the  farm  and  at  his  trade  of  coopering.  He 
then  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  served  in  the 
Mexican  war  for  thirteen  months,  and  now 
gets  a  Mexican  pension.  After  returning 
from  the  war,  he  married,  on  May  7,  1848, 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Pinkerton,  who  was  born  in 
Putnam  county  Indiana,  June  14,  1831.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Anna  (Jack- 
son) Pinkerton.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  while  her  mother  was  a  native  of 
one  of  the  Carolinas,  having  come  with  their 
parents  to  Indiana  in  a  very  early  day.  Her 
father  died  in  Indiana,  aged  about  thirty  years, 
after  which  her  mother  moved  to  Illinois,  lo- 
cating in  1855,  in  Rushville,  later  moving  to 
Augusta.  She  is  still  surviving,  and  lives 
with  her  daughter,  the  wife  of  our  subject. 
She  had  three  children,  only  two  of  whom 
are  living. 

Joseph  and  Sarah  Jackson  were  Mrs. 
Lawler's  grandparents.  They  were  pioneers 
of  Indiana  and  later  moved  to  Illinois.  Mrs. 
Jackson  died  in  Indiana  aged  fifty  years,  and 
her  husband  died  in  Illinois  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-six  years.  They  were  related 
to  General  Jackson,  so  famous  in  the  war  of 
1812. 

David  and  Margaret  Pinkerton,  the  grand- 
parents on  her  father's  side  both  died  in  In- 
diana, at  a  very  advanced  age.  They  were 


both  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  of  English  an- 
cestry. 

After  marriage,  our  subject  settled  where 
he  now  lives,  residing  there  continuously  ever 
since.  He  built  at  first  a  little  log  cabin,  in 
which  he  and  his  family  lived,  until  1865, 
when  he  erected  his  present  substantial  and 
comfortable  home.  Bis  farm  was  unim- 
proved when  he  bought  it,  but  it  is  now  one 
of  the  best  farms  in  the  country,  being  highly 
cultivated,  and  well  improved  with  sub- 
stantial barns  for  grain  and  stock,  besides 
other  modern  conveniences  for  the  care  of 
grain  an  other  agricultural  products. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawler  have  eleven  children, 
nine  of  whom  are  living.  Margaret  E.,  mar- 
ried and  has  seven  children;  Henry  W.,  mar- 
ried, having  three  children;  Silas  E.,  mar- 
ried, has  four  children;  Albert  0.,  married, 
has  five  children;  Simon  A.  and  Jane  A., 
twins;  Simon,  a  school  teacher;  and  Jane, 
married,  and  has  two  children;  Nancy  E., 
married,  with  two  children;  Hattie  E.,  mar- 
ried, and  has  one  child;  and  Thomas  A.,  at 
home,  and  works  the  farm  with  his  father. 

Our  subject  and  wife  are  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
contribute  liberally  towards  its  support. 

Mr.  Lawler  and  family  are  highly  re- 
spected by  people  of  the  community  on  ac- 
count of  their  many  admirable  traits  of  char- 
acter. 


,LEXANDER  MOORE,  the  prominent 
citizen  of  Buck  Horn  township,  whose 
biography  it  is  our  pleasure  to  present 
to  our  readers,  was  born  in  Harrison  county, 
Ohio,  December  23,  1821,  son  of  Alexander 
and  Sarah  (Smith)  Moore.  Alexander  Moore 
Sr.,  was  born  in  Maryland,  but  came  to 


482 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


Ohio  with  his  parents,  when  very 
settling  in  Harrison  county.  He  was  one  of 
eight  children,  and  learned  the  millwright  and 
carpenter  trade,  but  followed  farming  princi- 
pally, and  ran  a  horse-power  mill  for  many 
years.  He  and  his  parents  took  up  land  in 
Ohio,  that  was  wild  and  unimproved,  and 
here  he  lived  in  a  log  cabin  all  his  days,  dying 
on  the  first  farm  taken  up  of  Government 
land,  in  that  section,  aged  eighty-five  years. 
His  wife  died  on  the  same  place  when  about 
eighty-eight,  she  being  a  native  of  Tennes- 
see. The  subject's  father  on  the  father's  side 
of  the  family  was  Alexander  Moore,  who 
married,  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Ohio, 
dying  when  full  of  years.  The  father  of  our 
subject  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  an 
old  Andrew  Jackson  Democrat,  and  filled  the 
different  township  offices,  and  was  active  in 
church  and  other  good  work  at  an  early  day. 
He  helped  to  build  the  first  church  in  that 
part  of  Ohio,  a  Methodist  house  of  worship, 
and  his  family  were  members  of  it  to  the 
close  of  their  lives.  There  is  a  record  that 
some  of  the  ancestors  of  Mr.  Moore  were  on 
the  way  to  join  in  the  war  of  1812,  but 
peace  was  declared  before  they  reached  their 
destination.  The  father  of  Mr.  Moore  started 
out  as  a  fifer,  and  his  uncle  as  a  drummer. 

Our  subject  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  seventeen  years  old,  worked  summers,  and 
attended  school  winters,  in  the  old  log  tem- 
ples of  learning  of  that  day,  which  were 
erected  within  a  bit  of  clearing.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  went  to  learn  the  cabinet- 
maker trade,  and  served  three  years  for  his 
board  and  clothes.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
commenced  work  at  the  lucrative  trade  of  a 
carpenter,  and  continued  at  this  for  fifteen 
years. 

Our  subject  was  married  November  30, 
1841,  to  Elizabeth  P.  Johnson,  who  was  born 


in  the  same  place  as  was  her  husband,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Jane  (Aul) 
Johnson,  who  were  natives  of  Maryland,  and 
spent  their  last  days  in  Ohio;  the  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years.  Mr. 
Moore,  of  this  notice,  was  one  of  five  children, 
but  one  of  whom  is  yet  living.  The  first  wife 
of  our  subject  died  where  he  now  lives,  aged 
forty-four  years,  and  left  five  living  of  her 
twelve  children.  They  are  as  follows :  Martin 
L.  has  five  children;  Margaret  J.  has  five  chil- 
dren; Amanda  has  but  two  little  ones,  as  also 
lias  Lizzie;  John  C.  is  unmarried.  Our 
subject  was  married  a  second  time  in  Novem- 
ber, 18 — ,  to  Mrs.  Mary  E.  (Gregory)  Ayers, 
who  was  born  in  Pike  county,  Illinois, 
November  23,  1842,  and  was  the  daughter  of 
John  J.  and  Samantha  (Barrett)  Gregory.  He 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  in  1814,  and  came 
to  Illinois  at  a  very  early  day,  and  died  in 
Pike  county,  aged  forty-seven  years.  His 
wife  also  died  in  the  same  county,  about  forty- 
four  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Moore's  first  mar- 
riage was  November  7,  1858,  to  Francis  M. 
Ayers,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  enlisted  in 
the  early  part  of  the  war,  and  died  from 
wounds  received  at  Hartsville,  Missouri.  He 
was  thirty-five  years  old  when  he  died,  and 
was  a  member  of  Company  B,  Captain  Math- 
ews.  She  drew  a  pension  from  the  Govern- 
ment until  her  marriage.  She  had  three  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  is  William  A.,  who  has  a 
family  of  three  children. 

After  his  first  marriage  our  subject  first 
followed  the  carpenter  trade  until  1856,  when 
he  sold  his  houses  and  lots  and  went  to  Kan- 
sas, but  the  next  year  he  returned  to  Ohio, 
and  that  fall  came  back  to  Illinois,  and  bought 
eighty  acres  of  laud  where  he  now  lives.  He 
first  built  a  log  house,  and  then  built  a  per- 
manent dwelling. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


483 


Mr.  Moore  has  been  a  Republican  ever 
since  the  formation  of  the  party,  and  always 
votes  that  ticket.  He  was  a  Free  Soiler  until 
1856.  He  and  his  wife  attend  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  where  they  hold  their 
membership.  This  large  and  prosperous 
family  are  much  respected  in  their  neighbor- 
hood. 


?OHN  MERZ,  general  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany,  March  21,  1829.  He  lost  his 
mother  when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age. 
Her  name  was  Margaretta  Darmer,  and  her 
husband  was  John  Merz,  who  lived  and  died 
in  his  native  province,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven.  He  was  a  shoemaker,  and  followed 
that  trade  in  connection  with  his  farming. 
He  and  his  wife  were  long  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Our  subject  is  the  eldest 
of  three  children.  He  grew  up  as  a  farmer 
boy  and  linen-weaver,  and  did  not  come  to 
this  country  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of 
age.  He  landed  in  New  York  city  in  1855, 
and  came  right  on  to  Beardstown,  and  three 
days  later  engaged  as  a  farm  laborer  and  has 
been  a  tiller  of  the  soil  ever  since.  He  has 
been  very  economical,  like  the  most  of  his 
race,  and  has  acquired  a  large  property  by 
real  hard  work.  He  is  the  only  member  of 
his  family  who  has  ever  come  to  this  country. 
He  now  owns  240  acres  of  very  fine  land,  and 
has  good  farm  buildings,  having  owned  this 
since  1858,  and  strange  as  it  may  seem  he 
has  made  every  bit  of  his  fortune  by  earnest, 
hard  work,  receiving  help  from  no  one. 

He  was  first  married  in  Beardstown,  to 
Louisa  Rohn,  who  was  born  and  reared  at 
her  father's  home,  not  far  from  Beardstown. 
She  died  after  five  vears  of  married  life, 


being  then  only  twenty-two  years  of  age.  She 
left  one  daughter,  Louisa,  who  died  at  four- 
teen years  of  age,  having  been  a  very  intelli- 
gent child.  Mr.  Merz  was  married  in  Beards- 
town  a  second  time,  to  Miss  Louisa  Folks, 
born  in  Baden,  Germany,  who  came  to  this 
country  with  her  parents  when  very  small. 
Her  parents  died  in  Schuyler  county.  Mr. 
Folks  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  followed  it 
all  his  life. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merz  have  six  children: 
Louisa,  Etta  and  Henry  are  married;  Mar- 
garet, Charles  and  Nora  are  still  at  home. 
They  are  Lutherans  in  religion,  and  Mr.  Merz 
is  a  Republican.  They  are  among  the  best 
of  Beardstown's  German  citizens. 


ILLIAM  ROHN,  a  practical  farmer 
and  stock-raiser,  was  born  in  Cass 
County,  September  27,  1854.  His 
father,  Henry,  came  to  the  county  in  1835, 
took  up  Government  land  near  Beardstown, 
and  here  lived,  labored,  and  died  April  21, 
1891.  He  was  then  eighty-six  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  of  good 
German  blood,  came  to  this  country  in  1835 
with  his  brother  John,  and  they  began  life 
as  farmers.  Here  this  brother  died  when  he 
was  seventy  years  old.  (For  further  family 
history,  see  biography  of  Henry  Rohn  in  this 
book.)  William's  mother  is  yet  living,  very 
smart  and  active, and  on  her  eighty-first  birth- 
day, November  21,  1891,  enjoyed  the  kind 
hospitality  of  her  neighbors  in  the  form  of  a 
surprise  party. 

William  Rohn  owns  160  acres  in  Home- 
stead, and  eighty  acres  of  bottom  land.  He 
has  always  lived  on  this  farm.  He  is  famous 
as  a  local  Nimrod,  having  killed  more  ducks 
than  any  other  man  in  this  part  of  the  State. 


484 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


He  has  been  a  hunter  all  his  life,  and  has 
made  some  wonderful  scores.  In  the  spring 
of  1885  he  killed  165  ducks  in  three  and  one- 
half  hours.  His  shots  are  always  on  the 
wing,  he  always  giving  his  game  a  chance. 
He  has  always  carried  off  the  prizes  in  the 
pigeon  and  other  shooting  matches.  He 
takes  great  interest  in  these  pursuits,  and 
keeps  a  tine  pack  of  hunting  dogs. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to  Griista 
Mahan,  born  and  reared  in  this  county,  and 
died,  after  fourteen  years  of  married  life,  in 
1891.  She  was  thirty-two  years  of  age.  She 
was  a  good,  worthy  woman,  and  the  mother 
of  six  children,  those  living  being  Edwin, 
Anna  and  Fred.  He  was  married  for  the 
second  time,  to  Anna  Mann,  who  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  Cass  county.  Her 
father,  John,  died  some  years  ago,  but  her 
mother  is  still  living  in  Beardstown.  Both 
wives,  as  well  as  Mr.  Rohn,  have  been  worthy 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church- 
Mr.  Rohn  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  They 
are  very  successful  people,  hard  workers,  and 
much  esteemed  by  the  whole  neighborhood. 


M.  LANE,  a  successful  wholesale  and 
retail  dealer  in  wines  and  liquors,  lo- 
cated  on  East  Main  street,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  but  tour  years  of  age 
when  his  people  came  to  Illinois.  His  fa- 
ther, S.  P.  Lane,  was  born  in  New  York,  and 
was  married  in  Pennsylvania,  and  later  came  to 
Winnebago  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died,  in 
April,  1869.  Mrs.  Lane  still  survives  him 
and  now  lives  in  Cadillac,  Michigan,  and  is 
sixty-seven  years  old.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Mary  E.  Finn,  of  Pennsylvania,  of  German 
ancestry.  She  came  of  a  long-lived  family, 


her  grandmother  being  at  her  death  105 
years  old,  her  mother  eighty-five  and  her 
father  ninety-five  years  of  age. 

Our  subject  was  never  married,  but  has 
devoted  all  his  energies  to  his  business.  He 
has  been  engaged  in  it  for  more  than  ten 
years  and  by  his  own  efforts  has  made  his 
place  headquarters  for  the  best  people  in  the 
city.  He  has  lived  in  this  city  since  1871. 
He  was  engaged  as  a  miller  for  some  years. 
He  enlisted  from  Cook  county  when  only  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  as  a  member  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Illinois  Cavalry  Regiment.  He  en- 
tered the  army  in  1863  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  also  spent  more  than 
two  years  serving  on  the  frontier.  He  es- 
caped unhurt,  but  saw  considerable  hard 
service  and  received  his  honorable  discharge 
as  a  brave  soldier.  He  is  known  in  Beards- 
town  as  a  great  hustler  and  is  a  Republican 
in  politics. 


fAMES  NEELEY,  foreman  of  the  store 
house  of  the  St.  Louis  division  of  the 
Quincy  Railroad,  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania,  March  20,  1857.  He 
was  the  son  of  James  Neeley,  a  Pennsylva- 
nian  who  still  lives  in  Philadelphia,  over  sev- 
enty five  years  of  age.  His  business  has  been 
that  of  architect.  His  wife  died  when  James 
was  a  few  hours  old.  He  was  only  twelve 
years  of  age  when  he  came  all  alone  to 
Beardstown  in  1869,  and  has  lived  here  ever 
since.  He  has  gained  the  knowledge  of  the 
business  of  growing  sweet  potatoes  and  that 
industry  was  just  being  developed  here. 
He  received  $20  dollars  a  month  for  his  ser- 
vices. He  was  afterward  variously  engaged 
until  he  became  of  age  and  then  connected 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


485 


himself  with  the  Quincy  Railroad.  This 
took  place  in  1879,  and  he  was  engaged  as 
car  inspector  for  six  years  and  afterward  for 
four  years.  He  was  foreman  of  the  lumber 
yard,  which  position  was  similiar  to  the  one 
which  he  now  holds.  He  has  been  the  fore- 
man of  the  store-house  for  three  years  and 
has  charge  of  the  receipts  and  distribution  of 
all  store  house  supplies. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown  to  Mary 
G.  Fulks  of  Beardstown  and  a  sister  of  R. 
B.  Fulks  (see  biography  for  family  history). 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neeley  attend  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Neeley  is 
an  active  member.  Mr.  Neeley  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  subordinate  and  encampment 
lodges  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  former  Ark  Lodge, 
No.  7,  and  the  latter  Mt.  Verr.on  Lodge,  No. 
7,  and  has  filled  the  chairs  of  both  lodges. 
They  have  no  family.  Mr.  Neeley  is  a  Re- 
publican in  political,  but  is  no  office  seeker, 
having  no  time  to  spare  from  his  business. 


)HN  GEORGE  FREY,  who  has  retired 
from  active  business,  and  living  in 
Beardstown  in  a  pleasant  home,  was  born 
in  Wiirtemburg,  Germany,  March  9,  1827. 
He  grew  up  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm 
until  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  In  February, 
1854,  he  took  passage  on  a  sailing  vessel  to 
New  York  city,  making  the  trip  in  thirty 
days.  He  then  settled  at  Lancaster,  New 
York,  but  left  that  place  in  six  months,  and 
came  to  Beardstown,  which  he  has  since  made 
his  home,  and  has  been  fairly  successful  in 
life.  His  father,  John  Frey,  died  in  Ger- 
many when  eighty  years  of  age.  His  wife 
had  died  many  years  before,  they  both  being 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 


What  Mr.  Frey  possesses  he  has  made  by 
his  own  efforts.  When  he  arrived  in  this  city 
in  1854,  he  began  as  a  laborer,  and  was 
variously  engaged  for  two  years.  In  1856  he 
became  connected  with  Mr.  Bohlman,  and 
continued  with  him  four  years,  until  he  en- 
gaged with  Mr.  Anton  Ruck  and  continued 
there  until  he  retired  from  active  business. 

He  was  married  in  Lancaster,  New  York, 
to  Miss  Mary  Hoearsch.  She  was  born  in 
Wiirtemburg,  Germany,  August  13,  1824. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Mathias  and  Sarah 
Hoearsch,  who  lived  and  died  in  Wiirtemburg. 
They  were  birthright  members  in  the  Luth- 
eran Church.  She  was  the  only  member  of 
her  family,  who  came  to  this  country,  com- 
ing on  the  same  vessel  that  brought  her 
husband.  She  died  at  her  home  in  this  city 
January  26,  1888,  having  been  a  member  of 
the  Fourth  Street  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frey  have  had  four  children.  Two  are  living: 
William,  a  turner  in  this  city,  and  is  a  success- 
ful busi  ness  man;  and  Mary,  who  is  house- 
keeper for  her  father.  She  is  a  dutiful  girl 
and  an  intelligent  young  woman.  Mr.  Frey 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Fourth  Street 
Lutheran  Church,  and  he  and  his  sou  are 
Democrats  in  politics,  good  quiet  citizens  and 
upright,  straightforward  men. 


EORGE  J.  SCHMITT,  a  retired  busi- 
ness man  living  on  Sixth  street,  Beards- 
town,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
May  14,  1828.  His  parents  were  Casper 
and  Mary  Schmitt,  who  were  born,  reared, 
married  and  died  in  their  native  country. 
They  were  members  of  the  Catholic  Church 
and  died  in  middle  age. 

Our  subject  was  yet  a  young  man    when, 
in  1854,  he  came  to  this  country  and  spent 


4S6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


one  year  in  New  York  city,  working  at  his 
trade  of  cabinetmaker.  After  that  he  jour- 
neyed around  to  many  places,  seeing  the 
country,  before  he  settled  in  Beardstown. 
He  reached  here  in  1861,  established  a  furni- 
ture business  with  his  brother,  Casper 
Schmitt,  and  by  good  judgment  and  honest 
dealing  made  money  and  retired  from  labor 
in  1882.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Stoner,  who  was  born  in  JBeardstown,  No- 
vember 3,  1837.  When  she  was  six  weeks 
old  the  family  moved  to  Texas,  settling  in 
Montgomery  county  upon  a  farm  and  there 
her  father  died  a  few  years  later.  His  par- 
ents had  both  come  from  Germany  and  set- 
tled in  Cass  county,  and  were  among  the  old- 
est settlers  of  the  county.  Mrs.  Stoner  is 
still  living  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Schinitt.  Although  nearly 
eighty- two  years  of  age  she  is  very  bright 
and  active.  Her  father  was  Fred  Krohe, 
who  came  to  Illinois  very  early  and  died 
here.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schmitt  have  two  liv- 
ing children,  George  J.,  Jr.,  now  in  charge 
of  a  drug  store,  No.  34  Washington  street, 
Chicago;  and  Victor,  who  is  connected  with 
the  same  house. 


QEYTON  R.  KEITH,  a  prominent  farm- 
er of  section  29,  Missouri  township,  is 
a  native  of  that  same  township,  having 
been  born  here,  July  26,  1856.  His  father, 
Peyton  A.  Keith,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
January  15,  1824,  was  a  son  of  Peyton  R., 
who  reared  a  family  of  the  following  children : 
Isham,  James,  John,  Alexander,  Peyton  A., 
Mary,  Eliza  A.,  America,  Susan,  Caroline 
and  Mary  J.  The  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject lost  his  wife  in  Kentucky,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1837,  came  to  Illinois  and  passed  the 


winter  of  1837-'38  in  Missouri  township. 
He  then  rented  land  in  Mt.  Sterling  town- 
ship and  later  purchased  land  in  the  same 
place,  becoming  the  owner  of  a  good  farm, 
where  he  finally  died.  His  body  rests  in 
Mt.  Sterling.  His  son,  father  of  subject, 
was  only  a  boy  of  thirteen  when  he  came  to 
Illinois,  and  continued  to  live  at  home  dur- 
ing his  father's  life,  settling  his  estate  after 
his  death.  He  married  Mary  Moses,  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  born  in  September,  1830, 
daughter  of  William  and  Rhoda  Moses,  pio- 
neers of  185—.  After  his  marriage,  the  fa- 
ther settled  on  section  33,  Missouri  township, 
where  he  beeame  the  owner  of  320  acres,  im- 
proving it  considerably.  He  lived  here  for 
many  years,  dealing  in  live  stock,  but  the 
last  fifteen  years  of  his  life  he  was  an  invalid 
and  so  was  unable  to  carry  on  the  work  of 
his  farm.  His  death  occurred  January  12, 
1887,  but  his  wife  is  still  living,  on  the  old 
homestead.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
but  was  no  office  seeker.  He  lived  and  died 
in  the  faith  of  the  Christian  Church.  He 
and  his  good  wife  had  eleven  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Peyton;  John  A.,  resident  of  Pea 
Ridge  township;  Joseph  D.  is  on  part  of  the 
old  homestead ;  Francis  Marion  is  on  the  old 
homestead  with  his  mother;  Charles  I.  is 
also  with  his  mother;  Mary  J.  is  the  wife  of 
John  W.  Bell,  and  they  are  residents  of  Mis- 
souri township;  and  the  other  children  all 
died  in  childhood. 

Peyton,  the  namesake  of  his  grandfather, 
was  reared  in  his  native  county,  where  he  at- 
tended the  district  schools  and  learned  the 
vocation  of  farming.  He  remained  at  home 
until  his  marriage,  when  he  settled  on  his 
present  farm,  where  he  owns  100  acres  of 
fine  land  and  carries  on  mixed  farming. 

Mr.  Keith  was  married  January  5,  1880, 
to  Mary  E.  Bell,  daughter  of  Ira  and  Emeline 


aCHUYLER    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


487 


Bell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keith  have  three  chil- 
dren, Bertie  Arthur,  William  Austin  and  Ira 
Anderson. 

Mrs.  Keith  has  nine  brothers  and  sisters, 
namely:  [sham  died  in  Columbus,  Indiana; 
James  died  in  Missouri;  Alexander,  resident 
of  California;  Mary  married  James  Kirk  and 
died  in  Iowa,  1891  ;  Mary  J.  married  Richard 
Bruce  and  died  in  Iowa  ;  Eliza  died  in  Mt. 
Sterling;  America  and  Susan,  married,  are 
both  deceased  ;  and  Caroline,  who  married 
General  II.  Roberts  and  died  in  Missouri 
township. 

Mr.  Keith  is  a  strong  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  always  supports  the  principles  of  his 
party.  He  is  a  worthy  member  of  the  Christ- 
ian Church,  and  he  and  his  estimable  wife 
enjoy  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  their  fel- 
low citizens. 


fOHN  W.  WEBB  representative  engineer 
of  the  Quincy  Railroad,  living  at  Beards- 
town,  was  born  in  Estill  county,  Ken- 
tucky, January  22,  1858-  He  was  reared 
there  until  twelve  years  of  age,  when  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Daviess  county,  Missouri,  and 
settled  on  a  farm.  Here  he  grew  up  on  the 
farm  with  only  ordinary  school  advantages. 
His  father  is  Elijah  Webb,  son  of  Richard 
Webb,  of  North  Carolina.  The  family  came 
of  old  Maryland  stock,  and  Richard  was 
brought  to  Kentucky  when  eight  years  old  by 
his  parents,  who  settled  on  a  farm.  Here 
they  died  after  improving  the  land  to  a  con- 
siderable extent.  Here  Richard  grew  up  and 
married  Miss  Clemy  Tipton,  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, in  1804.  After  their  three  children 
were  grown  up  they  removed  to  Daviess 
county,  Missouri,  and  joined  their  son  Elijah. 
They  both  died  in  this  place,  the  wife  in 


1872,  her  husband  ten  years  later.  They  both 
were  Baptists.  Their  son  Elijah,  born  in 
1827,  was  a  farmer  in  Kentucky  and  followed 
that  profession  all  his  life.  He  married  Sal- 
lie  A.  Brinegar,  born  in  1841  in  Kentucky. 
They  now  live  in  Harrison  county,  Missouri. 
Mrs.  Webb  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  but  Mr.  Webb  is  a  member  of  an- 
other organization. 

John  Webb  is  one  of  twelve  children,  of 
whom  nine  are  yet  living.  He  began  his 
career  in  the  railroad  service  in  1876  as  a 
brakeman  on  the  Iowa  division  of  the  Quincy 
road.  He  was  then  living  in  Iowa.  When 
he  was  located  at  Eldon,  Iowa,  he  was  brakes- 
man and  extra  conductor.  Later  he  was  a 
farmer  in  DeKalb,  Missouri,  for  two  years, 
and  from  there  returned  to  the  Qnincy  road, 
and  has  been  employed  by  them  ever  since. 
He  has  gained  the  confidence  of  the  road  by 
his  faithful  service  and  good  habits.  He  has 
been  associated  with  the  St.  Louis  division 
since  June  30,  1886.  He  was  a  conductor 
of  local  and  through  freight  trains  and  extra 
passenger  conductor,  and  only  had  one  wreck. 
That  occurred  in  the  winter  of  1884,  when 
engine  194  and  eleven  cars  left  the  track  at 
Vermont,  Illinois.  He  is  a  practical  man 
and  has  made  money  at  his  business. 

He  was  married  in  Wapello  county,  Iowa, 
to  Miss  Hattie  Smock,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  county  and  was  there  reared  and  edu- 
cated. She  is  the  daughter  of  Archibald  and 
Hannah  (More)  Smock,  natives  of  Ohio. 
They  were  married  near  Indianapolis,  where 
Miss  More  and  her  parents  had  settled  when 
she  was  a  small  child.  Mr.  Smock  followed 
his  vocation  of  farming,  first  in  Indiana  and 
then  moved  to  Iowa,  and,  settling  on  a  farm 
in  Wapello  county,  remained  there  the  rest 
of  his  life  with  his  wife.  They  were  both 


488 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS 8, 


faithful  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  and 
were  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  them. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webb  have  had  four  children, 
two  of  whom  are  dead.  Those  living  are: 
Maude  and  Ernest  E.,  two  bright  little  chil- 
dren. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webb  are  attendants  on 
the  services  of  the  Christian  Church,  of  which 
Mrs.  Webb  is  a  member.  Mr.  Webb  is  a  K. 
of  P.,  being  a  member  of  the  Beardstown 
Lodge,  and  he  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
and  his  wife  are  worthy  citizens  and  are 
greatly  liked  for  their  many  good  qualities. 
Mr.  Webb  is  a  genial,  warm-hearted  man, 
with  hosts  of  friends,  and  his  good  natured 
wife  is  equally  esteemed. 


S.  COIL,  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Beardstown  Enterprise,  was  born  in 
Lincoln  county,  Missouri,  October  24, 
1860.  His  father,  Jacob  Y.  Coil,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  came  of  southern  parents, 
who  were  a  stout  and  long-lived  people. 
Jacob  Y.  Coil  had  moved  into  Missouri  after 
the  birth  of  one  child,  became  a  farmer  and 
was  thus  engaged  in  Lincoln  county  until  his 
death  in  1873,  aged  forty-two.  He  was  a 
kind  man  to  his  family,  a  good  neighbor,  a 
prominent  Mason  and  a  Democrat  in  politics- 
He  had  offered  bis  services  in  1861,  but  was 
refused  on  account  of  disabilities.  Mrs. 
Jacob  Coil's  maiden  name  was  Viola  Olive 
Durough  of  Ohio,  and  she  is  yet  living,  in 
Mexico,  Missouri,  the  mother  of  ten  children, 
nine  boys  and  one  girl,  of  whom  six  are  living. 
Mr.  Coil  is  the  only  one  of  his  family  in 
Illinois.  His  paper  is  a  forty-eight  column 
quarto  weekly,  published  in  the  interests  of 
the  Democratic  party.  It  was  started  under 
its  present  title  in  Meredosia  by  F.  W. 
Schierbaum  &  Company,  and  in  1879  the 


plant  was  moved  to  Beardstown  and  con- 
tinued under  the  same  title.  It  was  run  as  a 
daily  and  weekly.  Mr.  Schierbaum  died  in 
1886  and  C.  H.  Cummings  took  the  paper  as 
administrator,  until  Mr.  Coil  purchased  the 
property  in  1888.  He  is  a  practical  news- 
paper man  and  has  gone  through  all  the  ex- 
periences from  printer's  devil  to  his  present 
position  of  editor-in-chief  and  publisher.  He 
had  many  discouragements,  but  by  dint  of 
hard  work  lie  has  been  successful  in  clearing 
himself  from  debt  and  in  running  the  paper 
successfully.  The  same  perseverance  which 
enabled  him  to  gain  a  great  part  of  his  edu- 
cation by  lamplight  has  served  him  well  in 
his  business.  His  paper  has  a  good  circula- 
tion and  is  ably  edited.  He  is  now  making  it  a 
paying  investment  and  by  his  own  efforts  has 
made  it  the  principal  Democratic  paper  of 
the  county. 

He  was  married  in  Perry,  Pike  county, 
Illinois,  to  Miss  Dora  Brandom  of  Indiana,  in 
June,  1880.  She  came  when  young  to 
Quincy,  Illinois,  with  her  parents,  and  her 
father  now  resides  in  Beardstown.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Coil  have  six  bright  children:  May  bell 
M.,  Grace,  Arthur  L.,  Harry.  Bessie  L.  and 
Ruth  M.,- — •  all  at  home  with  their  parents. 
They  attend  the  Methodist  Church.  Mr. 
Coil  has  been  a  delegate  to  local  conventions 
as  he  is  a  strong  man  in  his  party. 


RNEST  H.  BOLLE,  now  running  a  suc- 
cessful meat  market  on  Second  street,  was 
born  in  Hesse- Darmstadt,  near  Hesse- 
Cassel,  March  26,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Keshling  Bolle,  natives  of  Hesse, 
where  they  were  married  and  their  children 
were  born.  The  family  set  out  for  the  United 
States  in  1845,  landing  after  five  weeks'  voy. 


8CHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


489 


age.  They  settled  in  Beardstown  in  the  same 
year  that  they  came  to  the  country,  and  here 
the  father  died  when  sixty-eight  years  of  age, 
and  the  mother  died  some  time  later.  They 
had  both  been  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Mr.  Bolle  has  resided  in  Beardstown  ever 
since  he  arrived  here  in  1845.  For  some 
years  he  was  a  mechanical  engineer  for  the 
Quincy  Railroad.  In  1885  Mr.  Bolle  went 
into  business  on  his  own  account  and  has 
been  quite  successful  as  a  dealer  in  live  stock. 
His  present  business  was  established  in  1879, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bolle,  Ortwine  &  Co. 

He  was  married  in  this  city  to  Helena 
Nice.  She  was  born  in  Hesse,  Germany,  and 
there  her  parents  lived  and  died.  She  came 
with  some  old  friends  to  this  country  and 
lived  in  this  city  until  her  death.  December 
5,  1887.  She  was  born  in  1833  and  was  a 
good  wife  and  faithful  mother,  and  bore  her 
husband  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  yet 
living:  Mary,  wife  of  Henry  G.  Mohlman; 
Lena,  wife  of  Zenas  Sexton,  a  railroad  bridge 
carpenter  now  at  Galesbnrg;  John  is  a  clerk 
in  the  Quincy  office  in  Beardstown,  and  mar- 
ried to  Ida  French;  George  and  Bertha  still 
live  at  home. 


[ILLIAM  WOOD,  a  prominent  pio- 
neer of  1827,  resides  on  section  17, 
Huntsville  township.  He  is  the  son 
of  Mitchell  and  Nancy  (Skiles)  Wood,  and 
was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Missouri,  March 
8,  1824.  His  mother  was  born  on  the  27th 
of  May,  1802.  Her  father,  William,  lived  in 
Maryland  and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Lizzie 
Skyles.  He  was  married  in  North  Carolina, 
and  went  from  there  to  Jasper  county,  Ten- 
nessee, resided  there  a  few  years  and  then 


moved  to  within  forty  miles  of  Nashville. 
There  he  lived  until  1817  and  then  moved  to 
the  Territory  of  Missouri,  remaining  there 
until  1827,  when  he  came  to  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  and  became  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  Rushville  township.  He  resided  there 
until  1844,  when  he  went  to  Madison,  Iowa, 
and  remained  there  with  his  sons  until  his 
death  in  1845.  His  wife's  name  was  Lydia 
Chaddick,  of  North  Carolina,  and  she  also 
died  in  1845.  Mr.  Wood's  mother  was  first 
married  at  nineteen  years  of  age,  to  Mitchell 
Wood  of  Kentucky.  They  were  married  in 
Missouri,  went  from  there  to  Arkansas,  but 
after  his  death  in  1825  she  returned  to  her 
parents  in  Missouri.  In  1827  she  married 
Jonathan  Smith.  They  lived  in  a  log  cabin 
near  Rnshville.  At  that  time  Rushville  con- 
sisted of  three  log  houses.  She  now  resides 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Teel.  During  her 
married  life  she  dressed  her  children  in  home- 
spun, and  she  raised  the  flax  and  spun  and 
wove  the  cloth  out  of  which  they  were  made. 

In  1827  Mr.  Wood  came  with  the  family 
to  Illinois  and  grew  to  manhood  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Rushville.  He  was  raised  a  farmer 
and  embraced  all  the  advantages  for  learning 
that  was  possible  in  those  early  days.  In 
the  fall  of  1848  he  married  Hulda  Ann  Teel 
(see  sketch  of  James  A.  Teel  in  this  book). 
After  his  marriage  he  continued  to  live  on 
the  home  farm. 

In  1853  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California 
and  engaged  in  mining.  After  an  absence 
of  fourteen  months  he  returned  via  Isthmus 
of  Panama  and  New  York  city.  In  1854  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm 
and  settled  on  same.  In  August,  1862,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Ninteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  three  years,  going  through  many  seri- 
ous battles,  and  was  mustered  out  with  the 


490 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASH, 


rank  of  Corporal.  After  the  war  he  resumed 
business  on  his  farm  and  now  owns  240  acres 
of  land  and  follows  stock-raising. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  have  seven  children: 
William  H.,  Ann  Elizabeth  Wilson,  Mitchell 
C.,  Dora  Josephine,  John  R.,  Calvin  Mead 
and  Ella  Alice.  Mr.  Wood  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  has  been  honored  with  all  the 
local  offices  and  is  a  member  of  Cyclone 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


'ACHARIAH  HASH,  a  widely  known 
and  esteemed  pioneer  of  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  now  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous farmers  of  this  section,  residing  in  town- 
ship 19,  range  9,  was  born  in  Green  county, 
Kentucky,  April  6,  1812. 

He  came  of  a  family  of  patriots  and  suc- 
cessful agriculturists,  many  of  whom  held  re- 
sponsible positions,  in  the  service  of  their 
country,  and  a  few  were  noted  hunters  in  pio- 
neer days,  being  unerring  marksmen  and 
skillful  trappers.  His  parents  were  Philip 
and  Sarah  (Nance)  Hash,  both  natives  of 
Virginia,  who  emigrated  with  their  parents 
to  Kentucky  in  an  early  day,  when  they 
themselves  were  quite  young.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
were  Thomas  and  Ruth  (Sturgeon)  Hash, 
also  natives  of  the  Old  Dominion,  who  spent 
their  last  days  in  Kentucky.  The  grand- 
father was  a  brave  and  efficient  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  Hash  family  were 
of  English  ancestry,  while  the  Sturgeons 
were  originally  from  Ireland.  The  maternal 
grandfather  was  Zachariah  Nance.  Grand- 
father Nance  served  all  through  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  was  a  distinguished  soldier. 
He  drew  a  pension  for  his  services,  drawing 


at  one  time  as  high  as  $700.  Others  of  the 
family  were  distinguished  soldiers  in  the  old 
wars  of  this  country,  who  sought  to  defend 
their  land  in  her  hour  of  need.  The  Nances 
were  mostly  mechanics,  being  skilled  in  their 
various  callings,  and  all  lived  to  an  advanced 
age.  Our  subject's  parents  and  paternal 
grandparents  were  pioneers  in  three  different 
States,  and  were  hardy  and  energetic  men 
and  women,  inured  to  hardship  and  toil.  His 
father  was  an  extensive  traveler  in  pioneer 
days  throughout  the  frontier,  and  visited 
nearly  every  settlement  in  the  West  during 
the  '80s.  He  was  an  old  Andrew  Jackson 
Democrat,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  pio- 
neer politics.  He  was  for  forty  years  an  effi- 
cient Justice  of  the  Peace  in  this  section  of 
Illinois,  discharging  his  duties  with  judg- 
ment and  impartiality.  He  was  born  Janu- 
ary 81,  1790,  and  died  August  5,  1849;  his 
wife  was  born  October  24,  1791,  and  died 
February  27,  1847.  Both  expired  in  south- 
western Missouri,  whither  they  had  removed 
from  Illinois.  They  were  the  parents  of  fif- 
teen children,  six  or  eight  of  whom  now  sur- 
vive, as  far  as  known.  Some  of  these  are 
prominent  men  in  Indiana. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Kentucky  and  Illinois  until 
he  was  married.  On  account  of  the  new- 
ness of  the  country  and  his  busy  life,  his 
educational  advantages  were  neglected,  and 
he  attended  school  for  the  first  time  when  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  is  essen- 
tially a  self-made  man,  and  having  inherited 
a  good  intellect  and  robust  constitution,  has 
applied  himself  with  such  persistency  that  he 
is  now  a  well  informed  and  progressive  man, 
interested  in  everything  that  pertains  to  the 
welfare  of  his  county,  and  takes  a  prominent 
part  in  all  movements  tending  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  community. 


SG11UYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


491 


When  be  first  came  to  this  State  it  was 
wild  and  sparsely  settled,  game  and  wild 
fowl  abounding  in  great  profusion.  He  first 
located  on  Government  land  a  short  distance 
from  where  he  now  lives,  on  which  he 
erected  a  log  cabin.  He  lived  there  only  two 
or  three  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  bought 
his  present  farm.  He  purchased  220  acres, 
which  is  now  as  fine  a  farm  as  can  be  found 
in  Sangamon  valley,  or  in  the  State.  He 
paid  twenty-five  per  cent  interest  on  money 
with  which  he  entered  his  land,  but  his  in- 
dustry and  careful  management  soon  enabled 
him  to  pay  all  indebtedness,  and  left  him  a 
comfortable  income.  He  raises  nourishing 
crops,  has  erected  a  comfortable  farm  house, 
and  has  large  barns  for  his  grain  and  stock, 
and  is  numbered  among  the  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  the  county. 

He  was  first  married,  June  26,  1834,  to 
Miss  Polly  Dick,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
February  16, 1817,  an  intelligent  and  worthy 
lady,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Christina 
(Shutt)  Dick,  well  known  and  highly  re- 
spected people.  By  this  marriage  there 
were  seven  children,  two  of  whom  survive: 
Peter,  born  May  19,  1853;  and  Martha,  born 
January  11,  1856,  who  married  John  Plun- 
kett,  a  successful  farmer,  and  they  have  five 
children.  Two  of  our  subject's  children  were 
married  before  their  death:  Philip,  who  had 
a  son  and  daughter;  and  Sarah  J.,  married  to 
Benjamin  E.  Bowman,  left  two  children,  one 
of  whom,  Orpha,  was  born  November  14, 
1872,  and  has  been  at  the  home  of  the  snbject 
of  this  sketch  ever  since  her  birth.  Mr. 
Hash's  first  wife  died  where  he  now  lives, 
June  22,  1857,  leaving  her  family  and  many 
friends  to  mourn  her  loss. 

On  April  3,  1862,  Mr.  Hash  was  again 
married,  chosing  for  his  second  wife  Miss 
Bowman,  an  estimable  lady,  who  was  bora  in 


Rutherford  county,  Tennesssee,  March  17, 
1825,  Her  parents  were  Daniel  and  Katie 
(Horn)  Bowman,  natives  of  Maryland  and 
Tennessee,  respectively.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  ten  children,  of  whom,  as  far  as  known, 
only  four  are  now  living.  The  Bowmans 
were  originally  from  Germany.  Grandfather, 
Daniel  Bowman,  was  an  old  Revolutionary 
soldier,  and  drew  a  liberal  pension  for  his 
services.  Most  of  Mrs.  Hash's  people  are 
successful  farmers. 

Mr.  Hash,  like  all  of  his  people  before  him, 
is  an  Andrew  Jackson  Democrat,  and  al- 
though not  actively  engaged  in  political  mat- 
ters, takes  an  interest  in  all  public  affairs  of 
importance.  He  is  more  of  a  home  man, 
and  his  private  affairs  absorb  most  of  his  at- 
tention. 

He  and  his  wife  have  been  earnest  and  use- 
ful members  of  the  Christian  Church  for 
many  years. 

Whatever  success  in  life  has  been  obtained 
by  Mr.  Hash,  is  entirely  due  to  his  own  ex- 
ertions; and  many  a  poor  young  man,  just 
starting  in  life,  would  do  well  to  read  his 
history,  and  adopt  the  methods  pursued  by 
the  subject  of  the  sketch.  These  methods 
are  unfailing,  and  are  persistent  industry  and 
careful  economy,  supplemented  by  intelli- 
gence and  uprightness  of  character. 


HARLES  M.  DUNLAP,  who  was  for 
many  years  engaged  in  the  lumber 
buusiness  in  Mt.  Sterling,  was  born  in 
Lexington,  Fayette  county,  Kentucky,  in  1836. 
His  father,  Rev  Latin  W.  Dunlap  was  bom  in 
New  Jersey  and  went  from  there  to  Kentucky 
when  quite  young.  He  was  converted  in  his 
youthful  days  and  joined  the  Baptist  Church, 
but  later  identified  himself  with  the  Pros- 


492 


BIOGRAPHICAL     REVIEW    Off    CA88, 


byterian  Church.  He  came  to  Illinois  in 
1837,  landing  at  La  Grange  and  then  located 
in  Mt.  Sterling,  and  here  organized  the  first 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  county  and  was 
its  pastor  tor  many  years.  He  was  a  resident 
of  this  place  almost  continuously  from  1837 
until  he  died  in  1889,  aged  eighty-seven 
years.  His  wife's  name  was  Rebecca  M.  Bell, 
born  in  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-four. 

Charles  Dunlap  was  but  one  year  old  when 
he  came  to  Mt.  Sterling  with  his  parents. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  city,  and  when  he  had  reached 
manhood's  estate  he  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  and  so  continued  for  twenty  years. 
For  about  fifteen  years  of  this  time  he  was 
connected  with  F.  "W.  Rottger.  In  18 —  he 
sold  out  his  lumberyard  to  his  partner  and 
moved  to  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies. 
This  contains  400  acres,  located  one  and  one 
half  miles  east  of  the  courthouse.  The  build- 
ings which  he  has  erected  compare  favorably 
with  the  best  in  the  county. 

For  his  wife  he  married  Helen  McCreery, 
born  in  Rushville,  Schuyle^  county,  daughter 
of  James  and  Hannah  McCreery.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dunlap  have  four  children:  Helen, 
George,  Latin  and  Annie.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat and  a  member  of  Unity  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


[INGLETON  G.  WRIGHT  is  numbered 
among  the  honored  pioneers  who  have 
passed  away.  He  was  born  in  Hardin 
county,  Kentucky,  January  12,  1816,  and  died 
in  Huntsville  township,  February  24,  1886. 
He  has  four  brothers,  Richard,  James, 
Edmund  and  William.  He  came  to  Illinois 
on  horseback  in  1836  and  when  he  arrived  in 


Schuyler  county  his  saddle  horse  constituted 
his  entire  property.  He  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  for  William  McKee,  near  Rushville,  and 
while  thus  engaged  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Sarah  E.  Graham,  who  afterward  became  his 
wife.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky,  a  daughter 
of  Fergus  and  Martha  (Tyree)  Graham,  who 
settled  in  Schuyler  county  in  an  early  day. 

About  two  years  later  Mr.  Wright  settled 
on  section  17,  Huutsville,  where  he  purchased 
320  acres  of  land.  He  was  industrious  and 
observed  due  economy,  and  thus  soon  paid  for 
his  land  and  had  money  to  loan.  He  carried 
on  stock-raising  in  addition  to  his  farming. 
He  was  an  active  man  until  1880,  when  he 
was  taken  sick  with  softening  of  the  brain, 
which  caused  his  death  six  years  later. 

He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  warm 
friend  of  public  schools,  being  elected  as 
School  Trustee  several  terms.  He  donated 
the  land  occupied  by  the  schoolhouse  in  the 
district. 

Mrs.  Wright  still  survives  her  husband 
and  still  resides  on  the  old  homestead. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  had  four  children: 
Frances,  the  wife  of  William  Wood,  Jr.; 
Martha  and  Columbia,  who  carry  on  the  home 
farm ;  and  Alice,  the  wife  of  R.  Ackley. 
When  Mr.  Wright's  health  failed  the  work  of 
carrying  on  the  farm  devolved  on  his  two 
daughters,  Martha  and  Columbia,  as  did  the 
other  business.  These  two  girls  have  carried 
on  the  work  of  the  farm  successfully,  not 
only  superintending  the  work  but  also  doing 
much  of  the  outdoor  labor  themselves. 
When  their  father  died  the  two  girls  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  the  others  and  now 
owe  the  farm  with  the  exception  of  their 
mother's  dowry.  Martha  attended  college 
at  Abingdon,  Illinois,  and  taught  school  for 
thirteen  terms.  She  was  a  close  student, 


SCHUYLER    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


493 


rising  at  four  in  the  morning  in  order  to 
study.  She  is  very  systematic  in  all  her 
work.  The  two  are  always  willing  to  exert, 
their  influence  for  the  Democratic  party. 


I1LLIAM  P.  GAUT,  the  subject  of 
this  notice,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
county,  Tennessee,  April  16,  1862. 
His  father  was  .Robert  Gaut,  born  in  the 
same  place,  in  1800,  and  his  father,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  George  Gaut, 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  who  went  to  Tennes- 
see when  a  young  man.  This  family  is  of 
Huguenot  origin.  He  had  by  one  wife  thir- 
teen children,  of  whom  ten  grew  to  adult  age. 
One  of  these,  James  Gaut,  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninety-seven  years,  and  the  average  of  these 
ten  were  over  eighty,  and  the  one  still  living, 
George  Gaut,  is  on  the  old  home  farm.  The 
father  of  our  present  subject  was  reared  to 
farm  life  and  has  good  common  schooling. 
He  married  Mary  P,  Woods  in  Tennessee, 
who  was  born  there  in  1799.  She  was  of  a 
family  of  ten  children:  James,  Mary  P., 
Lutetia,  John  C.,  Martha  J.,  W.  P.,  E.  Flora, 
Mary  E.,  Sarah  P.  and  Julia  Ann  M.,  the 
last  two  twins.  Some  of  these  children  dipd 
in  infancy.  Of  the  six  that  came  to  adult  age, 
five  are  still  livipg.  Th.e  mother  of  this 
family  died  in  her  forty-seventh  year  and  the 
father  lived  nineteen  years  a  widower.  He 
died  in  1864,  in  his  sixty-  fifth  year,  still 
mourning  his  wife. 

William  P.  (jfaut  is  a  photographer.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  went  to  work 
in  a  blast  furnace  in  Monroe  county  where 
he  was  reared  and  at  this  place  he  worked 
for  six  years  at  low  wages.  He  had  the 
promise  of  $20  a  month,  but  at  that 
time  fifty  cents  a  day  was  average  wages 

88 


when  six  cords  of  wood,  pine  and  chestnut, 
could  be  bought  for  a  dollar.  He  next  went 
to  work'at  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright and  for  six  years  this  claimed  his  at- 
tention. From  1861  to  1886  he  became  a 
photographer,  and  he  worked  at  this  through 
Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and  New  Orleans. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Versailles,  in 
1866,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  E.  Reily,  of  Davidson 
county,  North  Carolina,  who  was  born  there 
December  21,  1840.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Solomon  and  Polly  (Williams)  Reily,  both 
natives  of  North  Carolina.  She  came  to 
Illinois  in  1850  with  her  mother,  in  a  cov. 
ered  wagon,  emigrant  style,  and  were  four 
weeks  making  the  trip.  They  camped  out 
all  but  two  nights,  when  the  weather  was 
stormy.  She  was  an  only  child  and  lived 
with  her  mother  until  her  marriage. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gaut  lived 
in  Mount  Sterling  for  a  few  months  and 
then  moved  to  Marietta,  Georgia,  where  they 
remained  about  nine  years  when  they  re- 
turned to  Mount  Sterling  and  Mr.  Gaut  con- 
tinued the  old  business  which  he  had  started 
during  the  war.  They  bought  their  present 
farm  of  611  acres,  all  bottom  land  except 
eighty  acres,  where  they  reside  on  the  Bluffs, 
paying  $8,000  for  it.  They  have  buried  two 
sons  and  two  daughters,  all  in  infancy,  but 
have  four  of  the  finest  boys  left  that  can  be 
found  in  the  township.  K.  Eugene  is  twen- 
ty-one, James  B.  is  nineteen,  Charles  W.  is 
fourteen  and  George  Lea  is  a  bright  lad  of 
ten  years.  All  are  at  home  in  the  sense  of 
not  having  thought  of  any  separate  home; 
Eugene  is  attending  college  at  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Champaign;  and  James  B.  is  fol- 
lowing his  fancy  by  learning  the  carpenter's 
trade. 

Mr.  Gaut  makes  a  special  crop  of  his  corn, 
and  raises  many  hogs.  He  has  his  hill  land 


494 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


for  a  fruit  farm  and  has  it  planted  mostly  in 
apples  and  peaches.  The  native  products  of 
uplands  are  pawpaws  and  of  the  .bottoms 
are  pecans.  He  expects  his  land  to  yield 
from  fifty  to  100  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre. 

Mr.  Gaut  is  an  ancient  Odd  Fellow  and  is 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics.  He  was  in  the  Confederate  army 
from  1861  to  1863,  and  although  he  was 
not  wounded  he  lost  his  health.  He  was 
made  a  prisoner  at  Knoxville.  He  has  voted 
for  every  President  since  1861  and  has  been 
active  in  his  party. 

The  aged  mother  of  Mr.  Gaut  lives  with 
him  and  is  strong  and  vigorous  still. 


[ILLIAM  H.  McCREERY  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Huntsvijle  township,  residing 
on  section  6,  having  settled  here  in 
1834.  His  father,  William  McCreery,  was 
born  in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia,  March 
1,  1802,  being  a  son  of  John  McCreery,  who 
was  also  a  native  of  Virginia  a^nd  a  planter. 
He  married  Sarah  Rousseau,  of  French  an- 
cestry. William  McCreery,  Sr.,  was  reared 
on  a  farm  and  when  seven  years  of  acre,  the 
family  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he  grew 
to  manhood  in  Pulaski  county.  Here  he 
entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  as  an  itinerant  preacher. 
His  work  was  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 
In  1827  he  preached  in  Orange  county,  In- 
diana. From  there,  in  1829,  he  went  to  Mis- 
souri and  stayed  for  a  few  years,  and  an  account 
of  his  work  in  this  State  may  be  found  at 
length  in  Dr.  McNally's  History  of  Method- 
ism in  Missouri.  In  1832,  in  Cape  Girar- 
deau  county,  Missouri,  he  married  Harriet 
E.  Long,  and  two  years  later  they  came  to 
Rushville,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  The 


next  year  they  settled  on  section  6,  Hunts- 
ville  township,  where  Mr.  McCreery  had 
purchased  a  claim  August,  1834,  and  here  he 
resided  until  his  death,  November  2,  1884. 
He  was  a  local  preacher  and  was  assigned  a 
circuit  in  1848,  the  Columbus  circuit,  Adams 
county.  He  continued  his  religious  work 
until  within  a  few  weeks  of  his  death.  His 
wife  died  two  days  before  her  husband.  He 
died  within  two  hours  after  returning  from 
her  funeral.  Mr.  McCreery  was  a  good  man 
and  was  greatly  opposed  to  slavery,  refusing 
to  receive  any  portion  of  them  from  his  fath- 
er's estate.  He  was  an  ardent  Whig  and  Re- 
publican in  politics.  They  had  thirteen 
children,  nine  of  whom  grew  up  to  manhood, 
namely:  James  N.  and  John  F.,  twins:  the 
former  was  drowned  in  the  Missouri  river 
while  working  on  the  bridge  at  Kansas  City; 
the  latter  died  in  Taylor  county,  Iowa;  Wil- 
liam H.;  Sarah  married  Robert  Ellis  and  re- 
sides at  Saline  county,  Missouri;  Eliza  mar- 
ried William  Kirk  and  resides  in  Lincoln 
county,  Washington;  Benjamin  B.  is  a  mer- 
chant and  resides  in  Augusta,  Illinois;  Henry 
C.  is  also  a  merchant  and  resides  in  Illinois; 
Edward  M.  resides  in  Henry  county,  and  Mary 
married  to  Quincy  Allphin  and  residing  near 
Andover,  Kansas. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Cape  Griardeau 
county,  Missouri,  June,  1834,  and  was  only 
six  months  old  when  the  family  settled  in 
Illinois.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tended the  country  schools  two  or  three  miles 
distant  from  his  home  until  he  was  twenty- 
one.  He  then  attended  Rode  River  seminary 
one  year.  He  then  rented  a  farm  from  his 
father  and  in  1863  -settled  where  he  now  re- 
sides, and  in  1868  became  the  owner  of  160 
acres  of  land.  He  now  owns  333  acres  of 
land  and  follows  stock-raising.  He  is  a  good 
Republican  and  has  always  supported  the 


SCtlUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


495 


straight  ticket.  He  is  interested  in  all  matters 
tending  to  improve  the  welfare  of  the  county 
or  township.  He  has  rnn  for  several  of  the 
local  offices,  hut,  owing  to  the  Republican 
party  being  in  the  minority,  he  has  been  de- 
feated. He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Hunts- 
ville  Lodge,  No.  465,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and 
has  been  Master  of  the  same  lodge. 

He  was  married  in  1881  to  Rachel  Baxter, 
daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Cooper) 
Baxter  of  Ohio.  The  Baxter  family  came  to 
Schuyler  county  in  June,  1857,  and  settled 
in  Huntsville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCreeryhave 
had  ten  children,  six  grown  up,  namely:  Will- 
iam Morris,  for  fourteen  months-in  the  cen- 
sus office  at  Washington,  is  now  in  Augusta, 
Illinois;  Frank  M.  and  Fred  H.,  twins,  the 
former  at  home  and  the  latter  dealing  in  im- 
plements in  Augusta,  Illinois;  Harry,  Ralph 
and  Mary  are  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Creery  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  in  which  they  are  earnest  work- 
ers. 

[DWARD  HAGENER,  one  of  the  fir.m 
of  Hagener  &  Schu,man,  dealers  in 
wines  a.nd  liquors,  located  at  the  corner 
of  State  and  Main  streets,  Beardstown,  was 
born  here  in  1855,,  and  waa  reared  and  educated 
in  this  same  city,  and  he  has  always  resided 
here.  He  is  the  younger  of  three  sons,  all  of 
wh.om  are  excellent  business  men.  Their 
father,  William  Hagener,  now  deceased,  was 
for  many  years  prominent  in  the  history  of 
Beardstown.  He  was  a  man  liked  and  re- 
spected by  every  one.  He  was  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  His  wife  yet  living,  aged  seventy- 
three  years,  is  one  of  the  best  old  ladies  in 
the  city. 


Mr.  Hagener  established  a  wood  and  coal 
yard  in  1877.  He  also  dealt  in  farm  imple- 
ments, and  also  managed  a  farm  for  some 
time  in  Hitchcock  county,  Nebraska,  and 
spent  some  time  in  Colorado  and  California. 
His  present  business  was  established  in  Feb. 
ruary,  1890. 

He  was  married  in  this  city  lirst  to  Miss 
Carrie  Nieman.  She  was  born  in  this  city, 
and  died  at  her  home  in  this  city,  when  only 
twenty-three  years  of  age.  She  left  one 
child,  John,  now  a  clerk  for  his  grandfather, 
Fred  Nieman.  Mr.  Hagener  was  married  a 
second  time,  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  to  Miss 
Mollie  Harmon,  January  29,  1889.  She  was 
born  and  reared  in  Astoria,  and  she  is  an 
excellent  housekeeper  and  the  mother  of  two 
children,  George  E.  and  Pearl.  Mr.  and  Mrs, 
Hagener  attend  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 
Mr.  Hagener  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Arch  Lodge,  No.  16j.  It  is  an  old  and  very 
strong  lodge.  He  has  been,  a  publicTspirited 
man,  and  a  worker  for  everything  of  value 
for  his  ci$y  ar\d  county.  He  takes  no  par- 
ticular part  in  politics,  but  votes  the  Repub- 
lican ticket. 


fOSEPH  J.  SMITH,  of  section  8,  Pea 
Ridge  township,  is  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  having  been  born  in  that  State, 
Chatham  county,  February  25,  1843.  His 
father,  Relliff  Smith,  was  also  born  in  the 
same  county,  December  4,  1810,  being  a  son 
of  Jonah  and  Patsy  Smith.  He  married 
Nancy  Dorsett,  came  to  Illinois  in  1851, 
and  settling  in  North  East  township,  Adams 
county,  where  he  purchased  land,  becoming 
the  owner  of  180  acres  of  good  land.  He 
later  removed  to  a  farm  near  Clayton,  and 
resided  there  until  1890;  then  as  he  had  sold 


496 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


his  farm  to  our  subject,  he  began  to  make 
his  home  with  his  son,  and  has  continued 
with  him  ever  since.  His  wife  died  in  1875. 
They  had  three  children. 

Joseph  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  resided 
at  home  until  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was 
married  in  the  fall  of  1861,  to  Elizabeth  May, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  May.  She  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina.  Mr.  May  and  his  wife, 
Mary  (Harris)  May,  were  natives  of  the  same 
State  as  their  daughter,  Mrs.  Smith.  They 
came  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1846,  settling, 
first  in  Mt.  Sterling,  where  the  father  rented 
land  for  three  years.  He  then  removed  to 
Pea  Ridge  township,  where  he  first  rented 
land  and  then  purchased  ninety  acres  in  sec- 
tion 16,  which  was  partially  improved.  Here 
he  has  since  resided,  becoming  the  owner  of 
280  acres  of  land.  He  still  owns  150  acres. 
He  dates  his  birth  back  to  1818.  He  had 
ten  children,  eight  of  whom  grew  up. 

Joseph  resided  at  home  after  his  marriage 
until  the  death  of  his  mother.  In  the  fall  of 
1889,  he  removed  to  Brown  county,  and  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  159  acres  of  land, 
fifteen  acres  of  this  is  planted  with  as  fine  an 
orchard  as  is  in  this  part  of  the  State.  This 
farm  is  a  very  good  one  in  every  way,  as  it 
ought  to  be,  as  Mr.  Smith  has  always  followed 
farming,  and  so  ought  to  know  how  to  de- 
velop his  land.  He  deals  largely  in  the  cult- 
ure of  small  fruits  and  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful with  them. 

Mr.  Smith's  father  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  and  pursued  his  trade  in  his  native 
State.  This  work  had  no  attraction  for  Jo- 
seph, however,  and  so  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  farming,  with  very  satisfactory  re- 
sults, as  his  nice  farm  with  the  two  sets  of 
farm  buildings  testifies. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  no  children.  Mr. 
Smith  is  a  Republican,  but  like  his  father 


before  him  he  has  refused  any  office.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  Clayton.  They  are  very  estima- 
ble people,  and  enjoy  the  respect  of  the  whole 
community. 


fOHN  BAUJAN,  deceased,  who  died  at 
his  home  at  Beardstown,  July  4,  1889,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-nine  years,  was  born 
in  Siegberg,  Germany,  April  6,  1820.  He 
came  of  pure  German  stock  and  had  grown 
up  to  the  trade  of  stone  and  brick  mason.  He 
left  Antwerp  with  two  of  his  fellow  towns- 
men, William  and  Philip  Frisbaugh,  in  the 
spring  of  1849.  They  lauded  in  New  Orleans 
and  came  up  the  river  in  one  of  the  old  river 
boats  to  St.  Louis.  The  cholera  was  raging 
there  at  this  time  and  he  came  on  to  Arenz- 
ville,  Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  was  engaged 
there  for  some  years  at  his  trade  of  making 
brick,  building  several  houses  at  that  place. 
He  then  lived  one  year  on  a  farm  three  miles 
from  Arenzville,  and  in  1856  came  to  Beards- 
town  and  made  this  place  his  home  until  his 
death.  He  followed  his  trade  and  later  he 
with  Philip  Frisbaugh,  put  up  a  sawmill 
and  ran  it  two  years.  After  that,  with  John 
Sclmltz,  he  purchased  the  gristmill  at  this 
place  under  the  firm  name  of  Baujan  & 
Sclniltz.  They  did  a  very  large  and  success- 
ful business  here.  At  his  death  the  mill  in- 
terest went  to  his  twosons,  Louis  and  Edward. 
Mr.  Baujan  was  a  good,  upright  man  and  one 
of  the  city's  best  and  most  successful  citizens. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  Roman 
Catholic  in  religion.  He  was  an  Alderman 
of  Beardstown  city  and  served  in  that  capacity 
in  a  faithful  manner. 

He  was  married  in  1852,  to  Catharine  Yock 
of    Wurtemburg,  Germany,  born  September 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


497 


10,  1828.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Christina  (Trouth)  Yock,  who  lived  and 
died  at  Wiirtemburg.  They  were  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  and  were  worthy,  hard- 
working people.  Mrs.  Baujan  came  of  a  large 
family,  who  now  reside  here.  She  has  been 
a  true,  good  wife  and  mother,  and  is  a  much 
respected  lady  of  this  county  and  a  most  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baujan  had  eight  children,  one, 
Philipena,died  young.  Those  living  are:  John 
of  the  grocery  firm  of  Baujan  Brothers,  on 
Fourth  street,  this  city;  Rosa,  wife  of  John 
Schnltz,  a  miller  of  this  city;  Henry,  who  is 
a  liveryman  and  blacksmith;  Kate,  wife  of 
Charles  Rupple,  with  his  father,  Henry  Rup- 
ple,  in  the  shoe  business;  Louis  and  Edward, 
of  the  firm  of  Baujan  Brothers,  millers;  and 
Otto,  of  the  firm  of  Baujan  Brothers,  grocery 
merchants. 


fAMES  L.  DE  WITT,  a  son  of  the  Rev. 
James  De  Witt,  whose  biography  ap- 
pears on  another  page  of  this  history, 
was  born  in  Rushville  township,  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  April  30,  1845.  He  remained 
at  home  and  led  the  life  which  usually  falls 
to  the  pioneer  farmer's  son,  until  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  F.  Ross,  who  was  born  in  this 
township  and  county,  October  6,  1850.  Her 
parents,  Talbart  and  Catharine  (Snyder)  Ross, 
were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Virginia 
respectively.  The  father  emigrated  to  Illi- 
nois about  the  year  1830,  and  died  here  at 
the  age  of  forty-five  years  ;  he  purchased  land 
and  left  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  this 
locality.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  the  Shen- 
andoah  valley,  and  died  in  Adams  county, 
Illinois,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  They 


had  born  to  them  a  family  of  nine  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  living.  In  his  political 
opinions  Mr.  Ross  affiliated  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  until  1844;  he  then  united  with 
the  Whigs,  to  whom  he  gave  his  support  un- 
til 1856;  he  then  cast  his  suffrage  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  and  his  wife  belonged 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  were 
members  of  the  Rev.  James  De  Witt's  con- 
gregation, in  Littleton  township;  they  were 
zealous  workers  in  the  Sabbath-school,  and 
were  among  the  pioneers  in  establishing  and 
keeping  up  organizations. 

Mr.  De  Witt  has  been  a  citizen  of  this 
community  all  his  life.  He  has  represented 
the  people  in  the  various  local  offices;  has 
been  town  Clerk.  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
Collector,  rendering  entire  satisfaction  in  his 
methods  of  conducting  the  business  of  these 
offices;  it  should  not  be  omitted  that  he  has 
filled  the  position  of  Supervisor  three  terms, 
giving  the  same  faithful  service  that  has 
characterized  his  transaction  of  business, 
both  public  and  private.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De 
Witt  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Jessie 
R.  was  born  February  26,  1875;  Clyde  L. 
was  born  January  1,  1882. 


'HOMAS  J.  CHALFANT,  a  well-known 
and  influential  citizen  of  Beardstown? 
Illinois,  was  born  in  West  Virginia  in 
1823.  His  parents,  William  and  Helen 
(Adams)  Chalfant,  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Here  they  were  reared  and  were 
married,  after  which  they  moved  into  West 
Virginia,  and  Mr.  Chalfant  followed  his  trade 
of  ship  carpenter  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  when  he  was  sixty-five  years  old. 
His  wife  had  died  previously,  in  1832,  leaving 
six  children,  three  of  whom  are  yet  living. 


498 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Thomas  Chalfant  is  the  only  one  of  the 
family  in  this  State.  He  came  to  the  State 
when  but  twelve  years  of  age,  with  a  family 
by -the  name  of  Clark.  He  had  lived  with 
this  family  after  the  death  of  his  mother. 
He  assisted  in  farming  until  he  was  twenty- 
four,  and  then  learned  the  trade  of  machine 
carpenter  and  pattern-maker,  and  after  learn- 
ing was  three  years  in  a  foundry.  At  last 
he  went  to  work  on  his  own  account,  and 
started  to  making  wagons.  For  years  he 
made  a  greater  number  of  the  wagons  than 
were  made  in  the  whole  surrounding  country, 
but  in  time  he  was  obliged  to  give  way  to  the 
larger  manufactories,  and  he  then  did  repair- 
ing until  six  years  ago,  when  he  turned  the 
business  over  to  his  son  Walter,  who  now 
carries  on  the  business  with  his  partner,  Mr. 
Doesser.  Mr.  Chalfant  has  lived  in  the  town 
of  Beardstown  so  long  that  he* has  seen  it 
change  from  a  wilderness  to  the  growing, 
prosperous  place  it  now  is.  He  has  lived 
here  ever  since  coming  to  the  State,  with  the 
exception  of  a  trip  he  took  in  1859.  He 
started  in  that  year  for  Pike's  Peak,  but  be- 
came discouraged  and  returned  home.  Beards- 
town  was  the  chief  town  for  conveying  goods 
from  St.  Louis  to  inland  places,  and  oxen 
were  used  to  draw  the  wagons  from  one  place 
to  the  other,  and  this  slow  and  laborious 
mode  of  travel  was  continued  some  time  after 
Mr.  Chalfant  came  to  the  State. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to  Miss 
Anna  E.  Norton,  of  Wheeling,  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  the  daughter  of  Thomas  P.  Nor- 
ton, a  worthy  pioneer  of  Illinois.  He  started 
the  first  store  and  hardware  shop  of  Beards- 
town.  Two  of  their  children  are  deceased. 
Their  living  children  are:  Helen,  now  Mrs. 
David  B.  Tread  way,  of  Butler  county,  Ne- 
braska; Matilda,  now  Mrs.  William  Danner, 
of  Kansas;  Walter  S.,  who  carries  on  his 


lather's  old  business,  married  Louisa  Looken, 
and  resides  in  Beardstown;  Gertrude,  now 
Mrs.  James  McClure;  Anna,  now  Mrs.  Edwin 
Stribbs,  of  Beardstown. 

Mr.  Chalfant  is  one  of  Beardstown's  most 
honored  and  respected  men.  He  has  worked 
his  way  up  from  a  poor  boy  to  the  position 
he  now  enjoys.  He  has  retired  from  busi- 
ness, and  is  now  reaping  the  benefits  of  his 
years  of  toil  and  labor. 


fEPTHA  PLASTER,  an  esteemed  pioneer 
of    Cass  county,  Illinois,  for   four  years 
Associate  Justice,  and  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Chandlerville,    was  born  in  Robinsou 
county,  Tennessee,  March  19,  1827. 

His  parents,  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Batts) 
Plaster,  were  also  natives  of  Tennessee,  the 
families  on  both  sides  being  prominent  in  the 
State,  many  members  holding  responsible 
public  offices.  Thomas  and  Mary  Plaster, 
the  paternal  grandparents,  were  natives  of 
North  Carolina,  who  accompanied  their  son 
to  Illinois  in  an  early  day.  The  grandfather 
was  a  devout  and  able  Baptist  minister,  who, 
besides  successfully  conducting  a  farm, 
preached  throughout  Cass  and  adjacent 
counties,  doing  much  good  in  the  dissemina- 
tion of  moral  and  religious  knowledge.  No 
opportunity  escaped  him  of  enlightening  the 
people  in  regard  to  their  obligations,  and 
urging  upon  them  a  conscientious  fulfillment 
of  their  duties.  On  one  occasion,  when  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  grandfather 
were  on  their  way  to  the  mill,  the  old  gentle- 
man, seeing  a  group  of  people,  addressed 
them  in  an  impressive  discourse,  after  which 
he  and  his  grandson  resumed  their  journey. 
The  grandparents  lived  to  a  very  old  age,  and 
were  the  recipients  of  wide-  spread  and  uni- 


8CHUTLER    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


499 


versal  esteem.  The  maternal  grandparents, 
Jeremiah  Batts  and  wife,  were  life-long  and 
respected  residents  of  Tennessee,  where  they 
died  at  an  advanced  age  greatly  mourned  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends.  The  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  State  of  Tennessee,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried. A  few  years  after  marriage,  in  the 
spring  of  1828,  leaving  his  family  in  Ten- 
nessee, he  came  alone  to  Illinois,  and  located 
Government  land.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year,  he  returned  after  his  family,  who,  with 
his  parents,  accompanied  him  on  his  removal 
to  the  Prairie  State.  The  journey  was  made 
overland  with  an  ox  team  and  cart,  several 
weeks  being  consumed  on  the  way.  Once, 
their  cart  broke  down,  and  they  were  obliged 
to  trade  a  horse  for  a  wagon  with  which  to 
proceed.  On  their  arrival  in  Illinois,  the 
grandfather  settled  on  Government  land  in 
Morgan  county,  which  then  embraced  what 
is  now  Cass  county,  the  latter  having  been 
formed  out  of  Morgan  county  territory  in 
1835.  The  father  continued  to  live  on  rented 
land  for  a  year  or  two,  when  he  removed  to 
his  own  farm.  For  twelve  or  fourteen  years, 
he  and  his  family  occupied  a  little  log  cabin. 
This  was  subsequently  replaced  by  a  better 
log  and  frame  house,  which,  in  1853,  gave 
place  to  a  substantial  farm  residence.  His 
father  purchased  all  his  early  supplies  in 
Beardstown,  which  then  boasted  of  but  one 
log  store.  The  country  abounded  in  wild 
game,  such  as  deer,  squirrel,  rabbit,  tur- 
key, prairie  chicken,  etc.,  which,  supple- 
mented by  the  products  of  the  farm,  formed 
the  diet  of  the  frontiersman.  Thus,  industri- 
ously and  happily,  the  parents  passed  their 
lives  on  the  old  homestead,  which  they  had 
reclaimed  from  the  wilderness.  It  was  in 
this  home,  made  sacred  by  many  ties,  that 
the  beloved  mother  expired  at  the  age  of 


fifty-five  years.  The  father  survived  her  but 
a  short  time,  dying  in  1858,  aged  fifty-six,  as 
if  unable  to  endure  separation  from  his 
life-long  companion.  This  worthy  couple 
had  nine  children,  three  of  whom  survive: 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Richard  M. 
Johnson,  living  in  Chandlerville  precinct, 
Cass  county,  Illinois;  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Layman,  residing  in  Lincoln,  Logan  county, 
same  State. 

Jeptha  Plaster,  whose  name  heads  this 
memoir,  spent  his  early  days  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  received  his  education  at  a 
subscription  school  and  from  private  instruc- 
tion at  his  teachers  home.  In  those  days,  it 
was  customary  for  the  teacher  to  board  around 
in  the  various  families  of  the  neighborhood, 
each  person  Subscribing  toward  the  support 
of  the  school,  according  to  the  number  of 
children  sent.  Our  subject's  father  agreed 
to  send  two  pupils,  but  usually  sent  and  paid 
for  three. 

When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Mr.  Plaster 
rented  land  from  his  father,  which  he  farmed 
until  1852,  at  which  time,  induced  by  the 
gold  excitement  in  California,  he  went  over- 
land to  that  State,  where  he  spent  a  year  and 
a  half  prospecting  and  mining.  He  then 
returned  to  his  old  home,  and  worked  on  his 
father's  farm. 

On  October  14,  1858,  he  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Johnson,  an  estimable  lady,  and  a 
native  of  Morgan,  now  Cass,  county,  where 
she  was  born  March  15,  1838.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Rosanna  (Adkins) 
Johnson,  both  natives  of  Tennessee,  who 
were  early  settlers  and  esteemed  residents  of 
this  section  of  Illinois. 

Mr.  Plaster  continued  to  fellow  agricultural 
pursuits  until  1880,  when  he  bought  his 
valuable  city  property,  on  which  he  erected 
his  present  comfortable  residence,  and  retired 


500 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


from  farm  life.  His  father  left  at  his  death 
about  1,000  acres  of  land,  of  which  Mr.  Plas- 
ter now  owns  about  600  acres,  a  good  share 
of  which  he  bought. 

Coming  of  a  family  of  lifetime  Democrats, 
Mr.  Plaster  has  followed  in  their  footsteps, 
casting  his  first  vote  in  1848  for  Lewis 
Cass  and  William  O.  Butler  for  president  and 
vice-president.  His  constituents  have  em- 
phasized their  appreciation  of  his  abilty  and 
worth  by  electing  him  Associated  Justice  of 
Cass  county  in  1869.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  School  Board,  his  election  to  the  latter 
position  having  been  non-partisan  and  un- 
sought, although  he  appreciates  the  honor. 

Such  unanimous  endorsement  of  Judge 
Plaster's  worth  renders  further  remarks  on 
the  subject  not  only  unnecessary  but  imper- 
tinent. He  has  brought  to  his  office  a  varied 
and  extended  experience,  unusual  acumen, 
and  sustained  powers  of  thought  and  reason 
as  well  as  a  reputation  above  reproach,  to- 
gether with  a  kindly  disposition,  which  can 
sympathize  while  condemning,  thus  winning 
the  hearts  of  his  fellow-men. 


IAPTAIN    ROBERT    E.  WILLIAMS, 

Postmaster  and  druggist,  of  Camden, 
has  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  of 
its  residents  since  1850.  He  was  born  in 
Montgomery  county,  Kentucky,  April  14, 

1829,  being  a  son  of  Robert  P.  and  Christina 
A.    (Urquhart)    Williams,    both    natives    of 
Kentucky.     The  family  came  to   Illinois  in 

1830,  and  first  settled  in  Hancock  county, 
but  soon  removed  to  Quincy.     Robert  Will- 
iams was  a  lawyer  and  practiced  law  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  at  Quincy.     He  died  in 
1840.     He  was  an  ardent  Whig,  and   held 
local  offices.     He  was  also  a  member  of  the 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  being  an  earnest 
worker.  When  he  died  he  was  only  thirty- 
five  years  old.  His  wife  died  in  1833,  aged 
thirty  years.  They  had  three  children,  of 
whom  Robert  is  the  only  surviving  member. 
The  father  of  Robert  P.  was  John,  and  he 
married  Amelia  Gill.  They  came  to  Illinois, 
and  died  in  Pike  county.  They  had  a  large 
family  of  twelve  children  which  they  raised. 
They  were  widely  known  and  respected. 

Robert  E.  received  a  fair  education,  and 
then  clerked  in  several  stores  until  he  came 
to  Schuyler.  county  in  1850  and  engaged  in 
farming,  in  Birmingham  township,  where  he 
purchased  340  acres  of  land.  Three  years 
later  he  removed  to  Rushville  and  engaged 
in  saddlery  and  harness,  continuing  in  the 
same  nearly  twenty  years,  and  was  also  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  trade.  In  1879  he  came 
to  Camden,  and  has  since  represented  the 
drug  trade  in  Camden. 

In  the  time  of  his  country's  need  he 
enlisted  in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  going  as 
Captain.  They  were  stationed  at  Memphis. 
Captain  Williams  raised  this  company  and 
served  100  days,  the  time  of  the  enlistment. 
On  his  return  he  assisted  in  raising  Company 
K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  of  which  he  was  made  First 
Lieutenant.  They  were  ordered  to  Nashville, 
and  from  there  to  join  Sherman  in  Georgia, 
at  Columbus.  Here  the  company  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service. 

In  the  cyclone  of  1887  Mr.  Williams  lost 
his  building  and  a  fine  stock  of  goods.  He 
was  caught  up  and  lodged  in  the  branches  of 
an  apple  tree,  some  distance  from  where  he 
was. 

He  was  married  in  1851,  to  Mary  E.  Baker, 
born  in  Missouri,  a  daughter  of  George  Baker. 
She  died  in  Rushville  in  1877,  leaving  one 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


501 


son,  Emory,  now  with  his  father.  In  1879 
Captain  Williams  was  married  to  Nancy 
Allen,  who  was  born  in  Ohio.  They  have 
two  children,  Ellen  M.  and  Myrtle  A. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has 
been  one  since  the  formation  of  the  party, 
and  has  held  the  position  of  Postmaster  since 
1880,  with  the  exception  of  about  ten  months 
during  the  Cleveland  administration.  He  is 
a  member  of  Rushville  Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  Royal  Arch  and  Chapter,  at  the 
same  place.  He  was  Master  of  the  lodge  two 
terms,  and  has  held  many  of  the  minor  offices. 
He  is  now  Secretary  of  the  lodge.  He  and 
his  wife  are  worthy  members  of  society, 
and  are  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
them. 


IEORGE  EDWARD  SNYDER,  a 
prominent  farmer  and  respected  citizen 
of  section  15,  Buena  Vista  township, 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  was  born  in  the 
game  section  on  which  he  now  resides,  the 
date  of  which  event  was  October  7, 1836.  His 
parents  were  Jacob  and  Margaret  (Hughes) 
Snyder,  natives  of  Virginia,  who  located  in 
Schuyler  county,  October  5,  1835.  His  father 
was  born  August  9,  1798,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 28,  1865,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  His 
mother  was  born  March  23,  1798,  and  died 
November  7,  1849,  aged  fifty-one  years.  She 
was  a  woman  of  many  admirable  traits  of 
character,  much  beloved,  and  lamented  by 
her  family  and  friends.  His  parents  were 
married  February  10,  1822,  and  located  in 
Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  October  5,  1835. 
They  had  four  children:  John  W.,  born  in 
Frederick  county,  Virginia,  June  4,  1823; 
James  W.,  born  June  14,  1830,  now  residing 
on  a  farm  near  Hamilton,  Illinois;  Joseph  W., 


born  July  9,  1833,  resides  in  Littleton  town- 
ship, same  State;  and  the  subject  of  our 
sketch. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  at- 
tended the  district  schools.  He  lived  at  home 
and  assisted  on  the  farm,  until  he  was  mar- 
ried, on  October  25,  1859,  after  which  he 
farmed  for  himself.  He  married  Margaret 
McCreary,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Fannie 
McCreary.  After  his  marriage,  he  rented 
land  in  Buena  Vista  township,  on  which  he 
remained  for  two  years,  and  then  purchased 
320  acres  in  Iluntsville  township,  where  he 
lived  until  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1865, 
when  he  sold  his  farm  and  returned  to  the  old 
homestead,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
owns  162  acres  of  land  and  has  good  improve- 
ments. Besides  agriculture,  he  deals  largely 
in  live-stock,  in  which  he  is  very  successful. 

His  wife  died  March  16,  1877.  She  was  a 
woman  of  ability  and  was  much  lamented  by 
her  family  and  friends.  She  left  six  children: 
Roland  M.,  who  was  born  September  9, 1862, 
now  a  farmer  of  Buena  Vista  township; 
Charles  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  four 
months  and  twenty-seven  days;  Florence  was 
born  April  10,  1867,  and  married  P.  Bartlow, 
now  residing  in  Littleton  township;  Fannie 
was  born  August  8,  1870;  Dwight  C.  was 
born  May  27,  1874;  and  Carl  C.  was  born 
September  14,  1876. 

Our  subject  married  a  second  time  Sep- 
tember 26, 1877,  his  choice  being  Mrs.  Eva 
Ann  Boyles,  nee  Krieole.  She  was  born  in 
Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  16, 
1845.  Her  parents  were  David  and  Mary 
Krieole,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  re- 
moved to  Ohio  about  1846,  locating  in  Benton 
county.  Here  their  daughter,  Eva  A.nn, 
married  John  H.  Boyles,  October  6,  1861, 
who  in  1869  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  in 
Augusta,  Hancock  county,  later  removing  to 


502 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CMS, 


Schuyler  county,  where  he  died  September 
19,  1873.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
a  member  of  Company  D,  Ninetieth  Ohio, 
and  served  for  three  years,  dying  from  the  ef- 
fects of  disease  contracted  during  his  service. 
He  left  five  children:  Mary  E.,  born  Novem- 
ber 2,  1862,  who  died  aged  sixteen  years  and 
three  months;  Martha  Ann,  wife  of  William 
Krieole,  resides  in  Macomb,  Illinois;  Nora  J. 
was  born  April  9,  1868,  and  died  in  1873; 
Daniel  H.  was  born  March  12,  1870,  now  re- 
siding in  Littleton  township;  Viola  M.  was 
born  December  16,  1872,  and  died  in  May, 
1874. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  have  two  children: 
Lee  Edwin,  who  was  born  January  29,  1878, 
and  Eva  Lena,  born  J.nne  22,  1882. 

Politically,  Mr.  Snyder  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  has  been  honored  by 
his  constituents  by  an  election  to  a  member- 
ship of  the  School  Board,  in  which  capacity  he 
has  served  for  twenty-one  years,  and  has  also 
served  as  Road  Commissioner  for  a  period  of 
three  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  belong  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  they 
are  respected  members. 

Upright  in  his  dealings,  of  high  morality, 
and  great  industry,  he  has  accumulated  a 
comfortable  supply  of  this  world's  goods,  and 
what  is  best  of  all,  enjoys  in  addition  thereto 
the  hearty  good-will  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


fOHN  P.  MURPHY,  of  the  firm  of 
Murphy  &  Co.,  proprietors  of  the  Cam- 
den  Roller  Mills,  at  Camden,  Illinois,  has 
been    a   resident  of   Schuyler   county    since 
1886,  born  in  East   Tennessee,  August    18, 
1833,  being  a  son  of  William  L.  and  Matilda 
(Hill)     Murphy,    natives    of    Virginia   and 


North  Carolina.  William's  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Scotland  and  came  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Virginia.  He  was  a  mer- 
chant of  Richmond,  Virginia.  William, 
born  in  1805,  went  to  Sullivan  county,  Ten- 
nessee, when  a  young  man,  and  there  mar- 
ried, and  still  resides  there,  a  farmer.  His 
wife  is  deceased.  They  had  nine  children: 
Preston  W.,  John,  Robert  E.,  William  B., 
David  W.,  James  J.,  Martha  Josephine, 
Mary  and  Caroline. 

John  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  a 
limited  education.  When  he  grew  up  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  When 
the  war  broke  out  he  was  exempted  from 
serving,  although  he  was  conscripted.  He 
worked  for  the  Confederate  Government  at 
his  trade  at  Knoxville.  When  Burnside 
captured  the  city  John  remained  with  the 
Union  forces.  In  March,  1864,  he  engaged 
as  engineer  in  a  mill.  In  1868  he  returned 
to  East  Tennessee  and  worked  as  engineer 
for  four  years.  In  1872,  he  returned  to 
Brown  county  and  continued  his  trade  until 
1886,  when  he  came  to  Camden  and  pur- 
chased the  Camden  Roller  Mills.  He  made 
many  improvements,  putting  in  the  newest 
machinery,  and  has  made  it  one  of  the  finest 
mills  of  its  kind  in  the  vicinity.  He  has  a 
flour,  feed  and  exchange  at  Mount  Sterling. 

He  was  married  to  Flora  Gault,  who  was 
born  in  East  Tennessee,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
Gault.  She  had  one  child,  deceased.  She 
died  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee.  Mr.  Murphy 
was  married  at  Mount  Sterling,  toMivina  M. 
Black,  daughter  of  Judge  Samuel  Black.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  takes  very  little 
interest  in  such  matters.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Murphy  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Murphy  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Hardin  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
No.  44,  and  also  Chaplain  of  the  R.  A.  M., 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


503 


at  Mount  Sterling,  of  which  he  was  a  promi- 
nent member  for  many  years.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  Unity  Lodge,  No.  310,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  the 
same. 


|EV.  WILLIAM  WEIGAND  in  charge 
of  St.  Alexis'  Catholic  Church,  Beards- 
town,  was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  April 
12,  1852.  He  was  reared  in  Brown  county, 
Illinois,  where  his  parents  moved  when  he 
was  a  child.  His  parents  were  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Leisen)  Weigand,  natives  of  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  Germany.  The  father  was  a 
soldier  in  the  regular  German  army  and  he 
came  to  the  United  States  after  his  discharge 
and  married  his  wife  in  Baltimore,  where  she 
had  lived  after  coming  to  America  with  her 
parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weigand  settled  in 
Philadelphia  and  afterward  moved  to  Zanes- 
vjlle,  Ohio,  and  from  there  to  Brown  county, 
Illinois,  in  1864,  and  settled  on  a  farm. 
Farming  was  the  vocation  of  Mr.  Weigand. 
He  died  soon  after  coming  to  Illinois  when 
he  was  fifty-four  years  of  age.  His  wife  is 
still  living,  aged  seventy-six  years,  and  is 
the  housekeeper  for  her  son,  the  subject  of 
this  notice.  She  has  eight  children,  forty- 
eight  grandchildren  and  twenty-two  great- 
grandchildren. The  entire  family  are  good 
Catholics  and  are  successful  in  whatever  pro- 
fession they  have  adopted,  making  hosts  of 
friends. 

Mr  Weigand  was  thirteen  years  old  when 
he  was  sent  to  St.  Francis  College,  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin.  Later  he  was  sent  to  St.  Joseph 
College  and  finished  his  course  at  a  college 
in  Ohio.  The  church  at  Beardstown  is  the 
first  charge  he  has  had  since  he  graduated  in 
the  spring  of  1878.  He  was  ordained  by  the 


Right  Rev.  Father  P.  J.  Baiters,  now  de- 
ceased, then  of  Alton,  Illinois.  The  church 
has  grown  under  Father  Weigand  in  a  won- 
derful degree.  When  he  came  there  four- 
teen years  ago  he  found  the  church  bending 
under  the  weight  of  a  heavy  debt.  He  has 
not  only  cleared  off  the  debt,  but  has  recently 
finished  a  new  church  edifice  that  is  one  of 
the  finest  buildings  in  the  county.  The  cor- 
ner stone  was  laid  July  7,  1889.  It  is  of 
brick  and  all  the  appointments,  both  inside 
and  out,  are  of  the  most  beautiful  design. 
The  altar  furnishings  are  in  keeping  with  the 
general  tone  of  the  whole  building,  and  the 
whole  taken  together  far  surpasses  any  of  the 
buildings  used  for  religious  purposes  in 
Beardstown. 

The  history  of  the  church  dates  back  to 
the  '40s,  when  a  priest  from  Quincy,  Illinois, 
came  to  start  the  church  in  Beardstown.  He 
built  and  added  to  the  edifice.  There  are 
now  about  100  heads  of  families  in  the 
church  and  it  is  in  a  growing  condition, 
although  the  railroad  strike  of  1887  caused 
a  decrease  of  twenty-five  families.  Father 
Weigand  is  a  worker  and  is  a  man  greatly  be- 
loved by  all  his  people,  having  studied  their 
wants.  He  has  charge  of  the  parish  at 
Arenzville.  He  had  a  parish  school  at 
Beardstown  for  a  time,  under  his  supervision. 
Father  Weigand  is  a  man  of  true  Catholic 
spirit. 


*€• 


HRISTIAN  BROCKSCHMIDT,  a 
general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  in 
Beardstown  precinct,  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  Illinois,  January  30, 
1852.  His  father's  name  was  Eenry,  who 
was  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  grew  up 


504 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    C'ASS, 


a  blacksmith  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1828.  He  settled  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  later  his  father  and  stepmother,  through 
his  help,  also  came  to  America.  After  Henry 
came  to  this  country  he  worked  with  the 
Eagle  foundry  of  St.  Louis,  but  losing  his 
health  he  settled  with  his  family  on  a  farm 
in  Washington  county,  Illinois.  His  wife 
died  some  years  later  and  he  afterward  went 
back  to  St.  Louis  and  spent  his  last  years 
there,  dying  in  1877  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  years.  He  was  a  skilled  mechanic,  an 
active  citizen  and  a  worthy  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  He  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics.  His  wife  was  named  Katharina 
Helmick,  a  native  of  Prussia,  who  came  to 
St.  Louis  when  a  young  girl.  She  was  a 
mother  of  nine  children  and  died  in  1866,  at 
the  age  of  fifty- seven.  She  was  a  good, 
kind  woman  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Christian  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
nine.  He  came  here  from  Sfc.  Louis,  where 
he  had  lived  since  he  was  fourteen  years. 
He  had  been  engaged  as  a  teamster  for  many 
years.  He  came  to  Cass  county,  February 
1880,  first  rented  his  land  and  then  pur- 
chased his  present  farm,  August  12,  1890. 
It  consists  of  244  acres  in  what  is  known  as 
bottom  lands,  and  120  acres  are  under  the 
plow.  This  is  considered  a  fine  piece  of 
farming  land  and  is  located  in  township  19, 
range  11. 

He  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  to 
Louisa  Shave,  who  was  born  in  Prussia  in 
1850  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
fourteen  years  old,  located  at  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, where  her  father,  William  died  in 
1877.  He  was  thrice  married.  His  first  wife, 
the  mother  of  Mrs.  B.,  died  in  Germany 
when  the  latter  was  very  young.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  B.  have  three  children:  Ida  E.,  Fred 


W.  at  home,  and  Minnie,  deceased.  They 
are  members  of  the  Sixth  Street  Lutheran 
Church.  He  is  a  Republican.  They  are 
excellent  people  and  highly  respected. 


ILLIAM  L.  BRUMBACK,  Postmas- 
ter  and  merchant  at  Huntsville,  be- 
came a  resident  of  that  place  October 
22,  1864.  He  was  born  in  Boone  county, 
Kentucky,  January  29,  1852,  being  a  son  of 
Peter  W.  and  Ann  E.  (Estes)  Brumback. 
The  former  was  boru  in  Virginia  in  1801, 
but  removed  in  childhood  with  his  parents  to 
Kentucky,  where  he  passed  his  early  life  on  a 
farm,  learned  the  trade  of  brick  mason,  also 
silversmith.  He  married  in  Kentucky  a 
lady  who  was  born  September  22,  1809,  and 
died  March  16,  1884.  After  his  marriage 
he  bought  land  and  engaged  in  farming.  In 
October  1864,  they  came  to  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  and  settled  in  Hnntsville,  where  he 
was  interested  for  a  short  time  in  merchandise. 
He  died  November  27,  1867.  He  and  his 
wife  had  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity,  namely:  Oliver,  Benjamin,  Mil- 
dred Harrison,  Isabel  Barmour,  Adelia  Smith, 
Nathan,  William  L.,  Jessie  Aleshire.  Peter 
Brumback  was  an  old-line  Whig  and  later  a 
Repnblican,  being  always  prominent  in  poli- 
tics. His  father,  also  Peter  Brumback,  was 
a  German  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
sixteen  years  of  age.  He  served  seven  years 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  present  at 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  His  brother, 
John,  also  came  to  America.  The  two  were 
sons  of  a  ship-builder  in  Germany.  Mr. 
Peter  Brumback,  Jr.,  was  an  earnest  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

William   was  reared  on  a  farm  and  tilled 
the  soil    until    1881,  when   he   engaged    in 


SCHDTLEIi    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


505 


mercantile  business  and  still  continues  it. 
He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics.  The 
appointment  of  Postmaster  was  conferred  on 
him  during  Arthur's  administration  and  he 
served  nearly  five  years.  In  1889  he  was 
again  appointed  and  now  holds  the  office. 
He  is  also  a  Notary  Public. 

He  was  married,  July  8,  1889,  to  Mary  E., 
daughter  of  Dudley  and  Nancy  Overstreet. 
She  was  born  in  Huntsville.  Mr.  Bruin  - 
back  is  a  member  of  Huntsville  Lodge,  No. 
465,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brnm- 
back  are  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Hunts- 
ville. 


'ILL1AM  HALE,  an  honored  pioneer 
of  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  who  has 
contributed  materially  to  the  phe- 
nomenal advancement  and  prosperity  of  this 
section  by  his  superior  executive  ability, 
unremitting  energy  and  progressive  dis- 
position, enjoys  a  well-earned  repose  in  retire- 
ment at  Rushville.  He  is  a  native  of  New 
Madrid  county,  Missouri,  where  he  was  born 
May  18,  1833.  His  parents  were  Jatnes  and 
Charlotte  (Briggs)  Hale,  the  former  a  native 
of  Georgia  andjthe  latter  of  Vermont.  Joshua 
Hale,  paternal  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  also  a  native  of  Georgia, 
while  his  father  was  a  native  of  England,  who 
emigrated  to  this  country  at  a  very  early  day, 
and  located  in  the  South.  Joshua  Hale  moved 
to  Missouri  previous  to  the  war  of  1812,  and 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  territory, 
which  at  that  time  included  a  very  large  area, 
out  of  which  many  States  have  been  formed, 
but  which  was  then  the  frontier  of  civiliza- 
tion. Joshua  Hale  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion and  secured  a  large  tract  of  Government 
land  in  this  new  and  fertile  territory,  but 


spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  in  New  Mad- 
rid. James  Hale  was  but  a  child  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Missouri,  where  he  was 
reared,  educated  and  married,  his  wife  being 
a  lady  of  superior  attainments  and  culture. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Asa  Briggs,  a  brave 
and  efficient  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
war;  and  widow  of  John  Smith.  In  1837, 
the  family,  consisting  of  father,  mother  and 
ten  children,  removed  to  Illinois.  Here,  al- 
though land  could  then  be  purchased  for 
$1.25  an  acre,  the  father,  on  account  of 
limited  means,  was  obliged  to  rent  a  farm  for 
a  few  years.  By  industry  and  economy,  he 
accumulated  in  time  sufficient  means  to  pur- 
chase a  farm,  and  bought  some  choice  agri- 
cultural land  in  Buena  Vista  township,  on 
which  he  and  his  family  located.  This  he  as- 
siduously cultivated  and  made  on  it  many 
valuable  improvements,  continuing  to  reside 
there  until  his  death,  his  wife  also  dying  on 
the  old  homestead.  He  was  a  man  of  ster- 
ling qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  and  enjoyed 
witli  his  worthy  wife  the  highest  esteem  of 
all  who  knew  them.  Their  death  was  greatly 
lamented,  not  only  by  their  immediate  fam- 
ily and  friends,  but  by  the  whole  community. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  four 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Illinois,  but  he  has  a  vivid  recollection  of 
the  privations  and  vicissitudes  of  the  long 
and  toilsome  journey,  made  in  those  pioneer 
days.  The  country  was  Jwild  and  sparsely 
settled,  while  game  and  wild  fowl  abounded 
in  great  profusion,  such  as  deer,  turkey, 
prairie  chickens,  etc.,  while  the  streams  were 
full  of  excellent  fish.  People  lived  on  the 
products  of  their  land  and  wild  game,  while 
the  subject  of  this  biography  and  the  rest  of 
the  family  were  clothed  with  homespun, 
manufactured  by  the  unremitting  toil  of  his 
mother's  patient  and  skillful  hands. 


506 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


Mr.  Hale  received  the  limited  education 
afforded  by  the  pioneer  schools,  and  was 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  early  becom- 
ing accustomed  to  the  hard  labor  incidental 
to  farm  life.  Previous  to  his  father's  death 
he  had  invested  in  land,  to  which  he  subse- 
quently added,  until  he  now  owns  430  acres 
in  a  body  in  Buena  Vista  township,  com- 
prising some  of  the  best  realty  in  that  vicin- 
ity. He  continued  to  reside  on  this  farm, 
which  he  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  greatly  improved,  until  1892,  when 
he  moved  to  his  present  home  in  Rnshville. 
Here  he  has  a  substantial  home  with  attract- 
ive and  tasteful  surroundings,  all  the  ap- 
pointments of  which  suggest  comfort  and  re- 
finement, where  he  and  his  worthy  wife  are 
enjoying  in  ease  the  fruits  of  their  early  in- 
dustrious efforts. 

Mr.  Hale  was  married  in  1855,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Priscilla  Sponarnore,  an  estimable 
lady,  a  native  of  Schuyler  county,  Illinois, 
and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Green) 
Sponamore,  pioneers  and  prominent  residents 
of  this  county.  They  have  had  nine  children, 
seven  of  whom  now  survive:  Mary  F. ;  Sarah 
Malinda;,  James  F.,  Hester  A.,  William  0., 
Lydia  Belle,  and  John  Martin,  —  all  of  whom 
fill  positions  of  honor  in  business  and  society. 
The  parents  are  earnest  and  useful  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  to 
the  support  of  which  they  contribute  liber- 
ally of  their  means  and  influence. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hale  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  although  not  a  poli- 
tician in  the  modern  acceptance  of  the  word 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  public  affairs  of 
importance.  He  is  public-spirited  and  is  al- 
ways ready  to  assist  any  worthy  enterprise, 
tending  to  the  moral,  educational  or  material 
advancement  of  his  vicinity. 


Whatever  prosperity  Mr.  Hale  has  attained 
is  entirely  due  to  his  own  unaided  efforts. 
By  persistent  industry,  careful  economy  and 
intelligent  management  he  has  accumulated 
a  competency,  while  his  unimpeachable  in- 
tegrity, unwavering  fidelity  and  uniform 
courtesy  have  gained  for  him  the  universal 
esteem  of  his  fellowmen. 


ILLIAM  PILGER  was  born  in  the 
»ir«aiK  Rhine  province,  Prussia,  Germany,  in 
I  3Ji-?j  1832.  He  remained  with  his  father  in 
farming  until  1853,  when  betook  passage  for 
the  United  States  on  the  ship  Yaeger  which 
was  making  its  first  voyage.  He  landed  in 
New  Orleans  after  a  six  weeks'  voyage,  and 
then  came  up  to  St.  Louis  by  way  of  the 
Mississippi, and  from  therecameon  to  Beards- 
town.  He  spent  the  first  five-  or  six  years 
here  as  a  laborer.  He  was  the  first  son  of 
the  family  to  come  to  this  country,  one  sister 
having  preceded  him,  another  brother  and 
two  other  sisters  came  over  and  settled  in  St. 
Louis.  Here  one  died.  Mr.  Pilger  came 
here  a  poor  young  man  just  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  He  began  to  farm  here  in  1858,  and 
was  actively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  from  1858  to  1891,  when  he  retired 
to  Beardstown.  He  owns  240  acres  of  very 
good  land,  forty  being  in  timber,  the  rest  im- 
proved and  supplied  with  good  buildings.  He 
has  made  money  by  his  own  efforts  and  is 
now  enjoying  the  result  of  those  efforts.  He 
has  been  a  hard-working  citizen  and  is  well 
known  in  the  county,  and  now  resides  on  the 
corner  of  Eleventh  and  Adams  streets. 

Mr.  Pilger  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Schmidt,  who  was  born  in  Hesse- Darmstadt, 
Germany,  October  20,  1830,  and  she  died  at 
her  home  on  the  farm,  March  4,  1881.  She 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


507 


was  young,  when,  with  her  mother  and  other 
children,  she  came  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  Cass  county,  where  her  father  had 
preceded  them  two  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Filger  had  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Louis,  a  teamster  in 
Beardstown,  married  Mary  Stock;  Lena,  is 
the  wife  of  Marshall  J.  Ratineau,  a  painter 
by  trade;  Henry  C.,  is  a  farmer;  William  is 
also  a  farmer  on  his  father's  homestead,  and 
married  Mary  Holbrook.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pil- 
ger  and  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Mr.  Pilger  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  is  a  man  of  influence  in  the  city 
in  which  he  has  made  his  present  wealth.  He 
is  great  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 


fRANCIS  EUGENE  CADY  is  one  of 
the  prominent  pioneers  and  substantial 
farmers  of  Schuyler  county,  born  in 
Stafford  county,  Connecticut,  December  4, 
1825,  being  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Sarah  (Chap- 
man) Cady.  Francis  was  ten  years  old  when 
the  family  came  to  Illinois,  landing  June  12, 
1835.  The  family  soon  settled  in  Camden 
township,  entering  the  northwest  one  quarter, 
section  18.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood.  He 
was  reared  on  the  farm,  but  learned  the  trade 
of  bricklaying  and  plastering.  After  he  was 
married  he  settled  on  section  18,  on  eighty 
acres  of  land,  entered  by  his  half  brother, 
Alonzo  Jones.  Mr.  Cady  gave  his  attention 
to  his  trade  for  awhile,  and  then  went  to 
California  in  April,  1853,  crossing  the  plains 
with  an  ox  team  most  of  the  way.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  brother,  M.  E.  Cady,  and 
they  took  150  head  of  cattle  and  thirteen  head 
of  horses.  He  remained  two  years  and  pur- 
sued mining,  being  successful  at  that  occupa- 
tion. He  returned  via  the  Isthmus  and  New 


York  city.  He  now  owns  160  acres  of  land, 
which  he  has  well  improved  and  on  which  he 
has  erected  a  nice  set  of  farm  buildings. 

He  was  married  in  1855  to  Percilla  Nor- 
vall,  of  Claiborne  county,  Tennessee,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Mary  (Jenkins)  Norvall, 
of  Scotch  parentage,  the  former  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, the  latter  in  North  Carolina.  Mr. 
Norvall  received  a  good  education  and  was  a 
lawyer  by  profession,  and  was  married  twice, 
his  second  wife  being  Mrs.  Cady's  mother. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-live  years,  in 
1825.  Mrs.  Cady  was  one  of  eleven  children. 
A  part  of  the  family  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Huntsville  in  1835,  and  Mrs.  Cady 
was  among  the  number.  Here  the  mother 
died  in  1858,  aged  seventy-two  years.  Her 
brothers  and  sisters  are:  William,  Timothy, 
Ralph,  John,  Sarah,  Henry,  Nancy,  Rnfus 
Audren  and  Mrs.  Cady. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cady  have  had  four  children: 
Mary,  wife  of  Henry  King,  of  Huntsville 
township;  Isaac  N.,  a  ranchman  in  California; 
William  E.,  farmer  of  Huntsville  township; 
Francis  E.,  at  home.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but 
has  never  sought  public  office.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Camden  Lodge,  No.  668,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


fAMES  M.  EDWARDS,  of  the  firm  of 
Edwards  &  Cavens,  Camden,  Illinois, 
general  merchants,  was  born  in  the 
northern  part  of  Greene  county,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1839.  He  was  the  son  of  Isham 
B.  and  Sarah  (Day)  Edwards,  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia and  Kentucky.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject went  to  Kentucky  when  a  young  man, 
where  he  married  and  in  the  winter  of  1830 
came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Greene  county, 
entering  land  and  engaging  in  farming,  and 
he  there  passed  his  remaining  years.  He 


508 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


died  in  February,  1882,  aged  seventy-nine 
years.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two  years. 

Father  of  subject  owned  over  1,000  acres 
of  land,  and  at  one  time  he  was  a  large  stock- 
raiser.  They  had  thirteen  sons  and  three 
daughters;  twelve  of  whom  grew  up.  The 
subject  was  the  thirteenth  child.  He  was 
raised  on  the  farm,  and  in  August,  1857, 
was  married  to  Miss  Melinda  E.  Hoots, 
daughter  of  David  Hoots,  of  Scott  county. 
Our  subject,  after  his  marriage,  purchased 
land  and  pursued  farming  in  Greene  county 
until  1862,  in  August,  of  which  year  he 
enlisted  and  was  mustered  into  service  with 
Company  H,  Ninety-first  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  for  two  years  and  nine 
months  as  a  private  soldier. 

He  was  in  the  battles  of  Elizabethtown, 
Mabeto,  Richmond,  Red  River  expedition 
and  many  other  battles.  After  the  war  he 
resumed  farming  in  Greene  county  for  one 
year,  and  then  sold  out  his  farm  and  went  to 
the  Cherokee  lands  in  Indian  Nation,  and 
one  year  later  he  returned  to  Greene  county, 
and  two  years  later  came  to  Schuyler  county, 
and  purchased  160  acres  of  land,  which  he 
improved  further  and  sold.  He  has  since 
improved  ten  farms  in  Schuyler  county, 
numbering  at  least  2,000  acres.  He  has 
been  a  hard  worker  and  has  improved  more 
farms  than  any  other  man  in  Schuyler  county. 

He  owned  a  sawmill  for  eight  years,  and 
for  thirty-two  years  has  run  the  mill  for 
threshing  machines.  He  has  at  all  times 
been  ready  to  engage  in  any  business  which 
would  promise  to  make  any  money.  He  has 
been  at  all  times  very  successful  in  all  of  his 
enterprises.  He  now  owns  160  acres  of  land, 
and  property  in  Carnden. 

In  1891,  he  engaged  in  hie  present  busi- 
ness. He  dealt  in  live  stock  for  twenty 


years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwards  have  had 
eight  children,  six  are  living:  Sarah  J.  mar- 
ried Harvey  Rleckledge  of  Henderson  county, 
Illinois;  Etta  married  George  Watt  and  re- 
sides in  Catnden  township;  Trissie  married 
Nicholas  Notson  of  Schuyler  county;  Ollie 
Belle  married  Amos  Cavens,  her  father's 
partner;  Mary  Emeline  and  Daisie  D. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Edwards  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  other 
local  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cam- 
den  Lodge.  No.  648,  A.  F.  &  A.  M-  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post  in 
Brooklyn. 


>ENRY  J.  BAUJAN,  a  successful  liv- 
eryman, blacksmith,  dealer  in  imple- 
ments and  buggies  and  owner  of  the 
Palace  Hotel,  was  born  December  20,  1859, 
in  this  city,  and  was  here  reared  and  edu- 
cated. He  is  the  second  son  of  John  Banjan, 
who  was  born  in  Germany  and  who,  when  he 
was  twenty-nine  years  old,  came  to  the  United 
States.  He  followed  his  trade  of  brick  ma- 
son in  St.  Louis  for  one  year  and  then  came 
to  Cass  connty,  and  was  married  at  Areriz- 
ville,  and  later  came  to  Beardstown.  Here 
he  established  a  brick-yard,  did  a  manufact- 
uring business  for  some  time  and  later  be- 
came connected  with  the  gristmilling  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  Baujan  &  Co., 
until  his  death,  in  July,  1889.  He  was 
over  sixty-nine  years  of  age  when  he  died  and 
was  a  well-known  and  popular  German  of  this 
city. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  seven  children.  He 
has  always  lived  in  this  city  'and  here  learned 
his  trade  of  blacksmith,  before  which  he 
worked  in  his  father's  mill.  He  has  been  in 
the  livery  business  for  one  year  and  carries  a 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


509 


fine  class  of  outfits  and  good  horses.  He  has 
been  a  blacksmith  and  farm  implement  dealer 
for  nine  years,  and  lias  always  made  money. 
No  donbt  a  great  deal  of  it  is  owing  to  his 
good  habits  and  his  energy  as  a  business  man. 

He  was  married  to  Rosa  Milner,  born  in 
this  city  August  23,  1861.  She  was  here 
educated,  although  she  completed  it  at  St. 
Louis,  and  she  is  an  intelligent,  agreeable 
lady.  Her  parents,  Hannah  and  Richard 
Milner,  of  English  descent,  are  well  known 
settlers  of  this  city.  Mr.  Milner  has  for  six- 
teen years  been  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  bridge  tender  and  Government  water 
ganger  of  the  Illinois  river.  These  old  peo- 
ple are  connected  with  the  better  elements 
of  the  city.  They  are  Methodists  and  con- 
sistent Christians. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Banjan  attend  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  has  been  Alderman  of  the  city,  and 
is  a  public- spirited  young  man.  They  have 
three  children,  Nellie,  Verna  andGlenna. 


fAMES  PERRY,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Versailles,  is  a  native  of  the  B.lue  Grass 
country,  being  born  there  in  1817.  His 
father  was  Edinond  Perry,  a  farmer  of  South 
Carolina,  and  his  father  was  Nathan  Perry,  a 
farmer  of  the  same  State,  who  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  the  fall  of  1830.  Edmond  Perry  had 
made  the  journey  the  year  before,  in  the  com- 
pany of  his  two  brothers  and  a  brother-in- 
law.  They  spent  the  winter  of  1829-'30  in 
Illinois  and  were  here  during  the  big  snow- 
storm, which  is  a  historical  one.  In  June  of 
1830,  he  returned  to  his  family  and  brought 
them  and  his  parents  to  the  new  country. 
The  trip  was  made  in  the  regulation  style, 
covered  wagons  and  ox  teams,  and,  although 


they  were  a  month  on  the  journey,  they  en- 
joyed it  to  a  remarkable  degree.  There  was 
a  fascination  in  the  free  life  they  led,  camping 
by  the  roadside  when  they  made  their  stops. 
One  night  the  party  had  the  luxury  of  sleep- 
ing in  a  vacant  house  in  Springfield.  The 
party  consisted  of  seven  families  of  the 
Perrys,  including  two  brothers-in-law.  They 
came  with  limited  means,  but  before  long  by 
industry  they  all  were  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances. The  old  grandmother  Perry  had 
been  a  Miss  Rebecca  Yarbrey,  and  she  was 
the  mother  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom 
eventually  came  to  Illinois.  She  and  her 
husband  lived  to  be  aged  people,  he  dying  at 
the  age  of  eighty-two  years  and  she  some 
three  years  before  him.  Their  children  wer»; 
Edmond  Perry,  father  of  subject,  eighty-two; 
Luke  Perry,  eighty;  Melvjna,  seventy;  Will- 
iam died  in  the  prime  of  life;  Edward,  about 
seventy;  Sarah,  over  seventy;  Irving,  about 
sixty;  Benjamin,  baptised  in  the  Baptist 
Church,  is  about  sixty;  John,  baptized  in  the 
same  faith  when  seventy -five  years  of  age; 
Edmond  Perry  j  married  Rachel  Bridges  of 
North  Carolina,  and  they  had  eleven  children, 
all  of  whom  grew  up  and  had  families, 
namely:  Martha,  died  when  she  was  about 
fifty,  leaving  nine  children;  Phoebe,  died 
when  a  young  woman,  leaving  four  children; 
Rebecca,  wife  of  Samuel  Briggs,  of  Versailles ; 
Ichabod,  a  retired  farmer  in  Mt.  Sterling  is 
a  widower;  James,  of  this  sketch;  Nathan, 
a  farmer  of  this  township;  Sarah  died  in 
this  township,  leaving  six  children,  being 
about  fifty  at  her  death;  Melvina  died  in 
the  prime  of  life,  leaving  one  child;  Louisa 
married  and  in  middle  life;  Francis,  farmer 
of  Mt.  Sterling,  has  six  sons;  and  Luke,  a 
farmer  of  Stone  county,  Missouri,  who  has 
six  children.  The  mother  died  when  about 
seventy-six  years  of  age  and  the  father  four 


510 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


years  later,  when  he  was  eighty-two  years  of 
age.  They  left  a  good  estate  and  are  remem- 
bered as  being  among  the  best  of  the  pioneer 
families  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Perry  was  married,  in  his  twenty- 
third  year  to  Eliza  Hills  of  Indiana,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  and  Betsy  (Angel)  Hills,  who 
came  to  Schuyler  county  before  the  big  snow- 
storm. They  died  on  their  farm  at  an  ad- 
vanced age,  he  when  he  was  seventy-five,  and 
she  when  she  was  a  year  younger. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  settled  on  their  present 
home  of  eighty  acres  in  the  fall  of  1841,  Oc- 
tober 15.  He  now  pays  taxes  on  about  560 
acres  of  land,  although  he  started  with  very 
little  money.  All  of  their  eleven  children 
are  living,  the  eldest  fifty-three  and  the 
youngest  twenty-six.  There  is  not  a  death 
in  the  family  and  a}l  of  the  children  are  mar- 
ried and  settled  in  life.  These  children  are: 
Charles,  now  a  banker  in  Knoxville,  Iowa, 
with  two  sons;  William  Perry  (see  sketch); 
Olive,  wife  of  J.  B.  Masters,  a  retired  farmer 
of  Denver,  with  three  children;  Francis,  a 
farmer  of  this  township,  with  four  children; 
Robin,  a  farmer  of  Mt.  Sterling  township, 
with  one  daughter;  Almira,  wife  of  Richard 
Underwood,  a  farmer  living  near  by,  has  four 
sons;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  James  Butler,  a 
farmer  of  this  township,  six  children;  Ed- 
mond,  a  farmer  of  this  township  with  two 
children;  Eliza,  wife  of  E.  W.  Lanier,  a 
a  farmer  living  near  by,  four  children;  and 
James  K.,  a  farmer  on  the  old  homestead, 
two  children. 

Mr.  Perry  supports  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Perry 
is  now  an  old  man,  being  about  seventy-five, 
while  his  faithful  wife  is  about  two  years 
younger.  He  is  practically  retired,  but  takes 
a  strong  interest  in  all  that  is  taking  place, 


and  is  as  much  interested  in  the  welfare  of 
his  children  and  grandchildren  as  if  he  were 
yet  a  young  man.  These  children  are  persons 
to  be  proud  of,  as  none  of  them  ever  contract 
any  debts  that  they  are  not  perfectly  able  to 
pay,  all  have  been  well  educated,  and  are 
worthy  sons  and  daughters  of  their  respected 
and  honored  parents.  The  old  people's  hearts 
are  gladdened  by  the  merry  prattle  of  the 
thirty-three  grandchildren  who  have  been 
added  to  this  large  and  prosperous  family. 


J.  ROWLAND  was  born  in  Frederick 
county,  Virginia,  near  Winchester, 
0  January  15,  1864.  His  father,  Mat- 
thew M.  Rowland,  was  born  in  the  same 
county.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Wales 
and  came  to  Virginia  where  he  lived  until  his 
death  at  an  advanced  old  age.  Mr.  Matthew 
Rowland  was  a  farmer  all  his  life;  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Margaret  Campbell,  also  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  died  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois. 
Mr.  Rowland  died  in  Virginia,  in  1834, 
when  his  son  was  still  very  small. 

Our  subject  began  to  support  himself 
when  he  was  eleven  years  old.  He  learned 
the  saddle  and  harness  business  at  Zanesville, 
Ohio.  Here  he  remained  after  learning  his 
trade.  He  then  removed  to  Newark,  Ohio, 
and  began  business  for  himself  and  remained 
there  six  years.  From  there  he  went  to 
Coshocton  county,  Spring  Mountain,  and 
from  there  to  Coshocton,  the  county  seat. 
The  war  then  broke  out  and  he  enlisted  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Third  Ohio  Infantry 
and  served  about  two  years  when  he  was  dis- 
charged by  the  close  of  the  war.  He  made  a 
fine  record  in  the  army  and  was  a  brave 
soldier.  He  settled  in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


611 


remained  there  three  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  Brown  county,  and  has  resided 
here  ever  since. 

He  was  married  in  Newark,  Ohio,  to 
Miss  Lenora  Barring,  of  Slatestown,  New 
York,  born  September  18,  1850.  They 
have  had  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  Blendon  L.,  Louise,  Lu- 
cinda  C.,  Abner  C.,  Lovey  Augusta,  Bessie 
[.  and  Homer  M.  Mr.  Rowland  worked  at 
his  trade  at  this  place  until  he  retired.  He 
is  connected  with  .the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  has  been  for  forty  years.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
for  about  the  same  number  of  years.  He  and 
his  wife  are  good,  highly  esteemed  citizens 
of  the  place  and  have  earned  their  right  to 
their  present  life  of  ease  by  years  of  toil  in 
their  younger  days. 


fACKSON  C.  HUFFMAN  was  born  in 
Lexington,  Virginia,  February  14,  1826. 
His  father,  Joseph  Hoffman,  was  born 
in  1801  at  the  same  place,  but  his  grand- 
father, David,  was  born  in  Germany  and 
came  to  America  at  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  settled  one  mile  west  of 
Lexington,  Virginia.  His  occupation  was 
that  of  a  farmer  and  tanner,  which  he  con: 
tinned  as  long  as  he  lived,  dying  at  the  age 
of  eighty-  nine  years.  His  father,  Joseph, 
was  also  a  tanner,  continuing  the  business  of 
his  father  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  He  was  a  great 
temperance  man  and  advocated  his  doctrines 
upon  any  and  all  occasions.  His  mother's 
name  was  Elizabeth  Windel,  born  in  Lex- 
ington, Virginia,  and  dying  in  Huntsville, 
Alabama,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  She  left 


five  children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Mr.  Hoffman  started  out  to  carve  his  own 
fortune  one  year  after  the  death  of  his 
father  in  Lexington,  Virginia,  and  worked 
there  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
volunteered  for  the  Mexican  war  and  served 
twelve  months.  The  regiment  was  detailed 
for  guarding  train  provisions  from  Camargo 
to  Monterey.  It  was  discharged  at  the 
former  place  and  Mr.  Hoffman  returned  to 
Frankfort,  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years.  He  then  built  a  mill  on  Camp 
creek,  in  Estill  county,  Kentucky,  and  car- 
ried it  on  as  a  saw  and  gristmill  for  a  time 
and  then  moved  to  Irvine  and  worked  at  his 
trade  for  about  two  years  and  then  moved 
to  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  near  Clay 
county.  Here  he  remained  for  four  or  five 
years.  He  then  moved  from  there  to  Clark 
county,  Kentucky,  near  Winchester,  and 
there  run  a  sawmill  for  two  years.  From 
there  he  moved  to  Armistead,  Blaekwood's 
place,  the  same  county.  After  that  he  went 
to  Mt.  Sterling  and  followed  his  usual  occu- 
pation of  carpentering.  He  remained  there 
six  years  and  then  removed  to  Coaperstown 
township,  and  there  remained  six  years, 
then  went  to  Missouri  and  farmed  for  one 
year,  and  then  returned  to  Versailles,  where 
he  has  since  remained. 

He  was  married,  in  Kentucky,  to  Margaret 
Eads,  born  in  Estill  county,  Kentucky,  about 
1825,  and  is  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hoffman  have  fiVe  children:  Elizabeth, 
Charlton,  Matilda,  Joseph  and  Mary  Ann. 
Mr.  Hoffman  has  held  the  offices  of  Magistrate 
and  School  Trustee  and  has  belonged  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  seventeen 
years.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  for  eighteen 
years  has  held  all  the  offices  of  a  subordinate 


512 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Off    CASH, 


lodge.  He  has  twenty-eight  grandchildren 
and  two  great  grandchildren.  He  is  the 
owner  of  a  well  improved  farm  of  forty  acres. 


fRED  W.  HUGE,  one  of  Beardstown's 
most  influential  contractors  and  builders, 
was  born  in  Hanover  in  1832,  January 
27.  He  learned  his  trade  of  carpenter  with 
his  father  and  worked  with  him  until  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  was  the  first  to  leave  the 
home  roof  when  he  set  forth  for  America. 
He  came  from  Bremen  to  New  Orleans  and 
landed  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  and  three 
days.  Fifteen  more  days  were  consumed  in 
going  to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  he  came 
to  Beardstown.  Here  he  has  had  his  home 
ever  since.  Four  of  his  brothers  and  sisters 
have  joined  him,  and  one  brother,  William, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Rebellion  for  two  years. 
The  other  brother  is  a  furniture  dealer  in 
Beardstown.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Huge, 
Casper  H.  and  Anna  M.  (Peters)  Huge,  both 
lived  and  died  in  their  native  country.  One 
daughter  still  lives  in  Germany. 

Mr.  Huge  had  made  a  success  of  his  busi- 
ness, and  has  built  nearly  all  of  the  business 
houses  in  Beardstown  and  a  good  many  of 
the  residences.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cen- 
tral Building  and  Loan  Association,  and  is 
influential  in  many  other  ways.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  a  Lutheran  in  reli- 
gion. 

Mr.  Huge  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to 
Miss  Anna  Slater  of  the  same  town  in  Ger- 
many as  Mr.Huge.  She  grew  up  there,  and 
was  educated  there,  also.  Her  parents  lived 
and  died  there,  but  she  and  a  sister,  Eliza,  came 
to  the  United  States.  They  were  the  only  ones, 
however,  of  the  family  that  ventured  across 
the  deep  sea.  Mrs.  Huge  was  only  seven- 


teen years  of  age  when  she  landed  in  this 
country.  She  has  resided,  ever  since  her 
arrival,  in  Beardstown.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huge 
are  members  of  the  Sixth  Street  Lutheran 
Church,  of  which  Mr.  Huge  is  Trustee,  and 
has  been  for  sixteen  years.  They  have  six 
children:  Dina,  now  Mrs.  John  Leger,  a  shoe 
dealer  of  the  city;  William,  a  tailoring  cutter 
in  Chicago;  Lizzie,  who  died  in  her  fifth 
year;  Fred,  a  hotel  clerk  in  St.  Nicholas 
Hotel,  Springfield;  and  Julius,  who  died  when 
six  months  old. 

Such  men  as  Mr.  Huge  are  wonderful  aids 
in  the  building  up  and  growth  of  the  town. 
He  is  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  know 
him. 


ICHARD  B.  FULKS  is  a  retired  mer- 
chant, living  at  his  pleasant  home  at 
Beardstown.  He  was  born  at  Rushville, 
Schuyler  county,  New  York,  February  6, 
1840.  This  boy  grew  up  under  the  name  of 
Dick,  and  has  borne  that  title  ever  since,  be- 
ing scarcely  known  by  any  other  title.  He 
is  a  man  who  has  made  his  own  fortune  and 
carved  his  own  history.  His  early  life  was 
a  struggle  to  acquire  book  knowledge.  Dur- 
ing his  boyhood  days  he  studied  hard  and 
served  as  clerk  as  early  as  fourteen.  He  was 
with  the  firm  of  Shaw  &  Merriman  of 
Beardstown  for  some  time,  and  in  1857  he 
became  a  clerk  for  Charse,  Rich  &  Parker, 
of  this  city,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war.  He  enlisted  August 
21,  1861,  as  a  private  in  Company  K,  Thirty- 
third  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Captain 
Lippincott  and  Colonel  Charles  Hovey,  of 
Normal,  Illinois,  in  command.  In  1862, 
while  encamped  at  Ironton,  Missouri,  Mr. 
Fulks  issued  for  three  months  a  camp  jour- 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


513 


nal  called  the  Camp  Cricket.  This  knowl- 
edge of  newspaper  work  he  had  acquired 
when  but  yet  a  boy;  and  later, in  1860,  by 
working  at  night  and  at  odd  times  in  the 
office  of  Thompson  &  Irwin  as  assistant  in 
publishing  The  Central  [llinoian  of  Beards- 
town.  After  a  service  of  two  and  a  half  years 
as  a  private  Mr.  Fulks  was  commissioned  as 
Quartermaster  Sergeant  and  in  that  capacity 
served  till  the  close  of  the  war  on  the  staff  of 
General  Lippincott.  After  serving  as  a  brave 
soldier  he  was  mustered  out  and  discharged 
properly  and  honorably  at  Springfield,  in  De- 
cember, 1865.  During  the  war  he  was  in 
many  engagements,  including  the  burning  of 
the  big  bridge  on  the  Iron  mountain  railroad 
in  1861,  later  at  Frederickstown,  Missouri, 
and  afterward  did  guard  work  on  the  Missis- 
sippi river,  and  his  saw  much  active  service, 
but  escaped  without  a  scratch.  He  went 
through  the  battles  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Mobile  and  Spanish  Point  and  at  Placeo, 
Texas.  While  at  Meridian,  Mississippi,  he 
received  a  severe  sunstroke,  from  which  he 
has  never  recovered.  The  Government  re- 
members him  with  a  pension.  When  the 
war  closed  he  laid  aside  the  soldier's  habili- 
ments and  resumed  citieen's  dress  and  re- 
turned to  Beardstown.  He  then  resumed 
his  mercantile  pursuits.  The  qualities  for 
which  Mr.  Fulks  is  noted  are  grit  and  push, 
and  as  he  put  them  in  his  business  he  has 
made  a  success  of  it.  He  has  added  to  the 
general  welfare  of  the  city,  which  gives  him 
credit  for  making  it  the  thriving  place  it  has 
become.  No  misfortune  ever  shocked  or 
worried  Dick.  He  has  had  three  disastrous 
tires,  which  in  each  case  represented  heavy 
losses  to  his  stock  and  his  business,  but  he 
has  pulled  through  and  managed  to  have  a 
surplus  at  the  bankers,  to  supply  all  demands. 
Hard  work  and  years  finally  told  upon  him, 


he  lost  his  health,  and  had  to  retire  from 
active  labors  in  1887.  He  has  owned  and 
dealt,  sometimes  quite  extensively,  in  city 
property. 

He  was  married  first,  in  this  city,  to  Lydia 
M.  McClure,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Cass  county  and  died  at  Denver,  Colorado, 
April  10,  1878.  Her  body  was  brought  to 
this  city  and  interred  in  Oakwood  cemetery. 
She  was  then  in  the  prime  of  life,  being  born 
about  1843,  and  was  a  well  educated  woman, 
having  been  second  principal  of  the  school  in 
this  city.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  and  left  one  daughter, 
now  a  well  educated  young  lady,  named  Inas. 
He  was  a  second  time  married,  in  this  city,  to 
Miss  Mattie,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  a  bright 
young  woman,  who  died  two  years  after,  and 
was  buried  at  her  old  home.  He  was  married 
a  third  and  last  time  to  Miss  Etta  Brown, 
who  was  born  and  reared  here,  but  died  at  the 
birth  of  her  first  child,  in  1885.  The  child 
is  a  bright  little  girl  of  seven  years,  named 
Anna  D.  He  has  been  a  member  of  I.  O.  O. 
F.  for  some  twenty-five  years,  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  one  of  the  pro- 
moters and  charter  members  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
order.  He  has  served  the  city  as  an  Alder- 
man for  some  time,  and  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  has  always 
been  a  strong  Republican. 


HOMASEDWARDCUNNINGHAM, 
a  highly  respected  citizen  of  section  30, 
Buena  Vista  township,  Schnylerconnty> 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Rushville,  of  this  State, 
on  May  2,  1860. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  William  Cun- 
ningham, was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  in  which 
State  he  was  married,  and  in  1837,  came  to 


514 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Of    CAS8, 


Rushville,  near  which  place  he  was  for  some 
years  engaged  in  fanning.  Later,  he  has 
kept  a  hotel,  and  still  later,  removed  to  Mt. 
Sterling,  where  he  continued  in  the  hotel 
business  until  the  time  of  his  de^th,  which 
occurred  in  February,  1871.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  the  grandmother  of 
our  subject,  died,  leaving  nine  children.  He 
had  no  children  by  his  second  marriage.  The 
nine  children  were  as  follows:  William,  born 
on  October  31, 1816,  died  in  Schuyler  county; 
Nancy  J.  was  born  on  October  31,  1818,  and 
married  William  Cooney,  who  died  in  Canton, 
Illinois;  Woodson  was  born  on  September 
23,  1820,  and  died  in  Brown  county;  Caleb 
was  born  on  August  22,  1822,  and  died  in 
California;  Joseph  was  born  on  October  17, 
1824,  and  died  in  Brown  county;  Ellen  was 
born  on  November  17,  1826,  and  married 
William  Bowling,  who  died  in  Schuyler 
county;  John  was  born  on  November  30, 
1828,  and  died  also  in  Schuyler  county; 
Thomas  was  the  father  of  our  subject;  Lu- 
cinda,  the  only  surviving  member  of  the 
family,  was  born  on  October  16,  1834  ;  she 
married  Isaac  Warrington,  and  resides  in 
Camden  township,  Schuyler  county. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  on  De- 
cember 23,  1830,  and  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Illinois.  He  was  reared  in  Rush- 
ville,  where  he  was  married  on  March  16, 
1859,  to  Nancy  Ann,  seventh  daughter  of 
Edmund  and  Lucy  Ann  Smith.  She  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  on  February  23,  1833,  and 
came  to  Illinois  when  sixteen  years  of  age. 
The  father  of  our  subject  resided  in  Rush- 
ville,  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  war,  and 
owned  and  operated  the  stage  route  between 
Rushville  and  Mt.  Sterling,  for  many  years. 
In  1866,  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Buena  Vista 
township,  where  he  purchased  160  acres  of 
Aand,  where  he  passed  his  declining  years. 


On  this  property  he  built  a  large,  handsome 
brick  residence,  and  made  other  substantial 
improvements.  He  died  at  his  home  on 
September  22,  1882,  leaving  a  wife  and 
family  to  mourn  his  loss.  His  faithful  wife 
survived  him  seven  years,  passing  away  on 
March  30,  1889,  lamented  by  all  who  knew 
her.  They  were  consistent  members  of  the 
Christian  Church,  contributing  liberally  to- 
ward its  support. 

Politicaliy,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  was 
elected  by  his  constituents  to  the  office  of 
Supervisor  of  Buena  Vista  township,  serving 
in  that  capacity  for  several  years. 

They  had  eight  children;  William,  born 
on  February  17,  1885,  married  Margaret 
Green;  Charles  D.,  born  on  August  5,  1857, 
married  Mary  C.  Unger;  Thomas  E.,  born  on 
May  2,  1860,  married  Clara  A.  Wilmott; 
Lucy  A.,  born  on  July  30,  1863;  Amanda 
E.,  born  on  May  19,  1866;  Nancy  J.  was 
born  on  April  2,  1869,  married  Charles  Hes- 
ter; Woodson  J.,  born  on  July  19,  1873; 
John  M.,  born  on  July  9,  1876,  died  on  July 
10,  1876.  Of  these,  seven  are  still  living, 
all  being  residents  of  Schuyler  connty. 

Thomas  Edward,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  and 
attended  the  district  schools.  In  1881,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Clara  A.  Wilmott,  a 
native  of  Schuyler  county,  where  she  was 
born  on  June  3,  1859.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Morris  and  Dorotha  Wilmott,  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  that  county.  She  died 
on  September  30,  1890,  leaving  a  husband 
and  three  children  to  mourn  her  loss,  be- 
sides a  large  circle  of  friends.  They  bad 
three  children:  Reverda,  who  was  born  on 
March  13,  1884;  Bertha,  born  on  November 
9,  1885;  Raymond,  born  on  November  13, 
1887. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


515 


Mr.  Cunningham  carries  on  the  homestead, 
besides  which  he  owns  forty  acres  of  his  own, 
all  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  which  is  applied  with  all  modern 
improvements,  of  machinery  and  buildings, 
to  facilitate  the  planting  and  gathering  of 
his  crops. 

In  politics,  he  follows  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  fathers,  affiliating  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

Of  high  integrity  and  morality,  courteous 
and  cordial  in  manner,  and  interesting  in 
conversation,  he  enjoys  the  esteem  of  his 
fellow  citizens  and  the  affectionate  regard  of 
his  family  and  friends. 


5SAAC  MISENHIMER,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  of  Frederick  township,  was  born  in 
Clay  county,  Illinois,  September  28, 1839. 
His  parents  were  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Mc- 
Grew)  Harris.  Mr.  Harris  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  his  wife  of  Indiana.  They 
were  married  in  Clay  county,  Illinois,  where 
their  parents  had  moved,  being  among  the 
first  pioneers  of  that  county.  Mr.  Harris 
died  in  1843,  and  his  widow  survived  him 
some  ten  years.  The  family  moved  to  Schuy- 
ler  county  when  Isaac  was  about  nine  years 
old.  He  was  educated  in  Schuyler  county 
and  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  he  has  fol- 
lowed that  business  ever  since.  He  enlisted 
in  Company  I,  First  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
served  three  years  in  the  Western  army.  He 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Britain 
Lane,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  was  present  at 
the  capture  of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  When 
he  returned  from  a  furlough  the  regiment  was 
back  in  Tennessee  and  he  there  re-enlisted 
and  was  in  Tennessee  until  he  was  mustered 


out  in  March,  1865.  Returning  home  after 
this,  he  settled  down  to  farming.  He  owns 
223  acres  of  land  in  excellent  farming  condi- 
tion, and  two  years  ago  he  built  one  of  the 
most  commodious  and  comfortable  houses  in 
the  county.  He  has  large  barns,  and  alto- 
gether his  farm  is  among  the  best  in  the 
county.  His  grade  of  stock,  too,  is  very  fine 
and  he  is  among  the  most  prosperous  of  the 
citizens  of  this  section. 

He  was  married,  September  27,  1867,  to 
Miss  Penelope  Gillet,  of  Schuyler  county. 
Her  parents  were  Elijah  and  Eliza  Gillet, 
who  were  among  the  very  first  settlers  of  the 
county.  She  was  the  youngest  of  seven  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Misenhimer  was  one  of  five  chil- 
dren, only  two  of  whom  are  living.  They 
have  one  child,  Jennie,  born  December  28,  • 
1874,  and  is  still  at  home.  She  is  a  young 
lady  of  tine  attainments  and  holds  a  teacher's 
certificate.  *  She  is  a  fine  musician,  also.  Mr. 
Misenhimer  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 


EWIS  SCHISLER,  JR.,  son  of  Lewis 
Schesle'r  and  Anna  Schisler,  was  born  in 
York  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  14, 
1851.  His  parents  were  natives  of  the  same 
State,  but  came  to  Illinois  among  the  first 
settlers  and  located  near  Astoria.  Here  Mr. 
Schisler  died  when  only  twenty-seven.  His 
widow  married  again,  but  her  second  husband 
died  in  Iowa  when  out  there  visiting.  Mrs. 
Schisler  bore  her  husband  fifteen  children 
and  all  are  living.  Of  this  large  family, 
Louis  was  next  to  the  youngest.  He  was 
educated  in  the  country  schools  and  worked 
on  the  farm.  His  father  was  a  miller,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  but  afterward  his  widow  bought  a  farm 
and  removed  there  with  her  family.  Mr. 


516 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


Schisler  still  resides  on  this  farm  with  his 
mother  and  attends  to  all  the  management  of 
it  for  her. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  J  ulia  Coldrider,  of 
York  county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schisler  have  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living:  Ananias,  John,  Josephine,  Sarah, 
Anna,  Daniel,  Noah  and  Harry. 

The  family  of  Schislers  is  of  German  ori- 
gin, although  remote,  as  the  family  lias  been 
established  in  America  for  several  generations. 
Mr.  Schisler  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
he  belongs  to  the  United  Brotherhood  Church, 
known  as  Dunkards.  The  160  acres  that  he 
farms  for  his  mother  are  in  splendid  condi- 
tion, and  speak  well  for  his  management  and 
thrift,  for  which  the  well  cultivated  fields  and 
'  comfortable  farm  buildings  the  place  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  county. 


^ESLEY  M.  GRIMWOOD,  merchant 
of  Frederick,  Illinois,  was  born  at 
Akron,  Ohio,  February  7,  1855.  He 
is  the  only  surviving  member  of  a  family  of 
four  children.  The  father  was  a  mechanic 
by  profession  and  a  native  of  England,  where 
he  was  born  February  18,  1816.  His  father 
was  also  born  in  England  and  married  Maria 
Clapper,  daughter  of  Daniel  Clapper.  He 
started  for  America  with  his  family  in  1830, 
but  was  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Prince 
Edward's  Island,  and  he  and  his  family  re- 
sided there  for  two  years  and  then  removed 
to  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  In  1858  he 
moved  to  Akron,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in 
1864.  His  wife  died  at  Akron,  Ohio,  in 
1876.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  England  and  came  to 
America  with  his  parents  in  1833.  He  was 


aboard  the  steamship  Royal  William  on  her 
first  trip  across  the  Atlantic,  thus  demonstrat- 
ing the  feasibility  of  steam  navigation.  In 
the  fall  of  1837  he  removed  from  Rhode  Is- 
land to  Pekin,  Illinois,  where  he  married 
Miss  Anna  Eliza  Brewingam.  In  1859  he 
removed  to  Schuyler  county,  where  his  wife 
died,  in  1868.  He  was  a  stanch  Abolitionist 
and  later  a  Republican.  During  a  political 
riot  at  Alton,  Illinois,  he  was  struck  on  the 
head  with  a  club,  and  almost  killed  by  a 
member  of  the  mob,  who  afterward  killed 
that  honored  patriot  Elisha  P.  Lovejoy.  He 
served  his  county  as  Supervisor,  Justice  of 
the  Peace  and  various  other  offices  of  respon- 
sibility. He  was  an  honored  and  respected 
citizen.  He  married  Miss  Alice  A.  Bartho- 
low-j  of  Astoria.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Jasper  and  Olive  Bartholow,  natives  of  Ohio. 
Both  are  now  dead.  They  were  pioneers  of 
Fulton  county.  They  had  four  children. 

Mr.  Grimwood  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Schuyler  county,  and  at  Wa- 
bash  College,  at  Crawfordsville,  Indiana.  He 
learned  the  wagon  maker's  trade  with  his 
father,  and  followed  it  for  about  twenty  years, 
when  he  engaged  at  merchandising  at  Fred- 
erick, here  he  carries  on  a  general  store. 
Mrs.  Grimwood  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  Mr.  Grimwood  is  a  member  of 
Browning  Lodge.  No.  389,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of 
the  M.  W.  of  A.,  a  beneficial  order.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Grimwood  have  three  living  chil- 
dren: Charles  L.,  Ferol  Fern  and  Don  Wes- 
ley. Mr.  Grimwood  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  has  been  Clerk  of  Frederick  township 
for  the  last  twelve  years.  He  is  the  candidate 
of  his  party  from  the  Thirty-fourth  District, 
for  Senator.  He. did  not  seek  this  honor, 
but  when  notified  of  his  selection,  consented 
to  allow  his  name  to  appear  on  the  ticket. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


517 


This  is  a  genuine  case  of  the  office  seeking 
the  man.  He  stands  very  high  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  people. 


fOHN  T.  HILLS  was  born  in  Oakland 
township,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  in 
1841,  a  son  of  Jackson  Hills,  who  was 
born  in  1812;  his  father  died  in  June,  1842, 
so  that  in  infancy  he  was  deprived  of  his 
guidance  and  care.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Ephrahn  Hills,  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania; he  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
came  to  Oakland  township  from  Indiana 
when  Jackson  Hills  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years; 
he  settled  on  a  farm  of  160  acres,  on  which 
he  lived  until  death  during  the  war;  he  had 
attained  near  four-score  years  of  age.  His 
first  wife  died,  leaving  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, but  his  second  wife  survived  him;  one 
son,  James,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four 
years,  leaving  a  wife  and  one  son;  Ephraim 
is  a  farmer,  residing  in  Missouri;  Jackson, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years,  leaving  a  widow  and  two 
sons,  William  Henry  and  John  T. ;  his  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Delilah  Fowler,  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  Fowler,  of  New  York,  who  came 
to  Illinois  as  early  as  1825.  John  T.  Hills 
was  reared  from  his  twelfth  year  by  his  uncle, 
Henry  Hills:  his  mother  was  married  a  second 
time  to  William  Schroder. 

He  had  just  attained  his  majority  when 
the  great  war  of  the  Rebellion  arose,  and  he 
offered  his  service  in  defense  of  the  old  flag. 
He  went  to  the  front  a  member  of  Company 
0,  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  served 
three  years  and  three  months  as  a  private. 
He  was  mustered  out  at  St.  Louis,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Oakland  township;  he  was 


held  a  prisoner  at  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas, 
for  three  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  was  exchanged;  he  experienced  many  of 
the  horrors  of  prison  life,  but  was  fortunate 
in  being  released  before  the  confinement  had 
sapped  his  life  away. 

Mr.  Hills  was  united  in  marriage  the  first 
day  of  the  year  1866,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Chock 
ley,  of  McDonough  county,  Illinois,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  and  Sally  (Du  Wese) 
Chockley,  natives  of  Kentucky,  who  settled 
in  Illinois  at  an  early  day.  He  then  settled 
in  Littleton  township,  on  160  acres  of  land, 
which  he  sold  at  the  end  of  the  first  year;  he 
rented  one  year  of  his  wife's  father,  and  then 
purchased  a  tract  of  forty  acres;  here  he  re- 
sided three  years,  returning  to  his  wife's 
home  where  they  passed  six  years.  In  1880 
he  bought  eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm, 
paying  therefor  $700;  he  has  sixty  acres  un- 
der excellent  cultivation,  and  he  has  made 
many  valuable  improvements.  He  carries  on 
a  general  farming  business,  raising  corn, 
wheat  and  clover,  and  some  live-stock;  twenty 
acres  have  been  set  to  timber,  which  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hills  have  buried  three 
infant  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  and 
four  children  survive;  the  mother  died  in 
1882.  Mr.  Hills  was  married  a  second  time 
to  Mrs.  Martha  Fowler,  nee  Chockley,  sister 
to  his  first  wife.  The  children  of  the  first 
marriage  are:  Delilah  I.,  wife  of  Hiram  Fow- 
ler; Genevra;  Lilladocia,  wife  of  William 
O'Donnell;  and  Tennessee;  the  children  of  the 
present  wife  are:  Eldow  C.,  aged  eight  years; 
Inez  L.,  five  years  old;  and  Perry  E.,  an  in- 
fant of  two  years.  Mr.  Hill  has  a  foster  son, 
a  nephew,  named  Alvin  E.  Toiand,  aged 
twenty-three  years,  now  a  resident  of  Mc- 
Donough county.  He  is  a  member  of  Fre- 


518 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GA88, 


raont  Post,  No.  33,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  a  man 
of  good  business  ability,  has  been  fortunate 
in  all  his  undertakings,  and  enjoys  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 


|EV.  HARVEY  A  SKILES,  pastor  of  the 
Union  Baptist  Churches  at  Browning  and 
Denver,  in  Hancock  county  and  Spring 
Creek  in  Sangamon  county,  is  one  of  the 
very  early  settlers  of  Schuyler  county,  born 
here  August  29,  1829.  His  parents  were 
William  and  Sarah  (Perkins)  Skiles,  who  lo- 
cated in  Schuyler  county  after  their  marriage 
sixty-eight  years  ago.  The  grandfather  was 
a  farmer  in  Rushville  township,  where  he  set- 
tled in  his  early  manhood  and  died.  The 
mother  died  during  the  cholera  epidemic  in 
1852. 

Harvey  A.  Skiles  says  that  he  received  his 
education  in  the  backwoods  seminary,  to 
which  he  walked  two  and  one-  half  miles  night 
and  morning.  Later  in  life  he  applied  him- 
self to  sludy  iu  the  line  of  theology.  Thirty- 
nine  years  ago  he  was  ordained  a  minister  in 
the  Union  Baptist  Church,  and  has  been  con- 
stantly in  the  ministry  to  the  present  time. 
He  has  on  ten  or  more  occasions  walked  forty 
miles  in  a  day  and  preached  at  night.  His 
labors  in  those  days  were  not  pathways  lined 
with  roses,  by  any  means.  The  pay  consisted 
largely  in  provisions  and  necessaries,  and  they 
were  not  always  in  very  liberal  quantities. 
He  preached  two  years  in  Fulton  county  for 
a  wagon  load  of  frost-bitten  corn.  It  is  cer- 
tain Mr.  Skiles  did  not  preach  for  the  emolu- 
ments derived  from  it.  In  late  years  his  pay 
has  been  satisfactory  and  work  not  arduous. 
He  worked  on  a  farm  in  his  early  manhood, 
and  continued  until  the  last  twenty  years, 
thus  securing  a  livehihood  for  his  family, 


giving  his  services  in  the  ministry  for  the 
good  of  humanity.  Little  was  expected  in 
return  for  his  labors  except  the  satisfaction 
of  duty  well  done;  certainly,  little  was  realized 
in  a  temporal  sense.  Mr.  Skiles  spent  four- 
teen years  preaching  in  Iowa,  and  has 
preached  two  years  at  Keokuk  since  locating 
at  Browning,  going  from  here  to  his  appoint- 
ments. 

He  married,  September  15,  1854,  Mary  A. 
Wright,  daughter  of  William  and  Rebecca 
Wright,  who  came  to  Schuyler  county  in 

1835.  Mrs.    Skiles    was   born    October  31, 

1836.  She  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  still  living.    Her 
father  died  August  15,  1884,  and  the  mother 
died  March   13,  1891.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skiles 
were  born  within  one  and  one-half   miles  of 
each  other,  attended  the  same  school,  grew  to 
maturity  as  young  acquaintances  and  friends, 
which  resulted  in  matrimony.    They  have  had 
six  children,  but  only  one  is  living,  Bele,  now 
Mrs.  Billingsley,  and   resides   near  Camden, 
Illinois,  her  husband  a  farmer.     Mr.  Skiles 
is  a    stanch    Republican,  and  takes  a  lively 
interest   in    political    matters.      The  family 
owns  a  pleasant  home,  located   in  Browning. 


EORGE  W.  CAMPBELL  was  born  in 
Richland  county,  Ohio,  October  30, 
1827.  He  was  the  son  of  Peter  L. 
Campbell,  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  was  of 
Scotch  ancestry,  and  his  father  and  he  re- 
moved from  Virginia  to  the  Northwest  Ter- 
ritory about  1797.  As  the  Indians  at  that 
time  were  hostile,  he  returned  to  Virginia 
and  resided  there  for  a  short  time,  but  in 
1800  he  concluded  that  he  was  much  more 
likely  to  gain  a  fortune  in  the  new  West  than 
in  the  old  East,  so  he  returned  to  his  western 


8CHUTLBR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


519 


home  and  settled  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Ohio  river,  and  remained  there  a  tew  years. 
He  then  wandered  to  Richland,  and  from 
there  to  Crawford  county.  Mr.  Peter  Camp- 
bell learned  the  trade  of  tanner,  and  followed 
it  till  1843,  and  then  came  to  Illinois  in  the 
fall  of  1844.  He  was  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  eight  of  his  twelve  children.  They 
made  the  entire  journey  overland  with  teams. 
He  settled  in  what  is  now  Bainbridge  town- 
ship, where  he  had  previously  bought  a  tract 
of  land  in  section  4,  the  northwest  quarter. 
Like  all  the  land  of  that  date,  there  were  no 
improvements,  and  they  resided  with  another 
family  for  a  short  time  after  their  arrival. 
The  following  year  he  built  a  cabin  on  his 
own  land,  where  he  lived  to  the  day  of  his 
death.  He  made  many  improvements  on  the 
farm  and  erected  tasteful  buildings.  His 
death  occurred  August  19,  1881.  His  wife's 
name  before  her  marriage  was  Agnes  Jones, 
and  she  was  born  in  Virginia,  July  6,  1801. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Oliver  Jones.  Mr. 
Campbell  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
served  as  County  Assessor  for  two  years,  and 
several  terms  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  of  the 
township,  and  County  Treasurer.  He  was  a 
strict  Predestinarian  Baptist,  of  which  de- 
nomination he  was  an  Elder. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  seventeen 
years  old  when  he  came  to  Illinois.  He  did 
not  come  until  the  following  year  after  his 
parents  came.  He  came  with  a  team.  Coining 
here  as  he  did  when  there  were  so  few  settlers, 
and  about  the  only  inhabitants  were  the  wild 
game,  he  had  a  good  opportunity  to  watch 
the  growth  of  the  country,  as  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  township  ever  since.  He  has 
occupied  the  farm  he  now  resides  upon  since 
1870.  He  married,  January  20,  1853,  Laura 
A.  Neill,  the  daughter  of  James  Neill.  She 
was  born  in  Weatherfield  township,  Trumbull 


county,  Ohio.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
Tyrone,  Ireland.  His  first  wife  was  a  native 
of  the  same  county,  and  he  and  she  died 
there.  After  her  death  he  came  to  America, 
bringing  his  only  child  with  him,  and  settled 
in  Trumbull  county,  and  bought  timber  land 
and  erected  the  log  house  in  which  Mrs. 
Campbell  was  born.  Here  he  lived  until 
1846,  and  then  moved  to  Illinois,  accom- 
panied by  his  five  children,  and  settled  in 
liushville.  Here  he  bought  land  and  pur- 
sued the  occupation  of  farming  until  his 
death  in  1864.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
second  wife  was  Mary  Stewart,  daughter  of 
Archibald  Stewart,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
of  Scotch  ancestry.  She  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  died  in  Trumbull  county  about 
1843. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  have  ten  children 
living,  namely:  James  N.,  Agnes  M.,  C. 
Stewart,  Edward  L.,  Mary  W.,  Lewis  E., 
Jonathan,  Milton,  Amy  L.,  Delia  K.  ;  L.  Jen- 
nie and  Lucy  M.  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Campbell  is  a  Democrat  and  cast  his 
first  vote  for  Lewis  Cass.  He  has  served 
twelve  years  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
seven  years  as  Assessor.  He  also  served 
several  terras  as  Supervisor,  and  one  term  as 
Sheriff. 


fAMES  GE.OVER,  farmer  of  Mt.    Ster- 
ling township,  was  born  in  1841.     He  is 
the  son  of    Henry  P.  Grover  (see  this 
book).     James  attended  the  pioneer  school, 
and  afterward  taught  in  a  log  house  where 
the  furniture  was  of  the  most  primitive  kind, 
—  seats  made  of  rough   slabs,  with  wooden 
pegs   for   legs.     He  worked  for    his    father 
until  twenty-one,  and  then  rented  some  land 
from  him  for  two  years.     He  then   bought 


520 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    OA88, 


some  land  in  Mt.  Sterling  township,  and  there 
built  a  log  house,  16  x  18  feet.  The  log  house 
gave  place  in  time  to  neat  buildings  of  all 
kinds,  and  he  resided  here  until  1882,  when 
he  traded  with  his  father  for  the  old  home- 
stead. His  present  farm  contains  160  acres, 
highly  improved,  with  farm  buildings  that 
compare  favorably  with  any  in  the  township. 
He  married,  August  13,  1863,  Miss  Mar- 
garet C.  Putnam,  of  Brown  county,  Illinois. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Martha 
Putnam.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grover  have  three 
bright,  intelligent  children, — Minnie,  Arthur 
and  Oscar  H.  Mr.  Grover  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church. 
Mr.  Grover  is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics. 


|  D  WARD  BERTHOLF  has  been  so 
closely  identified  with  the  early  politi- 
cal history  of  Schuyler  couuty  that  this 
volume  would  not  be  complete  without  an 
extended  review  of  his  career,  which  began 
here  May  1,  1836.  He  is  a  native  of  Orange 
county,  New  York,  born  April  9,  1816,  a  son 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Perry)  Bertholf,  na- 
tives of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  respect- 
ively. The  family  is  descended  from  the 
Hollanders,  who  emigrated  in  colonial  days 
to  New  York.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  resided  all  his  life  in  the 
Empire  State.  They  had  a  family  of  thir- 
teen children,  twelve  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity; ten  married  aud  reared  families.  Ed- 
ward grew  to  manhood  amid  the  scenes  of 
farm  life,  and  attended  the  common  schools; 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  to  teach  school; 
and  followed  this  profession  until  he  was 
twenty.  At  that  age  he  removed  to  Illinois 
and  located  at  Rushville,  Schuyler  county, 
his  older  brother,  Henry  B.,  having  settled 


here  previously;  here  he  taught  a  school  and 
assisted  his  brother,  who  was  Judge  of  the 
probate  court,  deputy  Clerk  and  county  Re- 
corder; he  was  thus  introduced  into  court- 
house work,  and  has  since  passed  one- half  of 
his  time  in  various  offices.  In  1848  he  was 
appointed  Treasurer  of  the  school  fund,  and 
held  the  office  until  1869;  he  continued  teach- 
ing, served  as  deputy  for  other  offices,  clerked 
and  kept  books  for  the  merchants  of  Rush- 
ville. In  1848  he  was  also  elected  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  and  retained  the  office  for  more 
than  twenty  years;  he  finally  resigned  both 
this  and  the  office  of  school  trustee.  In 
1847— '48  he  was  deputy  Sheriff  and  Collector 
of  Taxes;  he  was  elected  deputy  Clerk  in 
1855,  and  six  month  later,  on  the  death  of 
the  Clerk,  Nathan  Moon,  he  was  appointed 
to  the  office  of  county  Clerk.  In  1860  he 
was  elected  Sheriff  and  served  one  term ;  two 
years  later  Thomas  J.  Kinney,  went  into  the 
war,  and  he  took  charge  of  the  office  of  Cir- 
cuit Clerk,  which  Mr.  Kinney  had  previously 
filled,  and  continued  to  transact  the  business 
during  the  remainder  of  the  term;  he  was 
then  deputy  County  Clerk,  and  is  still  in  the 
office  of  Circuit  Clerk  during  court. 

Mr.  Bertholf  was  married  in  November, 
1838,  to  Mary  E.  Jackson,  a  daughter  of  Levi 
and  Lydia  (Wilcoxen)  Jackson;  nine  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them;  one  died  in 
infancy  and  the  eldest,  William  H,,  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years;  Horace  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Cherokee  county,  Kansas;  Frank  E. 
is  a  citizen  of  Rushville;  Fred  L.  is  a  farmer 
of  this  county;.  John  Jesse  is  also  a  farmer; 
Emily  Ann  married  Thomas  W.  Moon;  Har- 
riet E.;  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  E.  W.  Bick- 
ford  of  Plymouth,  Illinois. 

In  his  political  convictions  Mr.  Bertholf 
adhered  to  the  principles  of  the  Whig  party 
until  1856,  and  since  that  time  has  been  a 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


521 


Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  and  lias  been  a  liberal 
supporter  of  the  society.  In  1862  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  on  which  his  father  settled, 
and  owned  this  land  until  March,  1891.  He 
has  never  been  connected  with  any  civic  society 
except  the  Sons  of  Temperance.  Levi  Jack 
son,  father  of  Mrs.  Bertholf,  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  was  there  reared  and  mar- 
ried; he  removed  from  that  State  to  Ohio, 
and  thence  in  1836,  to  Schuyler  county,  Illi- 
nois; he  died  in  July,  1868;  his  wife  died  in 
1839;  they  reared  a  family  of  four  daughters 
and  three  sons.  Mr.  Jackson  was  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  but  followed  farming  from 
the  time  he  settled  in  Ohio  until  his  death. 
He  was  married  a  second  time,  bnt  had  no 
children  by  this  union.  Politically  he  affili- 
ated with  the  Republican  party. 


jTEPHEN  BRANNAN,  deceased,  hav- 
ing  died  at  his  home  in  Beardstown, 
^ff  Illinois,  September  16,  1875,  was  born 
in  Queen's  county,  Ireland,  about  seventy-two 
years  ago.  He  came  of  pure  Irish  ancestry. 
His  mother  had  died  in  her  native  country, 
when  in  middle  life.  Her  name  was  Anorah 
Brannan.  His  father  later  came  to  this 
country,  joined  his  son  in  Cass  county, 
and  after  having  lived  here  twelve  years,  died 
at  his  home,  aged  eighty-four.  He  and  his 
wife  were  all  their  lives  Roman  Catholics. 

Mr.  Brannan  came  to  Cass  county  a  poor 
man  in  1849.  He  had  given  up  a  farmer's 
life  in  Ireland  and  when  twenty-three  years 
of  age  went  to  England,  spent  three  years  in 
Liverpool  and  in  1849  reached  the  United 
States.  He  had  been  nine  weeks  in  the  city 


of  New  York  before  he  came  on  to  Beardstown 
and  here  the  scenes  of  his  active  life  began. 
He  was  a  hard-working  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  and  became  prominent  as  such  in  the 
county.  He  was  successful  in  accumulating 
land,  having  worked  around  for  seven  years; 
he  then  purchased  and  began  to  farm  for  him- 
self. He  first  bought  eighty  acres,  which  be- 
fore his  death  he  had  increased  to  380,  and  340 
of  it  is  still  in  the  family.  This  land  is  in 
Indian  precinct. 

He  was  married,  in  Beardstown,  to  Eliza- 
beth A.  Riley,  who  was  born  in  Londonderry, 
Ireland,  August  7,  1835.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Kenan) 
Riley,  natives  of  Dublin,  Ireland.  Mr. 
Riley  and  his  wife  had  both  come  to  England 
when  young  people,  were  married  in  Ashton, 
England,  and  there  Mr.  Riley  followed  for  a 
time  the  trade  of  a  baker  and  was  so  engaged 
throughout  England  until  1836,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  located  in 
Beardstown.  Four  years  later  his  wife  aud 
children  came  over  on  the  same  ship  with 
Mr.  Brannan  of  this  notice.  Mr.  Riley  ob- 
tained laud  in  Indian  precinct,  about  650 
acres,  and  it  was  upon  this  place  that  John 
Riley  and  wife  labored,  successfully,  and  died 
about  the  age  of  fifty- five  years,  having  been 
all  their  lives  good  Roman  Catholics.  Mrs. 
Brannan  washer  parent's  only  child.  She  has 
kept  the  property  together  and  is  a  good 
manager.  They  had  thirteen  children,  four 
of  whom  are  dead.  Nicholas  is  now  a  farmer 
on  the  old  homestead;  John  Jr.,  is  also  a 
farmer  at  the  same  place;  R.  Edward  is  a 
partner  with  his  brother  in  farming;  Mary 
A.,  at  present  housekeeper  for  her  brothers 
on  the  farm ;  Nora  is  at  home  with  her  mother; 
Thomas  is  a  clerk  for  Werner  &  Stoneagle; 
Lizzie  is  at  home,  while  William  and  Stephen 
work  for  their  brothers  on  the  farm. 


522 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OA8S, 


Mr.  Brannan  was  a  good  neighbor,  a  kind 
father  and  husband  and  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


I  LIAS   CLARK,    a    prosperous    retired 
farmer  and  an  esteemed  pioneer  citizen 
of  Cooperstown,  Illinois,  was  born   in 
Virginia  in  1808. 

His  parents  were  Josiah  and  Jane  (Adams) 
Clark,  both  natives  of  the  Old  Dominion. 
The  latter  was  a  daughter  of  John  Adams,  a 
native  of  Maryland,  who  removed  to  Vir- 
ginia in  an  early  day,  but  who  later  re- 
turned to  his  native  State.  By  this  marriage 
there  were  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four 
daughters.  The  devoted  wife  and  mother 
died  in  middle  life,  and  was  buried  on  the 
old  farm  in  Virginia.  The  father  afterward 
married  again,  his  second  wife  being  Lucy 
Menifee,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  be- 
longed to  a  large  and  prominent  family  of 
that  State.  By  this  marriage  there  were 
also  ten  children,  eight  sons  and  two  daueh- 

"  O 

ters,  most  of  whom  are  still  living  and  reside 
in  Ohio. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boy- 
hood on  the  home  farm  in  Virginia,  and  had 
but  few  educational  advantages,  having  at- 
tended the  subscription  schools  but  for  a 
short  time.  He  was  trained  to  drive  four 
and  five  horses  by  one  line,  riding  one  of  the 
wheel  horaes,  and  in  this  manner  made 
many  long  trips  to  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia,  Fredericksburgh  and  Falmouth,  on 
the  Potomac.  He  made  one  trip  to  Balti- 
more, a  distance  of  100  miles,  with  ten  bar- 
rels of  flour,  and  returned  with  merchandise. 
He  counts  these  as  among  his  happiest 
days,  when,  in  company  with  other  teamsters, 
he  would  camp  out  in  his  wagon  at  night. 


In  1835,  he  and  his  father  and  family 
moved  from  Virginia  to  Ohio  with  a  covered 
wagon  and  a  team  of  horses,  the  party  num- 
bering thirteen  persons.  His  father  and 
family  settled  on  eighty  acres  of  timbered 
land,  the  timber  being  mostly  chestnut  and 
dogwood.  Here  they  resided  until  the 
venerable  man  died.  He  was  well  into  the 
nineties  at  the  time  of  his  death,  about  1850. 

In  the  fall  of  1851,  Mr.  Clark  sold  his 
Ohio  farm  and  removed  to  Illinois,  which  was 
then  the  frontier  of  civilization.  He  was  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  eight  children, 
six  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  long  jour-' 
ney  was  made  overland  with  two  lumber 
wagons  and  two  double  teams  of  horses,  and 
was  rendered  exceedingly  tedious  on  ac- 
count of  bad  weather  and  miserable  roads, 
in  addition  to  which  his  children  were  taken 
sick  with  the  ague.  He  inquired  on  the 
way  for  a  healthy  location,  and  was  directed 
ta  Adams  county,  Illinois.  Before  reaching 
there  he  rented  a  house  east  of  Mt.  Sterling, 
where  he  and  his  family  remained  until  the 
following  spring.  He  then  rented  the  farms 
of  two  brothers,  Henry  and  Mike  Huffman, 
who  were  going  to  California.  He  was  to 
reap  the  wheat,  which  was  then  half  grown, 
and  this  helped  him  to  a  good  start,  as  he 
realized  therefrom  250  bushels  as  his  share. 
This  was  a  windfall  to  him,  as  he  had  little 
or  no  means,  and  it  secured  for  him  bread 
and  seed  for  the  following  year.  One  of  his 
sons  worked  in  a  tanyard  and  earned  the 
the  price  of  two  cows,  which  then  cost  $10. 
His  other  son  took  a  job  of  clearing  timber 
from  some  land,  and  drew  the  wood  to 
market.  Thus  all  put  their  shoulder  to  the 
wheel  until  brighter  days  dawned  upon  them. 

Mr.  Clark  afterward  rented  an  old  farm 
of  160  acres,  which  was  a  part  of  his  present 
place.  He  lived  there  two  years,  when  he 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


623 


built  a  good  brick  house  on  his  own  farm, 
his  house  having  an  excellent  cellar  under 
the  whole  of  it.  He  paid  $1,000  for  160 
acres,  and  most  of  it  was  wild  and  covered 
with  brush.  He  now  has  140  acres  of  this 
under  good  cultivation,  while  twenty  acres 
are  of  timber,  which  is  planted  with  blue 
grass,  which  makes  good  pasture.  He  has 
fertilized  his  land  with  clover,  and  grows 
about  forty  acres  each  of  corn  and  wheat, 
realizing  as  high  as  forty  bushels  of  wheat 
to  an  acre,  and  sixty  and  seventy  bushels  of 
corn.  He  has  ceased,  for  some  years,  from 
active  labors  on  his  place,  although  still  en- 
joying fair  health. 

His  first  wife  died,  aged  nearly  seventy 
years,  and  is  buried  on  the  farm.  They  had 
seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  living: 
Joseph  W.  died  May  31,  1859,  leaving  a  wife 
and  three  children;  Elias  died  in  Ohio,  when 
an  infant,  in  January,  1842;  Jonah  was 
stabbed  at  Cooperstown,  Virginia,  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  died  November 
29,  1859;  Moses  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Civil 
war,  and  died  March  7,  1871,  aged  twenty- 
eight  years;  Martin,  also  a  volunteer  in  the 
late  war,  passed  through  the  conflict  in 
safety  to  return  home  and  meet  with  an  ac- 
cident by  which  he  lost  a  leg  in  a  threshing 
machine.  He  is  now  farming  on  his  father's 
land.  This  son  and  two  daughters  are  the 
only  living  children.  One  daughter,  Tabi- 
tha,  now  Mrs.  George  Kendrick,  lives  on  a 
farm  near  Mt.  Sterling,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren; Massy  J.,  the  other  daughter,  is  the 
wife  of  George  Hollis,  a  prosperous  farmer, 
who  lives  in  Gibson  City,  this  State;  they 
have  eight  sons. 

Mr.  Clark's  present  wife,  with  whom  he 
has  lived  ten  years,  was  the  widow  of  Will- 
iam Lozden.  Her  maiden  name  was  Eliza 
Curlew,  and  she  was  born  in  Kentucky,  in 


1835,  and  was  reared  on  the  frontier  in 
Missouri,  when  the  aborigines  were  plenti- 
ful. She  had  seven  children  by  her  former 
marriage,  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Politically,  Mr.  Clark  has  been  a  Demo- 
crat until  recently,  and  now  votes  independ- 
ently, regardless  of  politics.  Religiously, 
his  faith  for  twenty-five  years  has  been  that 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  to  which  he 
renders  much  valuable  assistance. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  most  prominent 
events  of  an  eminently  busy  and  useful  life, 
which  is  deservedly  crowned  with  prosperity 
and  the  esteem  of  his  fellow-  men. 


§AMES  W.  BLEYER  was  born  near 
Franklin,  Franklin  township,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  17,  1860.  His  father,  Sam- 
uel Bleyer,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  his 
father,  Alex.  Bleyer,  was  a  native  of  the  New 
England  States.  The  ancestry  of  the  family 
is  Scotch.  Mr.  Alex.  Bleyer  removed  from 
Connecticut  to  Pennsylvania,  and  died  in 
that  State,  and  his  son  was  reared  in  the  State 
of  his  birth.  Here  he  followed  farming 
until  he  removed  to  Williamsport  and  re- 
mained a  few  years,  and  then  returned  to 
Franklin  county,  and  still  resides  on  a  farm. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  first  wife  was  Bar- 
bara Kane,  and  she  was  the  mother  of 
James.  She  was  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
and  she  died  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1875.  James  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  State.  He  was  fifteen 
years  old  when  his  mother  died,  and  from 
that  time  he  cared  for  himself.  He  had 
learned  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the 
Press  at  Chambersburg,  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, worked  there  one  year,  and  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  months  has  followed  the 


524 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASK, 


trade  ever  since,  and  has  set  type  in  the 
principal  offices  east  of  the  Mississippi  river. 
In  May,  1891,  he  bought  the  office  and  good 
will  of  the  Brown  County  Republican^  a 
weekly  paper  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the 
Republican  party. 

He  was  married  in  1890,  to  Hattie  May. 
She  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  the 
daughter  of  David  and  Alice  May.  Mr. 
Bleyer  is  a  member  of  Cincinnati^  Lodge, 
No.  287,  K.  of  P.,  and  of  the  National  Tele- 
graph Union.  He  has  always  been  a  sound 
Republican. 


fAGOB  HOWELL  is  one  of  the  oldest 
settlers  of  the  county  now  living  in 
Bainbridge,  he  having  been  born  in 
what  is  now  Woodstock  township,  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  April  23,  1833.  His  father, 
John  Howell,  was  a  native  of  Guilford  county, 
North  Carolina,  where  he  was  reared  and 
where  he  married.  He  emigrated  to  Illinois 
across  country  with  teams,  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  five  children,  locating  in  what  is 
now  Woodstock  township.  It  was  a  wild  and 
cheerless  country,  that  in  which  the  pioneer 
North  Carolinian  and  his  family  settled.  The 
cry  of  the  wolves  startled  the  children  by  night. 
Deer  and  turkeys  haunted  the  big  woods. 
Most  of  the  land  was  owned  by  the  Govern- 
ment. Neighbors  lived  far  apart.  Yet  he 
went  to  work  with  a  stout  heart  upon  a  tract 
of  land,  sixteen  acres  of  which  had  been 
cleared.  A  log  cabin  stood  upon  the  tract 
and  there  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born. 
The  father  resided  there  until  his  death,  in 
August,  1833. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  Jacob 
Howell    was    Sarah    Manlove,    daughter    of 


William  Manlove,  born  in  North  Carolina. 
After  the  death  of  her  husband  she  married 
a  second  time,  a  man  named  Stephen  Frazer. 
She  died  on  the  home  farm  in  1842. 

But  an  infant  when  his  father  died  he  was 
doubly  an  orphan  when  but  nine  years  old. 
From  that  time  onward  the  brave  and  per- 
severing lad  was  made  to  care  for  himself. 
He  was  able  to  attend  the  primitive  school 
of  his  youth — the  conventional  log  cabin 
with  its  splintered  seats  and  puncheon  floors, 
where,  somehow,  boys  did  manage  to  pick 
up  knowledge  nearly,  if  not  altogether,  as 
good  as  that  of  the  present  date,  when  the 
pupils  are  given  the  advantages  of  culture, 
aesthetic  furnishings  and  scientific  appli- 
ances. He  began  work  upon  the  farm  at  $5 
per  month,  continuing  to  work  out  until 
1853.  In  February  of  that  year  he  started 
out  with  others  to  make  the  overland  journey 
with  ox  teams  to  California.  It  was  a  peril- 
ous undertaking  for  this  inexperienced  lad  of 
less  than  twenty.  The  only  white  settle- 
ment between  the  Missouri  river  and  Cali- 
fornia was  the  Mormon  one  in  Utah,  which 
report  declared  was  to  be  nearly  as  much  to 
be  dreaded  as  the  hostile  Indians  who  scoured 
the  plains  in  search  of  victims.  Reaching 
California  he  first  engaged  as  cook  for  a 
threshing  party,  receiving  $3  per  day.  A 
few  weeks  of  this  life  sufficed  and  he  under- 
took mining,  which  disagreed  with  him  and 
he  went  to  southern  California,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  hogs.  In  1859  he  re- 
turned to  Schuyler  county,  and  bought  the 
farm  he  now  owns  and  occupies.  Since  that 
time  he  has  devoted  himself  to  agricultural 
pursuits. 

In  the  following  year,  1860,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Rachel  Parker,  who  has  borne 
him  four  children:  Emma,  Addie,  John  and 
Fred.  Mrs.  Howell  was  born  in  Bainbridge 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Emily  Parker,  who  are  natives  of  North 
Carolina  and  pioneer  settlers  of  Schuyler 
county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howell  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Howell 
is  a  Republican  in  politics. 


lAVID  THRON,  an  old  resident  and 
well-to-do  farmer,  now  living  at  his  old 
home  on  section  27,  township  17,  range 
12,  was  born  in  Baden,  near  Heidelberg, 
Germany,  June  3,  1823.  He  was  only  twelve 
years  old  when  his  father,  Michael,  died,  at 
the  age  of  forty-four.  For  eleven  years  he 
had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Spanish  provinces, 
and  had  seen  much  hardship  and  had  many 
unpleasant  experiences.  He  is  remembered 
as  a  brave  German  soldier.  His  wife,  who 
survived  him,  came  to  the  United  States 
shortly  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  bring- 
ing with  her  five  children,  two  having  come 
before.  She  sailed  from  Bremen  and  came 
via  New  Orleans,  being  fifty  -six  days  on  the 
water.  The  family,  including  the  mother 
and  seven  children,  settled  in  Cass  county, 
except  one  who  died  in  New  Orleans.  The. 
mother  died  at  the  home  of  pur  subject  in 
1880,  aged  eighty-four.  She  had  spent  her 
last  years  with  him.  She  had  been  a  good 
woman  all  her  life,  and  she  and  her  husband 
were  consistent  members  of  the  German  Lu- 
theran Church. 

David  kcaiue  to  this  county  in  1844,  and 
began  life  as  a  laborer  in  Beardstown.  He 
then  decided  to  become  a  farmer,  after  hav- 
ing worked  and  saved  his  money  for  nine 
years.  He  rented  one  year  and  then  bought 
the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  His  first  pur- 
chase was  of  eighty  acres,  and  he  afterward 

85 


entered  forty  acres  of  Congress  land,  adjoin- 
ing his  first  purchase.  He  afterward  im- 
proved this  and  added  to  it  until  he  owned 
200  acres.  He  disposed  of  part  of  his  land 
to  August  Hausmeyer,  and  expects  to  retire 
and  move  into  Arenzville  after  the  spring  of 
1893.  He  added  buildings  to  his  farm  and 
made  it  comfortable  in  every  way. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown  to  Maria 
A.  Eradt,  who  was  born  in  the  same  town 
and  ['province  as  himself,  coming  to  Amer- 
ica on  the  same  vessel  with  him,  and  they 
were  married  soon  after  landing.  Her  par- 
ents came  to  this  country  a  few  years  later 
and  settled  in  Bellville,  where  they  continued 
until  the  end  of  their  lives.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thron  are  honored  and  re- 
spected members  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  he  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  seve,n  children.  They  ex- 
perienced a  great  grief  in  the  loss  of  four  of 
them  in  a  few  we,eks,  in  the  fall  of  1863,  of 
diptheria.  Their  names  were:  Valentine, 
fifteen  yea,rs  old;  Henry,  thirteen  years  old; 
Da^vid,  Jr.,  nine  years  old;  and  Anna  M., 
seven  years  old.  The  living  are:  Michael,  a 
workman  on  the  Quincy  Railroad,  who  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Garrick;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Henry  Kneke,  a  farmer  in  this  county;  and 
Louis,  a  farmer  in  Cass  county,  who  married 
Dora  Fellow.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thron  are 
among  the  best  of  our  German  citizens,  and 
are  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  them. 


EORGE  W.  F  R  I  S  B  Y,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Schuyler  county,  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  this  section,  and  is  justly 
entitled  to  the  following  space  in  this  his- 
tory. He  was  born  near  Watertown,  Jefier- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    OA88, 


son  county,  New  York,  June  21.  1821,  a  son 
of   Sparrow  Frisby,    a  native  of    the    same 
State;  the    maternal    grandfather    emigrated 
to  the  United   States  from  Wales;  he  resided 
in  New  York  for  some  years,    and  then  re- 
moved to  Connecticut,  where  he  passed  the 
last  years  of  his  life.     The  father  of  George 
W.  was  but  an  infant  when  his  mother  died, 
and  he  was  then  taken  into  the  family  of  Dr. 
Wesley  Willoughby,  of    Herkimer    county, 
New  York,  and  there  grew  to  mature  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1837  he  made  a  trip  to   Illi- 
nois in  search  of  a   permanent  location;  he 
came  to  Schuyler  county,  and  selected  a  tract 
of  land  in  what  is  now  Woodstock  township; 
he  built  a  log  house  in   the  midst    of  the 
wilderness,  and  in  the  fall  was  joined  by  his 
family;  after  a  few  years  he  sold  this  place 
and  removed  to  Rushville,  where  he  worked 
at  the  trade  of  painting   and  paper-hanging; 
he  was  a  resident  of  that  place  at  the  time  of 
his  death.     The  maiden  name  of  the   mother 
of  our  subject  was  Lydia  Willoughby,  a  na- 
tive of  Herkimer  county,  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  James  and   Lydia  (Cook)   Wil- 
loughby, natives  of  Connecticut  and  pioneers 
of  Herkimer  county;  the  last  years  of    her 
life  were  spent  in  Rushville.    George  W.  was 
sixteen  years  old  when  he  came  to  Illinois  in 
the  fall  of  1837;  the  journey   was  made  by 
.  the  most  convenient  route  at   the  time;  via 
team  to  Utica,  thence  via  the  Erie  canal  to 
Buffalo,   thence    by    steamer    to    Cleveland, 
thence  by  canal  to  Zanesville,  thence  by  team 
to  Portsmouth,  thence  via  the  Ohio,  Missis- 
sippi and  Illinois  rivers  to  Schnyler  county, 
landing  at  a  point  then  known  as  Erie.     Mr. 
Frisby  had    attended  the    schools    in    New 
York  State  quite  regularly,  and  after  coming 
to  Schuyler  county  was  a  pupil  one  term  in 
the  primitive  school  of  the  frontier.  He  lived 
at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 


one  years  of  age,  and  then  he  worked  at  the 
shoemaker's  trade  for  two  years.  He  next 
took  up  the  cooper's  trade,  which  he  followed 
five  years,  and  then  engaged  in  farming.  In 
1860  he  settled  on  the  place  he  now  owns 
and  occupies,  section  8,  Bainbridge  town- 
ship. 

Mr.  Frisby  was  married  in  1845,  to  Eliza- 
beth Thompson,  who  was  born  in  Greene 
county,  Pennsylvania.  They  have  five  chil- 
dren living:  Ann  Elizabeth,  William  V., 
Mary  C.,  James  and  Serilla  H.  The  parents 
are  members  of  the  Free  Methodist  Church. 

Politically  our  subject  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  has  represented 
the  people  of  his  township  in  many  offices  of 
trust  and  honor;  he  has  been  School  Trustee 
and  Director,  Collector,  Town  Clerk,  Con- 
stable, Magistrate,  and  at  the  present  time 
is  School  Treasurer,  an  office  he  has  held 
more  than  twenty-five  years.  He  has  dis- 
charged all  the  duties  devolving  upon  him 
with  rare  fidelity,  and  has  the  utmost  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow-men. 


NDREW  L  O  G  S  D  O  N  ,  aprominent 
farmer  of  Bainbridge  township,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Schuyler  county,  Illi- 
nois, since  he  was  a  child  of  seven  years.  He 
was  born  in  Cooperstown  township,  Brown 
county,  Illinois,  March  13,  1858.  His  father, 
Joseph  Logsdon,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  in  Madison  county,  September  6,  1809, 
and  the  grandfather,  William  Logsdon,  was 
also  born  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky;  he 
was  a  planter  by  occupation,  and  spent  all  his 
life  in  the  county  of  his  birth.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Beheimer,  a  Virginian  by  birth; 
after  the  death  of  her  husband  she  emigrated 
from  Kentucky  to  Illinois.,  and  died  in  Brown 


SCHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


527 


county,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Jo- 
seph Logsdon  was  reared  in  Kentucky,  and 
was  there  married.  In  1844  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  located  in  Brown  county,  where  he 
purchased  sixty  acres  of  unimproved  land  in 
Cooperstown  township;  there  he  resided  un- 
til 1865,  when  he  removed  to  Woodstock 
township,  Schuyler  county;  here  he  bought  a 
tract  of  land  that  had  been  improved,  and  on 
it  he  has  since  lived.  He  was  married  to 
Lucy  Parker,  who  was  born  in  Madison 
county,  Kentucky,  May  1,  1815,  a  daughter 
of  Jonathan  and  Patsey  (Everson)  Parker. 
Of  this  union  were  born  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  lived  to  mature  years. 

Andrew  Logsdon,  the  subject  of  this  no- 
tice, was  reared  from  his  seventh  year  in 
Woodstock  township,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  that  neighbor^ 
hood.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  assumed 
the  responsibilities  of  life,  and  began  his  career 
as  a  farmer  on  rented  land.  In  1882  he 
purchased  the  land  which  he  now  occupies, 
located  on  section  6,  Bainbridge  township. 
He  is  engaged  in  general  farming,  and  has 
been  quite  successful  in  his  operations. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  in  1879,  to  Ro- 
hamah  Terrill,  a  native  of  Bainbridge  town- 
ship, and  a  daughter  of  Jackson  and  Elizabeth 
Terrill.  To  them  have  been  born  fon,r  children: 
Maude,  Hugh,  Lucy  and  Elizabeth.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Logsdon  has  always  been  inde- 
pendent, and  is  nqw  identified  with  the  Peo- 
ple's party. 


(EORGE  H.  KIRKHAM,  a  prominent 
farmer  and  progressive  citizen  of  Little- 
ton township,  Schuyler  county,  was 
born  in  Brooklyn  township,  this  county, 
April  22,  1846.  His  parents  were  Henry 


and  Elizabeth  Kirkham,  his  father  still  living 
in  Buena  Vista  township,  this  county. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  from  a 
private  teacher,  who  boarded  about  at  the 
different  homes,  teaching  in  the  various 
families,  his  facilities  were  thus  necessarily 
limited,  all  of  which  have  been  supplemented 
by  subsequent  endeavor  and  self  instruction. 
At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  enlisted  in  the  war 
on  August  15,  1861,  serving  in  Company  G 
and  D,  Twenty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry  for 
four  years,  under  the  command  of  Captain  B, 
C.  Gillam.  He  was  with  his  regiment  all 
through  the  war,  with  the  exception  of  about 
four  months,  when  he  was  sick  and  in  the 
hospital  at  Monterey,  and  went  through  the 
international  struggle  without  receiving  so 
much  as  a  scratch.  He  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  in  Brownsville,  Texas,  and  honor- 
ably discharged  in  March,  1866.  He  had 
a  brother  and  two  step-brothers  also  in  the 
late  war,  his  brother  in  the  same  regiment  as 
himself,  while  his  step-brothers  served  in  the 
Fiftieth  Illinois  Infantry.  His  brother  served 
for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
went  as  a  substitute,  serving  until  the  close 
qf  the  war.  Both  of  his  step-brothers  were 
re-enlisted. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  Schuyler 
county,  and  on  November  6,  1870,  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  E.  Garrison,  who  was  born  in  < 
this  township  and  county,  July  31,  1846. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  George  and  Sarah 
Garrison,  rjroniinent  pioneers  of  this  county, 
who  both  died  here,  her  father  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  She  was  one  of  eleven 
children,  ten  still  living.  Our  subject  is  one  of 
six  children,  five  living,  all  of  them  farmers. 

After  marriage,  he  located  where  he  now 
resides,  on  a  part  of  the  old  Garrison  farm, 
he  having  made  all  the  improvements  at 
present  noticeable  on  the  place.  He  built, 


52S 


B10GKAPHIOAL    REVIEW    OF    GASS, 


in  1882.  his  present  large  and  comfortable 
home,  and  now  has  good  barns  for  his  grain 
and  stock,  besides  various  other  -modern  con- 
veniences, facilitating  the  handling  of  the 
various  products  of  his  farm,  which  is  devoted 
to  mixed  agriculture.  He  has  recently  added 
to  his  original  farm  by  purchasing  160  acres, 
and  now  has  one  of  the  largest  and  best  farms 
in  the  county,  having  more  than  800  rods  of 
tiling  on  his  place. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kirkham  have  ten  children: 
Charles  L.,  at  Normal  school,  born  January 
6,  1872;  Elizabeth,  born  March  27,  1873, 
wife  of  William  Blodgett;  Ida  F.,  born  No- 
vember 16,  1874,  now  attending  the  Normal 
school;  William  It.,  born  December  14, 1876; 
Margaret  G.,  born  August  4,  1878;  George 
H.,  born  May  16,  1882;  Anna  B.  M.,  born 
September  4,  1884;  James  O.,  born  January 
4,  1888. 

Politically,  Mr.  Kirkham  is  a  Republican, 
and  cast  his  first  vote  for  General  Grant's  first 
term.  He  served  as  Collector  of  his  town- 
ship during  1890,  doing  in  that  capacity 
creditable  and  satisfactory  work.  He  is  a 
member  of  Colonel  Horney  Post,  G.  A.  R., 
No.  131. 

He  and  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the 
Christian  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Kirkham  is 
Deacon,  and  for  the  support  of  which  he  and 
wife  are  ardent  workers  and  liberal  contrib- 
utors. 

Intelligent,  honest  and  public-spirited,  he 
commands  the  respect  of  all,  while  his  more 
amiable  virtues  have  won  the  affectionate  re- 
gard of  his  fellow  citizens. 

HENRY  KIKKHAM,  one  of  the  oldest  living 
pioneers  and  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
Schuyler  county,  dates  his  first  appearrnceon 
the  stirring  scene  of  this  locality  on  January 
4,1835.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  His  father, 
Henry  Kirkham,  was  born  in  Virginia,  Sep- 


tember 2, 1769,  while  his  grandfather,  Michael 
Kirkham,  came  from  Ireland,  where  lie  was 
married,  to  the  United  States,  locating  first 
in  Virginia,  and  later  moved  to  Kentucky, 
residing  in  Lexington,  that  State,  for  seven 
years,  during  the  Indian  troubles.  He  died 
in  Kentucky  in  1835,  aged  ninety-six  years. 
His  wife  died  on  the  same  day,  aged  ninety- 
four  years,  both  dying  of  cholera. 

The  father  of  our  subject  removed  from 
Virginia  when  a  boy,  accompanying  the 
family  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Gay.  She  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
having  been  born  in  that  State  in  1773.  She 
died  September  9,  1820.  The  parents  of  our 
subject  removed  from  Kentucky  to  Ohio, 
coming  in  1834  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Rush- 
ville  township.  Here  his  father  died  April 
12,  1840. 

His  parents  had  ten  children:  Agnes,  born 
February  3,  1794,  married  John  Patterson, 
and  died  in  Ohio;  Sarah,  born  February  15, 
1796,  married  John  Kaze,  and  died  in  Mis- 
souri; Margaret,  born  January  6,  1798,  was 
married,  and  died  in  Bloomfield  Illinois ;  James, 
born  January  11, 1800, died  in  Ohio;  John, born 
September  6,  1802,  died  in  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois;  Michael,  born  February  20,  1805, 
died  in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois;  Mary,  born 
August  7,  1808,  married  Martin  Huffstetter, 
and  died  in  Iowa;  Rebecca,  born  February 
20, 1810,  married  Peter  Wempler,  and  died 
in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois;  the  subject  of 
our  sketch,  was  born  in  Ohio;  William,  born 
August  1,  1815,  died  in  California. 

At  the  age  of  five  or  six  years,  our  subject 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Monroe  county, 
Indiana.  Here  he  was  reared  on  a  farm,  at- 
tending the  district  school,  but  receiving  but 
little  instruction.  On  January  4,  1835,  he 
married  Elizabeth  Hinkle,  and  at  once  came 
to  Illinois,  locating  in  Schnyler  county.  He 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


529 


was  poor,  consequently  rented  land  for  some 
years,  finally  purchasing  land  in  Woodstock 
township,  Schuyler  county,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he 
removed  to  Buena  Vista  township,  where  he 
now  resides.  Here  he  owns  eighty-two  acres, 
which  he  has  vastly  improved,  having  erected 
a  substantial  residence  and  barns  for  grain 
and  stock,  besides  numerous  other  modern 
conveniences  for  the  pursuit  of  farming.  His 
land  is  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  being 
devoted  to  mixed  agriculture.  It  was  here 
that  his  wife  died,  September  26,  1847,  leav- 
ing six  children  to  his  care.  She  was  a  lady 
of  much  intelligence  and  many  admirable 
traits  of  character,  and  was  greatly  regretted 
by  her  family  and  friends.  The  children 
were:  James,  born  February  13,  1836,  still 
residing  with  his  father;  William,  born  Sep- 
tember 26,  1837,  was  a  soldier  in  Company 
Gr,  Twenty-eighth  Illinois,  serving  three  years 
in  the  army,  then  re-enlisted  and  did  duty 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  now  resides  in 
Portland,  Oregon;  Mary,  born  September  4, 
1839,  married  Jabez  "Vatters,  residing  in 
Macomb,  Illinois;  George  H.,  born  April  22, 
1841,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Twenty-eighth 
Illinois,  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
now  residing  in  Littleton  township,  Illinois; 
Sarah  E.,  born  March  20,  1843,  married,  and 
now  resides  in  Springfield,  Illinois;  Margaret, 
born  December  7,  1844,  married  Amos 
Burgee,  and  resides  in  Portland  Oregon. 

Our  subject  was  married  a  second  time, 
March  26,  1846,  his  second  wife  being 
Frances  Swan,  born  in  1803.  They  had  one 
son:  Robert  John,  born  December  28,  1849. 
By  a  former  marriage  to  Morris  Swan,  she 
had  had  six  children :  Martha,  Matilda,  Mary 
Ann,  James,  Jason  W.  and  one  that  died  in 
infancy.  His  second  wife  died  in  1875,  much 
lamented  by  all  who  knew  her,  as  a  worthy 


woman,  a  faithful  wife  and  devoted  mother' 
Politically,  our  subject  first  voted  the 
Whig  ticket,  and  is  now  a  Republican.  His 
constituents  have  honoied  him  by  electing 
him  to  one  of  the  most  responsible  positions 
in  their  power  to  bestow,  he  having  served  as 
School  Treasurer  for  forty  years,  which  is  the 
only  office  he  would  accept. 

The  Kirkhams  are  Presbyterians,  although 
our  subject  is  not  a  member  of  any  church. 
He  is,  however,  a  believer  in  the  Christian 
religion,  and  has  never  used  a  profane  word, 
or  tasted  intoxicating  liquor  in  his  life.  A 
kind  of  rara  avis,  sometimes  heard  of  but 
seldom  seen. 

His  endorsement  by  the  community,  and 
his  conduct  of  life,  make  further  remarks  un- 
necessary. His  integrity  and  fidelity  are 
noticeable  in  this  day  of  uncertainty  in  such 
matters,  and  are  as  refreshing  as  they  are 
rare,  and  appear  to  be  fully  appreciated  by 
his  community.  Would  that  the  world  might 
have  more  of  such  men,  that  the  millennium 
might  b6  hastened! 


OHN  H.  CLARK  was  born  in  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1815,  a  son  of  William  and 
Rosana  (Hurst)  Clark.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  and  in  1838  penetrated  the 
frontier  to  Illinois,  and  located  in  Schuyler 
county.  He  erected  a  sawmill,  which  he 
operated  for  eight  years,  and  then  disposed 
of  the  property,  retiring  from  active  labor; 
he  died  at  the  home  of  John  J.  Redick,  aged 
seventy  four  years;  his  wife  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  died 
at  the  old  homestead  in  Schuyler  county, 
aged  sixty-four  years.  John  H.  is  one  of  a 


530 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Of    CA88, 


family  of  eight  children,  and  the  only  sur- 
viving member.  He  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  his  marriage,  which  oc- 
curred March  1,  1852,  when  he  was  united  to 
Miss  Rena  Black ;  she  was  born  in  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  and  died  herein  early  woman- 
hood; she  was  the  mother  of  four  children, 
two  of  whom  are  living:  Mary  E.  is  married 
and  has  four  children ;  Lorena  is  married  and 
the  mother  of  one  child.  Mr.  Clark  was 
married  again  in  1858,  to  Miss  Mary  Carter, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  who  died  in  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  forty  years. 
The  third  union  was  in  1870,  when  Mr. 
Clark  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Lawler; 
she  was  born  in  Fauquier  county,  Virginia, 
October  22,  1821,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Nancy  (Harris)  Lawler. 

In  1870,  Mr.  Clark  settled  on  a  farm  near 
his  father's  home,  and  began  the  task  of 
clearing  a  heavily  timbered  tract;  there  he 
labored  industriously  for  eight  years,  and 
then  sold  the  place;  he  bought  the  farm  he 
now  owns  soon  afterward,  but  only  eleven 
acres  were  cleared,  and  a  log  cabin  was  the 
only  place  of  habitation.  Since  then  he  has 
witnessed  the  many  changes  that  have  been 
wrought  by  the  hand  of  progress,  and  has 
done  his  share  in  making  the  path  clear  for 
the  advance  of  civilization.  His  dealings 
with  his  fellow-men  have  been  characterized 
by  a  strict  integrity  and  keen  sense  of  honor 
that  have  won  the  highest  respect  of  all  who 
know  him. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Clark,  James  and 
Diana  (Thomas)  Lawler,  reared  a  family  of 
five  children,  four  of  whom  survive;  the 
maternal  ancestors  came  from  Ireland,  and 
the  father  participated  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution;  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years,  and  she  survived  to  the  age  of 
siity. 


Politically  the  subject  of  this  sketch  affili- 
ates with  the  Democratic  party,  and  has 
always  supported  its  issues.  He  and  his  wife 
are  consistent  members  of  the  Christian 
Church. 


ENRY  P.  GROVER,  Mount  Sterling, 
Illinois,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  the 
county,  was  born  in  Mason  county,  Ken- 
tucky. His  father,  Joseph,  came  from  Vir- 
ginia, and  the  grandfather,  Jonathan,  spent 
his  last  years  in  Lewis  county,  Kentucky. 
Joseph  was  a  farmer  in  Mason  county,  where 
he  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life.  His  wife 
was  named  Sarah  Putnam.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Elizabeth  and  Henry  Putnam, 
who  came  from  Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  1836, 
and  she  spent  her  last  years  in  Brown  county. 
Henry  was  ten  years  old  when  his  father 
died,  and  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old  his 
mother  and  her  family  moved  to  Ohio,  and 
settled  in  Champaign  county,  where  they 
were  pioneers.  They  lived  there  until  1836, 
when  Henry  concluded  to  go  West  and  try 
to  better  his  fortune  in  a  new  country;  con- 
sequently he  came  by  teams  as  did  other 
emigrants,  and  after  eighteen  days  of  travel 
landed  in  that  part  of  Schuyler  now  included 
in  Brown  county.  His  means  were  very 
limited,  and  therefore,  although  there  was 
plenty  of  Government  land  to  be  had  for  $1.25 
an  acre,  he  was  not  able  to  secure  any  for 
a  time.  He  rented  for  two  years,  and  then 
entered  a  Government  tract,  near  Mount 
Sterling  township.  It  was  timber  land,  and 
he  built  the  usual  log  hut,  and  existed  for  a 
long  time  upon  the  game  that  at  that  time 
was  very  plentiful.  It  was  many  years  be- 
fore there  was  any  railroad  through  that  sec- 
tion. He  made  frequent  trips  to  Quincy, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


531 


forty  miles  distant  with  wheat.  Those  were 
days  of  privations,  but  are  now  looked  back 
upon  as  being  very  happy  ones. 

His  first  wife  was  very  industrious,  was 
able  to  card,  spin  and  weave  and  dressed  her 
entire  family  in  homespun,  made  entirely  by 
her  own  hands.  Mr.  Grover  cleared  the  land 
and  built  a  brick  house  and  lived  there  until 
1882,  and  traded  with  his  son  James  for  the 
farm  he  now  owns  and  occupies. 

He  married  first  in  1833,  Lucinda  Putnam 
of  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  Putnam.  She  died  about 
1860.  His  second  wife  was  named  Martha 
Putnam.  He  has  seven  children,  who  were 
all  born  by  his  first  marriage,  and  are  named  : 
Erwin,  Caroline,  John  G.,  Marion,  James, 
Joseph  and  Angeline.  Mr.  Grover  is  a 
member  of  the  Regular  Primitive  Baptist 
Church,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
has  served  two  terms  as  a  member  of  the 
County  Board  of  Supervisors. 


?OSEPH  LOGSDON,  a  venerable  pioneer 
of  Schuyler  county,  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  State  of  Illinois  since  1844.  He 
was  born  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1809,  a  son  of  William  and  Eliza- 
beth (Beheimer)  Logsdon;  his  father  was  a 
native  of  the  same  county,  and  died  there,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-five  years;  the  mother  sur- 
vived until  her  eighty-fifth  year,  and  died  in 
Brown  county,  Illinois.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents, Edward  and  Polly  Logsdon,  also 
lived  to  a  good  old  age.  Joseph  Logsdon  is 
one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  four  of 
whom  are  yet  living.  He  spent  his  youth  at 
home,  and  in  1837  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Lucy  Parker,  a  native  of  his  own  county, 
born  May  1,  1815.  Her  parents,  Jonathan 


and  Patsey  (Everson)  Parker,  were  born  in 
Madison  county,  Kentucky,  and  were  pioneers 
of  Ohio.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Logsdon 
settled  in  Kentucky  and  followed  agricult- 
ural pursuits  there  until  1844,  when  he  came 
to  Brown  county,  Illinois;  he  purchased  sixty 
acres  of  wild  land,  and  made  it  his  home 
until  coming  to  Schuyler  county,  when  he 
bought  a  tract  of  184  acres,  which  was  well 
improved.  He  has  done  a  general  farming 
business,  and  has  met  with  merited  success. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Logsdon  have  had  born  to 
them  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  survive; 
they  are  all  married  and  the  heads  of  families, 
excepting  one:  Elizabeth  R.  has  seven  chil- 
dren; Perry  is  the  subject  of  a  sketch  which 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Sarah 
is  the  mother  of  seven  children  ;  Ellen  has  a 
family  of  six  children;  George  is  married, 
but  has  no  children;  Jacob  has  two  children; 
Andrew  is  the  father  of  a  family  of  four;  the 
two  who  are  deceased  were  twins.  The  an- 
cestors have  been  people  of  long  lives,  noted 
for  their  honor  and  uprightness,  respected  by 
all  who  knew  them. 


lHARLES  II.  PHELPS  was  born  in 
Dutchess  county,  New  York,  January 
25,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  E.  B.  and 
Jane  (Wright)  Phelps,  the  former  born  in 
New  Medford,  Connecticut,  taught  school  for 
twenty-six  years,  and  also  ran  a  tile  factory, 
working  at  different  trades.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty-five,  in  Dutchess  county,  New 
York.  His  wife  was  born  in  Fishkill,  New 
York,  and  died  in  Hancock  county,  aged 
fifty-five  years.  Her  family  were  from  the 
New  England  States,  where  they  followed 
the  occupation  of  farmers. 


532 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Charles  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to 
Illinois  in  1857  and  settled  near  Huntsville 
on  a  rented  farm.  He  then  rented  in  Birm- 
ingham township  for  five  years,  and  two 
years  in  Hancock  county.  He  then  bought 
a  farm  in  Hancock  county,  and  lived  there 
for  ten  years,  then  sold  and  bought  in  this 
county,  in  Huntsville,  240  acres  of  improved 
land,  where  he  lived  for  four  years,  and  then 
sold  and  rented  a  farm  in  Adams  county,  and 
in  1887  bought  his  present  farm  of  200  acres, 
partly  improved,  near  the  geographical  center 
of  the  township.  He  has  also  been  engaged 
in  threshing. 

Until  Lincoln's  second  term  he  was  a 
Democrat,  but  since  that  has  been  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  has  been  Supervisor  for 
four  years,  being  first  elected  in  1888.  He 
succeeded  Marcus  Helston. 

He  was  married  February  3,  1859,  to 
Nancy  Scott,  of  Carroll  county,  Ohio,  who 
came  here  with  her  parents  when  two  years 
old.  She  was  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Hunter)  Scott,  the  former  a  son  of 
John  Scott,  of  Ireland,  who  came  with  his 
wife  and  son  to  the  United  States  when  Will- 
iam was  only  eight  years  old.  He  rented  in 
Carroll  county,  Ohio,  in  1817,  and  came 
from  there  to  Illinois  in  1842,  settling  in 
Huntsville,  Schuyler  county.  John  Scott 
was  seventy  years  old  at  his  death,  and  his 
wife,  Isabel,  died  on  the  old  farm.  Eliza- 
beth Hunter  was  born  in  Maryland,  but  her 
father  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  She  died  on 
the  old  farm,  aged  sixty-five  years.  She  and 
her  husband  had  five  children,  four  yet 
living. 

Mr.  Phelps  was  one  of  fourteen  children, 
but    he    himself   has  only  nine,  as  follows:' 
Sarah  Alice,  wife  of  B.  Craft,  and  they  have 
three  children;  William  E.,  married  to  Nana 


Tyree,  four  children;  Charles  F.,  married  to 
Josephine  Farewell,  two  children;  Eliza  May, 
married  to  George  Burnett,  one  child;  Ervin 
is  at  home,  as  are  also  George  B.,  John  R., 
Bert  R.  and  Clara  Belle. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phelps  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Phelps 
has  been  the  Master  of  the  Masonic  lodge, 
No.  465,  of  Huntsville,  for  eighteen  years. 
He  was  once  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  He 
is  a  Granger,  and  was  Master  and  State 
Deputy  in  same,  and  no  one  has  been  more 
popular,  both  in  the  offices  he  has  held  and 
in  the  various  business  dealings  he  has  had 
with  his  fellow-men.  He  was  one  of  the  men 
who  put  John  A.  Logan  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  He  worked  for  him  personally,  and 
as  long  as  the  history  of  the  Thirty-fourth 
Illinois  Congressional  District  contest,  which 
put  J.  A.  Logan  in  the  Senate,  is  preserved, 
just  so  long  will  the  biography  of  Charles  H. 
Phelps  be  on  record  as  one  of  the  workers, 
if  not  the  hardest  worker,  in  that  cause.  He 
knew  no  such  word  as  fail,  and  much  of  the 
enthusiasm  of  that  time  was  due  to  his  ef- 
forts. He  is  a  man  of  honor  and  upright- 
ness, and  is  loved  by  every  one,  regardless 
of  party  affiliations. 


BRAHAM  LINCOLN  STOUT  was 
born  in  Ripley  township,  Brown  county  ? 
Illinois,  November  9,  1860.  He  is  the 
fifth  son  of  Francis  M.  and  Catherine  Stout 
(see  biography  of  same).  He  was  reared  and 
educated  at  Ripley.  In  his  youthful  days  he 
attended  school  and  helped  his  father  on  the 
farm.  He  lived  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage  and  then  settled  on  the  farm  he  now 
owns  and  occupies.  This  contains  180 
acres,  pleasantly  located  on  the  Rushville 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


533 


road  one  mile  east  of  the  courthouse.  He  has 
erected  a  good  set  of  farm  buildings,  planted 
fruit  and  shade  trees  and  otherwise  improved 
the  farm. 

He  was  married  in  November,  1884,  to 
Miss  Louisa  Lanning.  She  was  born  in 
Cooperstown  township  and  was  the  daughter 
of  Isaiah  and  Ellen  Lanning.  They  have 
three  children:  Ethel,  Eleanor  Lottie  and 
Helen. 

Mrs.  Stout  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Mr.  Stout  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics. Both  he  and  his  wife  are  good,  hard- 
working farmers  and  are  greatly  esteemed  by 
all  who  know  them. 


kICHARD  BUSH,  of  Mt.  Sterling,  a 
successful  manufacturer  of  tile  and 
brick,  was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio, 
December  20,  1827.  His  father,  Thomas, 
was  born  near  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  in  1802, 
and  his  father,  Richard,  was  born  in  the  same 
State.  He  removed  from  there  to  Ohio  and 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Muskingum 
county.  The  removal  was  made  on  pack 
horses  in  1801.  He  secured  Government 
land  on  Meig's  creek.  At  that  time  the  In- 
dians were  more  numerous  than  whites,  but 
all  of  them  were  friendly.  For  many  years 
there  were  no  railroads,  no  canals,  no  markets, 
and  the  people  lived  on  the  products  of  their 
lands.  His  wife's  name  was  Dorothy  Ryman, 
born  in  Pennsylvania  of  German  ancestry. 
Thomas  was  eight  years  old  when  his  parents 
made  this  move  to  Ohio,  and  there  he  was 
reared  and  married.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  and  in  his  early  life  would  hew  all 
the  timber  and  then  saw  all  the  lumber  with 
a  whipsaw  to  build  a  barn.  He  remained 
in  Ohio  until  1834,  and  then  with  his  wife 


and  nine  children  came  to  this  State.  This 
removal  was  made  by  team,  cooking  and 
camping  by  the  way.  Mr.  Bush  entered 
Government  land,  one  and  one-half  miles  east 
of  Exeter.  There  was  a  small  cabin  on  the 
land.  As  soon  as  he  could  well  do  so  he 
erected  a  frame  house  with  two  rooms,  and 
that  was  one  of  the  five  houses  of  that  sec- 
tion. At  the  time  he  settled  there  the  county 
was  but  sparsely  inhabited  and  much  of  the 
land  was  still  owned  by  the  Government.  He 
remained  there  until  1849,  when  he  sold  and 
came  to  Brown  county  and  settled  in  Lee 
township,  and  bought  land  and  lived  there 
until  his  death.  The  name  of  his  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Morrison,  born  in  Virginia,  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  Morrison,  who  had  come 
from  Ireland.  He  had  settled  in  Virginia 
and  from  there  had  moved  to  Muskingum 
county,  Ohio,  and  died  near  Zanesville,  his 
wife  being  also  from  Ireland.  She  reared 
seven  children  and  finally  died  on  the  home 
farm. 

Richard  was  six  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Illinois  with  his  parents  and  attended  the 
log  sehoolhouse.  He  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  1848  and  the  same  fall  he  moved 
to  Brown  county,  and  settled  in  Lee  town- 
ship. There  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land, 
all  wild,  part  timber  and  part  prairie.  He 
improved  the  farm  and  resided  there  until 
1856,  and  then  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Texas,  making  the  journey  with  teams.  He 
bought  400  acres  of  land  in  Lamar  county) 
at  $5  an  acre,  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising,  and  lived  there  until  1860,  and 
then  sold  out,  for  $10  an  acre.  He  had  in 
the  meantime  accumulated  quite  a  stock  of 
cattle,  so  that  his  investment  there  had  proved 
very  profitable.  On  selling  out  he  returned 
to  Lee  township  and  bought  200  acres  of 
land,  three  miles  west  of  Mt.  Sterling,  and 


534 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


continued  farming  there  until  1889,  when  he 
sold  the  farm  and  moved  into  Mt.  Sterling. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  tile 
and  brick.  The  most  solid  and  enduring  brick 
in  existence  is  made  by  Mr.  Bush  at  his  yards. 
It  is  exclusively  used  for  the  paving  of  Jack- 
sonville and  Quincy.  He  introduced  the  first 
portable  steam  sawmill  into  Brown  county, 
and  owned  and  operated  the  first  mower  and 
reaper  combined,  the  first  twine  binder  and 
the  first  thresher  in  that  part  of  the  State. 
Mr.  Bush  is  an  intelligent  man,  he  has  pro- 
gressive ideas  and  he  is  not  afraid  to  put 
them  into  practice. 

He  was  married  in  1848,  to  Lucinda  Stayle, 
born  in  that  part  of  Morgan  now  included 
in  Scott  county,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Par- 
thena  Stayle,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  pio- 
neers of  Morgan  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bush  have  eight  children:  Elizabeth  A., 
Peter  T.,  Emma  J.,  Alexander  J.,  Parthena 
S.,  Asenath,  Minnie  and  R.  Arthur.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics. 


[ILLIAM  J.  LAMBERT,  a  promin- 
ent citizen  of  Schuyler  county,  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois since  his  childhood,  and  has  aided  in  de- 
veloping the  wild,  uncultivated  land  into  one 
of  the  most  fertile  farming  sections  in  the 
United  States.  He  is  a  native  of  Washing- 
ton county,  Kentucky,  born  January  21, 
1832,  a  son  of  William  and  Catharine  (Den- 
nis) Lambert.  William  Lambert,  Sr.,  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Kentucky,  and 
was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  a  farmer, 
which  he  followed  all  his  life.  He  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  in  1836,  and  settled  at 
Rushville,  where  he  operated  a  pioneer  hotel 
until  1844;  he  died  in  that  year,  at  the  age 


of  forty-five  years.  The  trip  to  Illinois  was 
made  with  a  covered  wagon  and  four  horses, 
and  the  trials  and  hardships  endured  by  the 
family  were  many,  and  such  as  are  incident 
to  life  on  the  frontier.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Ken- 
tucky, and  died  at  Rushville,  Illinois,  at  an 
advanced  age;  she  was  married  a  second  time, 
this  union  being  to  Charles  Wells;  she  reared 
a  family  of  three  children,  two  of  whom  sur- 
vive, Mrs.  M.  O.  Snyder  and  William  J.,  the 
subject  of  this  notice. 

He  was  a  youth  of  fourteen  years  when  he 
left  the  home  of  his  childhood,  and  went  out 
to  meet  some  of  the  responsibilities  of  life; 
he  first,  worked  for  his  brother  by  the  month, 
and  in  1847  he  came  to  Littleton  township, 
and  bought  a  tract  of  wild  prairie  land, 
which  he  undertook  to  improve  and  place 
under  cultivation.  Here  he  was  married 
April  18,  1852,  to  Miss  Josephine  Rose,  who 
was  born  on  the  farm  which  is  now  her  home, 
June  29,  1833.  Her  parents,  Randolph  and 
Sarah  Rose,  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  but 
emigrated  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Schnyler 
county  in  1826;  they  had  to  undergo  all  the 
hardships  of  pioneer  life,  and  did  their  share 
in  the  development  and  improvement  of  the 
country;  they  had  a  family  of  three  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lambert  are  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living:  Mabel 
is  the  wife  of  George  Little,  and  has  two 
children;  William  L.  is  married  and  has  two 
children;  Ellen,  a  talented  artist,  is  a  pupil 
in  the  Art  Institute,  Chicago;  Edward  is  on 
the  home  farm ;  Josephine  is  a  teacher  in  the 
Littleton  schools;  Fannie  is  at  home.  The 
family  have  had  excellent  educational  advan- 
tages, and  are  among  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Lambert  in  his  youth  enjoyed  only  such 
educational  facilities  as  were  afforded  in  the 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


535 


district  schools,  but  he  improved  his  time 
and  secured  a  fund  of  information  that  fitted 
him  for  the  ordinary  duties  of  life.  After  his 
marriage  he  settled  on  a  farm  which  he  oc- 
cupied for  some  time  and  then  sold;  he  now 
owns  nearly  500  acres  of  as  choice  land  as 
lies  within  the  borders  of  the  county.  He  is 
engaged  in  general  farming,  but  gives  especial 
attention  to  the  raising  of  high-grade  cattle. 
Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he 
has  been  School  Director,  and  has  always 
given  a  liberal  support  to  those  movements 
which  tend  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
county  and  State.  In  his  religious  faith  he 
is  a  Baptist,  and  has  been  a  member  of  that 
church  for  many  years.  The  children  being 
reared  to  this  faith,  are  also  members  of  the 
church. 


H  ARLES  H.  JUETT,a  well-known 
farmer  of  Woodstock  township  is  the 
subject  of  the  following  biographical 
sketch.  He  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Ken- 
tucky, born  in  Fayette  county,  June  7,  1831, 
a  son  of  John  and  Catharine  (Hoffman) 
Juett;  the  parents  were  natives  ef  the  Blue- 
grass  State,  and  there  passed  all  their  days; 
they  had  born  to  them  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  four 
of  whom  are  yet  living.  Charles  H.  was 
married  February  22,  1859,  to  Miss  Mary 
Jane  Hoffman,  a  native  of  Fayette  county 
Kentucky,  and  a  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Syba  Hoffman.  Nine  children  have  been 
born  of  this  union,  two  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy: John  M.;  "William,  who  is  married 
and  has  one  child;  Anna  M.,  married  and 
the  mother  of  two  children;  Catharine  A., 
married  and  the  mother  of  three  children; 


Eliza  E.;  Charles  H.;  Benjamin  D.;  Effie 
S.  and  Francis  M. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Juett  removed  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  in  Brown  county;  later 
he  came  to  Schuyler  county,  and  here  he 
purchased  160  acres  of  timber  land;  he  then 
undertook  the  task  of  clearing  this  and  plac- 
ing it  under  cultivation;  he  erected  a  log 
cabin,  16  x  18  feet,  which  was  afterward  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  As  his  means  increased 
he  made  additional  investments  in  land, 
and  now  owns  320  acres,  all  under  cul- 
tivation. He  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing, and  has  been  very  successful.  He  has 
filled  various  local  offices,  and  in  both  public 
and  private  life  he  has  made  a  record  for 
honorable  and  correct  methods  of  dealing 
that  command  the  confidence  of  the  entire 
community. 

In  politics  he  was  allied  with  the  Whig 
party  until  its  dissolution,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  voted  the  Democratic  ticket. 


ENRY  MEYER,  an  old  and  retired  Ger- 
man farmer  of  section  19,  township  17, 
range  11,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
in  1814.  His  parents  lived  and  died  in  Prus- 
sia, when  quite  old.  The  father,  Conrad,  was 
a  small  farmer,  and  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Henry 
is  the  youngest  but  one  of  the  family.  He 
and  a  brother  Fred  are  the  only  surviving 
members  of  the  family.  Henry  has  earned  his 
own  living  since  he  was  eight  years  old  and  has 
made  his  present  large  fortuue  entirely  by  his 
own  efforts.  He  was  yet  a  young  man  when 
in  the  spring  of  1833  he  sailed  from  Bremen, 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  arriving  at  New  Orleans 
after  a  voyage  of  nine  weeks.  He  came  up  the 
Mississippi  river  and  spent  some  few  months 


536 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OA88, 


in  Missouri,  but  not  liking  it  he  came  on  to 
Beardstown,  Illinois,  and  settled  here,  being 
among  the  first  settlers  of  the  locality.  They 
were  all  strangers  to  him.  He  is  now  the  old- 
est settler  now  living  in  the  county,  which  was 
all  unbroken  when  he  came  to  it  in  the  spring 
of  1833.  Arenzville  was  a  small  town  indeed 
when  he  settled  there,  consisting  of  two  log 
houses.  Beardstown  and  Virginia  were  ham- 
lets, and  no  roads  marked  out  the  sectional 
and  township  lines.  In  fact  there  were  no 
improvements  in  the  county  to  amount  to 
anything.  As  there  were  no  railroads  the 
pioneers  had  but  few  advantages  to  sell  their 
produce  when  they  had  raised  it.  Mr.  Meyer 
has  lived  to  see  all  this  changed,  doing  his 
full  share  to  effect  this  change.  He  has  worked 
hard  to  increase  his  original  186  acres  to  his 
present  number  of  380  acres,  of  which  250 
are  highly  improved.  The  380  acres  are  di- 
vided into  two  separate  farms,  each  supplied 
with  a  complete  set  of  farm  buildings.  Un- 
til about  five  years  ago  Mr.  Meyer  worked 
hard,  but  then,  as  advancing  age  told  upon 
him,  he  retired,  and  has  been  living  quietly 
ever  since,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors. 
He  is  now  seventy-eight  years  old,  and  can 
point  to  a  life  of  usefulness  that  would  put 
to  shame  many  an  idle  man. 

He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Eliza- 
beth Talkemeyer,  born  near  the  old  home  of 
her  husband  in  Prussia,  Germany.  She 
came  to  America  with  a  brother,  Frederick, 
in  the  '40s,  their  parents  having  died  in 
Germany.  After  they  landed  in  New  Or- 
leans, they  came  north  to  Beardstown,  and 
here  they  both  lived  and  died.  Mrs.  Meyer 
died  at  her  home  where  her  husband  yet  lives, 
September,  1884,  aged  sixty-seven.  She  was 
a  good  wife,  a  devoted  mother,  and  a  kind 
neighbor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer  were  the 
parents  of  four  children:  Caroline  Keane,  of 


Arenzville;  Mary,  wife  of  William  Duvel- 
meier,  of  Beardstown;  Henry  manages  the 
farm,  and  married  Caroline  Baujan,  of  Arenz- 
ville; Louisa,  wife  of  Fred  Wienkencman,  a 
farmer  on  one  of  Mr.  Meyer's  farms. 

Mr.  Meyer  has  been  a  leading  man  for 
many  years  in  his  section,  and  one  of  the 
most  prominent  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  Beardstown,  and  one  near  Arenz- 
ville. Hs  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  poli- 
tics. 


NGUS  McPHAIL  was  born  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  April  25,  1810.  His  father, 
Angus,  was  born  on  the  island  of  Mull, 
and  served  an  apprenticeship  in  Glasgow,  to 
the  trade  of  haberdasher.  He  then  went 
into  business  for  himself,  but  was  not  suc- 
cessful, losing  all  he  had.  He  then  decided 
to  come  to  America,  and  try  his  fortune  in 
the  new  world.  His  son,  Angus,  sent  money 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  his  parents  to 
America  in  1844.  He  spent  his  last  days  in 
Lee  township,  and  died  aged  eighty-  four 
years.  His  wife's  name  was  Jane,  daughter 
of  James  and  Flora  (McVicker)  Crawford. 
She  was  born  in  Argyleshire,  Scotland,  and 
died  at  the  home  of  our  subject.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Renfrewshire,  Scotland,  and 
descended  from  the  early  settlers  of  that 
place  who  fled  from  France  during  the  time 
of  the  persecution  by  the  Roman  Catholics. 
He  was  a  sailor,  and  followed  the  sea  many 
years.  He  fell  from  the  mast,  finally,  and 
was  killed.  His  wife  passed  her  entire  life 
in  Scotland.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
reared  seven  children:  Archibald,  Jane,  and 
our  subject,  were  the  only  ones  that  came  to 
America. 

Angus  was  reared  in  Glasgow,  and  served 
six  years'  apprenticeship  to  the  tailor's  trade, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


587 


and  then  did  journey  work  in  different  parts 
of  Great  Britain.  He  came  to  America  in 
1835,  and  stopped  in  New  York  a  few  weeks, 
and  then  made  his  way  to  Toronto,  there 
bought  property  and  opened  a  shop,  continu- 
ing at  his  trade  until  1837.  Early  in  the 
spring  of  1838,  he  left  for  the  States  by  a 
roundabout  route,  and  at  last  reached  St. 
Louis,  which  then  contained  but  2,000  peo- 
ple. He  stopped  there  a  short  time,  and 
then  came  on  to  Beardstown,  and  from  there 
to  Rnshville,  and  here  opened  a  shop  where 
he  conducted  his  business  until  1840,  and 
then  went  to  Mt.  Sterling,  and  there  opened 
a  shop  and  continued  until  1850.  He  then 
moved  to  the  farm  he  now  owns,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming. 

He  was  married  in  Glasgow,  in  1833,  to 
Mary  Crawford,  born  in  Scotland,  who  died 
in  1852.  He  was  married  a  second  time  in 
1855,  to  Jane  McCaskill,  born  in  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  February  26,  1828.  Her 
father,  Daniel,  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
and  his  father,  John,  was  born  in  Scotland, 
and  coming  to  America  settled  in  North 
Carolina,  and  then  went  to  South  Carolina, 
where  he  died.  The  father  of  Mrs.  McPhail 
went  to  Indiana  when  a  young  man,  and 
studied  medicine,  and  continued  practicing 
there.  He  then  became  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Sangamon  county,  Illinois.  He  practiced 
medicine  in  that  county  until  1835,  and  then 
took  eighty  acres  of  Government  land  in  Pea 
Ridge  township,  and  bought  240  acres  more 
in  the  same  township.  He  remained  there 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  fifty- nine. 
The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  was  Esther 
Turner,  the  daughter  of  Archibald  Turner, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  who  died  at  the  home  of 
the  family  in  Pea  Ridge  township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McPhail  have  four  living 
children:  Daniel,  William,  Archihald  John 


and  Flora  Ellen.  He  has  also  four  living 
children  by  his  first  wife:  Mary,  Catherine, 
James  and  Scotland.  They  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  Churches, 
and  he  is  a  Republican. 


ENRY  A.  HIERMAN,  a  young  and 
energetic  farmer,  living  on  section  12, 
township  17,  range  12,  was  born  on  this 
farrm  on  June  6,  1865.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  and  lived  at  home  until 
the  death  of  his  father,  since  which  time  he 
has  farmed  on  his  own  account.  He  is  the 
fourth  son  of  nine  children  born  to  his 
parents,  Bernhardt  and  Mary  (Legerraeier) 
Hierman,  natives  of  Germany,  whose  parents 
both  lived  and  died  in  the  fatherland.  The 
father  was  yet  a  young  man,  about  twenty 
years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States  in  the  '50s  and  made  a  settlement  at 
Beardstown.  He  there  followed  his  trade  of 
painter,  which  he  had  learned  in  Germany. 
He  afterward  decided  to  go  to  farming,  and 
purchased  land  six  miles  from  Beardstown, 
in  township  17,  range  11.  He  here  improved 
a  large  and  beautiful  tract  of  land  embracing 
more  than  300  acres.  There  are  eighty  acres 
of  timber.  He  put  up  good  farm  buildings 
and  made  everything  pleasant  around  him. 
Here  he  died,  November  16,  1887,  in  the 
fifty- sixth  year  of  his  life.  He  was  a  good 
man,  well  known  throughout  the  community. 
He  was  a  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  wife,  who 
survives  him,  had  come  to  the  United  States 
when  a  young  woman.  She  married  Mr. 
Hierman  in  Beardstown,  and  after  his  death 
married  a  second  time,  Fred  Housmier,  a  re- 
tired farmer.  His  first  wife  had  died  here. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Housmier  are  members  of  the 


538 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASH, 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  Hous- 
mier  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

Mr.  Hierman  now  conducts  a  Jarge  farm  of 
320  acres,  belonging  to  his  mother.  He  has 
been  operating  it  for  the  past  three  years 
very  successfully.  It  is  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  is  one  of  the  substantial  farms 
of  the  township.  The  brothers  of  our  subject 
are:  William  A.,  a  farmer  of  Schuyler  county, 
married  to  Mary  Winklehack;  Edward,  a 
dealer  in  agricultural  implements  in  Arenz- 
ville,  married  Josie  Beard;  Thedora  married 
Cinda  Hackman,  and  they  »re  farmers  in 
Morgan  county;  our  subject  married  Lizzie 
Nordsick,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Cass 
county,  and  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  Inas; 
Frank  lives  with  his  brother  Edward,  in 
Arenzville;  George  lives  with  his  brother 
Theo,  in  Morgan  county;  Louis  and  Al- 
bert, twins;  and  Charles  is  with  his  brother 
Henry. 

Mr.  Hierman  is  a  Lutheran,  but  his  wife 
is  a  Methodist.  Mr.  Hierman  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  highly  re- 
spected throughout  the  community  where 
they  live. 


JON  RAD  BECKER,  now  a  retired  farmer 
living  in  section  32,  township  17,  range 
11,  near  Arenzville,  was  born  in  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  August  18,  1826.  He 
grew  up  and  was  educated  in  his  native 
province,  being  twenty-one  years  old  when 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  sailing  from 
Bremen  on  a  sailing  vessel  that  landed  him 
in  New  Orleans  after  an  eight  weeks'  voyage. 
He  came  from  there  up  the  Mississippi  river 
to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  to  Beardstown, 
taking  five  weeks  to  make  the  trip.  He  set- 
tled in  the  last  named  city,  February,  1847. 
He  was  a  poor  man  at  that  time  and  among 


strangers,  but  by  hard  work  and  economy  he 
has  accumulated  a  fortune.  He  is  the  only 
member  of  his  family  who  came  to  the  United 
States.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Becker  died  in 
Germany,  and  were  farmers,  as  were  their 
parents  before  them,  and  they  were  Lutherans 
in  religion. 

Mr.  Becker  has  lived  in  Cass  county  for 
forty  years,  and  has  been  a  successful  farmer 
and  stock-raiser.  His  property  embraces 
some  very  fine  land,  besides  his  fine  residence 
and  a  large  number  of  Government  bonds. 

Mr.  Becker  was  married  in  Arenzville  in 
1851,  to  Miss  Sarah  Hakes,  born  in  Notting- 
hamshire, March  7,  1828,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Elizabeth  (Freeman)  Hakes,  natives 
of  Nottinghamshire,  England,  where  they 
lived  and  died.  Mrs.  Becker  lost  her  mother 
when  quite  young,  and  so  was  obliged  to  take 
care  of  herself.  She  is  the  only  member  of 
her  family  who  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  she  made  the  trip  in  1848,  sailing  from 
Liverpool,  England.  She  landed  in  New 
York  city  after  a  voyage  of  some  weeks,  and 
came  thence  to  Morgan  county,  Illinois, 
where  she  remained  a  few  weeks,  and  then 
came  on  to  Arenzville,  which  has  since  been 
her  home.  She  has  proved  herself  a  true 
wife  and  mother,  always  willing  to  do  any 
amount  of  hard  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Becker 
have  three  children:  Henry  married  Mattie 
Boyer,  and  resides  in  Arenzville;  Mary  died 
in  1882,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  being  the 
wife  of  Herman  Weber;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Ed. 
Petefish,  farmers  of  Virginia,  this  county. 


fOHN  H.  WALKER  was  born  in  Gray- 
son  county,  Kentucky,  October  5,  1831. 
His  father  was  Felix,   born,  in    Brecken- 
ridge  county,  Kentucky,  November  14,  1804. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


539 


He  was  a  farmer  whose  father,  William 
Walker,  was  a  farmer  who  lived  and  died  in 
the  same  county.  He  owned  a  good  home 
and  raised  a  large  family.  Felix  Walker 
came  to  Rushville  and  settled  four  miles 
north  of  Buena  Vista  township,  in  1837.  He 
rented  lands  for  some  years,  but  in  1844  he 
bought  forty  acres  in  Brooklyn  township. 
This  was  wild  land,  on  which  he  lived  for  only 
a  short  time.  He  had  but  a  few  hundred 
dollars  and  soon  moved  to  the  hamlet  of 
Brooklyn,  where  he  died  November  14,  1845. 
He  left  a  wife,  five  daughters  and  his  only 
son,  John.  Soon  after  his  death,  his  daughter 
Harriet  died,  in  her  sixteenth  year.  The 
mother  of  these  children  was  Rachel  Watts, 
of  Hardin  county,  Kentucky.  She  died 
January  22,  1884,  aged  eighty  years.  She 
was  lame  many  years  from  a  dislocated  hip 
caused  by  a  fall,  but  other  than  that  she  was 
well  and  bright  to  the  last.  There  are  four 
of  her  children  still  living:  Mr.  Walker; 
Sarah  Blackburn,  living  in  Brooklyn  town- 
ship; Catherine  Hine,  also  of  Brooklyn; 
Callie  Shaler,  living  in  Adams  county,  Iowa. 

Mr.  Walker  grew  up  ou  the  farm  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  thirty-one  years  of  age, 
when  he  enlisted,  August  11,  1862,  in  Com- 
pany A,  Seventy-eighth  Illinois  Infantry. 
He  served  nearly  three  years,  and  was  in  but 
one  general  engagement,  and  that  against 
Hood  at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  He  was  in 
seven  skirmishes,  but  was  confined  to  the 
hospital  most  of  the  time.  He  returned  to 
Brooklyn  and  resumed  farming  the  forty 
acres  his  father  had  left.  In  1866,  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Orville  Blackburn,  he  bought 
eighty  acres  on  section  29.  for  $1,700.  They 
farmed  this  in  company  for  three  years. 

In  1869  he  was  married  to  Lydia  McAllis- 
ter, born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  daugh- 
ter of  Enoch  and  Elizabeth  (Smiley)  Mc- 


Allister, who  came  to  Illinois  in  1854.  The 
father  died  in  the  Confederate  army,  at  Cor- 
inth, Mississippi,  in  1862,  aged  fifty-one. 
His  wife  is  living  near  Huntsville,  eighty- 
one  years  of  age,  and  is  still  well  and  active. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  have  buried  one  child, 
but  they  have  five  living:  Felix,  Adolphus, 
George  A.,  Maude  A.  and  an  unnamed  baby. 
Mr.  Walker  has  eighty  acres  in  his  home  farm 
and  120  elsewhere.  He  raises  horses,  cattle 
and  hogs,  buying  and  selling  them.  He  has 
been  Road  Commissioner  many  years,  Super- 
visor five  years  and  is  also  Assessor.  He  is 
a  Republican,  member  of  G.  A.  R.,  George 
A.  Brown  Post,  and  is  a  Master  Mason. 


fOHN  W.  McCLINTOCK  was  born  in 
Ireland,  August  12,  1812.  His  father 
was  also  John,  a  farmer  in  Ireland,  who 
died  there  in  middle  life,  when  his  son  was  a 
youth.  His  wife  was  Jane  Thompson,  the 
mother  of  fifteen  children.  She  lived  to  be 
quite  aged.  Of  this  family,  Isabella  came 
to  this  country  first,  when  a  young  lady  and 
her  sister,  Margaret,  joined  her.  Our  subject 
came  next,  when  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
bringing  his  wife  and  two  children.  His  wife 
was  Eliza  Hebron.  They  came  in  1840  on 
the  sail  ship,  Sardiana,  and  were  six  weeks 
and  three  days  between  Liverpool  and  New 
York.  They  encountered  a  great  storm,  and 
for  two  nights  they  were  nailed  below  the 
decks.  Mr.  McClintock  had  $100  after  pay- 
ing his  way.  They  lived  first  with  a  farmer 
of  Chester  county,  named  William  Webb,  a 
grand,  good  man,  a  Quaker.  Mr.  McClin- 
tock lived  with  him  for  five  years,  in  which 
he  had  house  rent,  cow  and  feed,  free.  In 
1846  they  to  Ohio,  and  two  years  later  he 
bought  two  acres  of  land,  for  $200,  at 


540 


BIOGBAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    CA3S, 


Youngstown,  Ohio.  He  lived  liere  five  years, 
farming,  and  within  five  years  he  bought 
eight  acres  in  the  suburbs  of  that  village,  for 
$166  an  acre,  and  brush  at  that!  At  this 
time  there  were  eight  railroads  there.  This 
eight  acres  brought  him  $500  in  money  and 
120  acres  of  land  here  in  Brooklyn  township. 
His  two  acres  brought  him  $500,  aud  he 
came,  to  his  present  farm  home  in  the  fall  of 
1871. 

They  have  buried  one  son,  John,  who  died 
in  1882,  aged  thirty-three  years.  The  living 
ones  are:  William,  a  farmer  on  the  old  home- 
stead; Andrew,  at  home;  Sarah,  now  Mrs. 
James  Henderson,  farmers  in  this  township; 
Hugh,  on  an  adjoining  farm. 

Mr.  McClintock  has  voted  the  Republican 
ticket  since  Horace  Greeley  ran  for  President. 
They  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
and  have  given  their  children  a  good  educa- 
tion. Although  Mr.  McClintock  had  only 
$100  when  he  landed  in  this  country,  he  and 
his  family  now  have  300  acres  of  land,  worth 
$30  an  acre,  with  no  mortgage  upon  it.  They 
are  worthy  people  and  are  justly  proud  of 
their  success. 


|ICHARD  BO  YD,  a  farmer  on  section 
34,  Oakland  township,  Schuyler  county, 
is  a  native  of  county  Donegal,  Ireland, 
born  in  1858,  the  son  of  James  and  Cather- 
ine Boyd;  the  parents  of  both  died  on  the 
Emerald  Isle,  the  father  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years,  and  the  mother  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
nine.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  Richard 
Boyd  bade  farewell  to  his  home  and  friends 
and  native  land,  and  crossed  the  sea  to 
America;  he  landed  at  the  port  of  New 
York,  and  continued  his  journey  to  Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania,  to  which  point  his 


ticket  carried  him.  He  soon  secured  em- 
ployment at  $2  a  day,  and  worked  until  he 
had  paid  back  his  passage  money  which  he 
was  obliged  to  borrow;  he  remained  in  Pitts- 
burgh three  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  came  West  with  his  brother  James,  who 
had  preceded  him  to  America.  He  was  in 
the  employ  of  John  Young  for  three  years, 
at  $16  a  month;  he  then  spent  a  year  in 
prospecting,  and  ended  his  observations  by 
purchasing  a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  a  part 
of  his  present  farm,  the  consideration  being 
$600;  he  has  since  added  forty- three  acres, 
and  has  made  many  improvements,  develop- 
ing one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  in  the 
township. 

Mr.  Boyd  was  married  in  March,  1891, 
to  Miss  Jessie  Ackman,  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Nancy  (Harmon)  Ackman.  Mrs.  Ack- 
man died  when  Jessie  was  a  child  of  six 
years,  and  Mr.  Ackman  married  a  second 
time  to  Miss  Maria  Hay,  of  Ohio;  he  died 
May  26,  1886.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this 
county,  settling  here  in  1842.  There  were 
nine  children  of  the  first  marriage,  and  to 
these  the  second  wife  was  a  good  and  kind 
mother;  she  was  as  deeply  and  truly  mourned 
as  was  the  father:  David  Ackman  lives  in 
northern  Kentucky;  Georgiana  is  the  wife  of 
Edward  Garrett,  and  lives  in  Kansas;  Mary 
married  Blair  Simpson,  a  farmer  of  north- 
ern Wisconsin;  the  rest  of  the  family  live  in 
Schuyler  county.  Mr.  Boyd  does  a  general 
farming  business,  raising  grains  and  live- 
stock; his  preference  in  the  latter  is  Short- 
horn cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd  are  both  members  of 
church,  and  are  liberal  supporters  of  the  re- 
ligious denominations.  Politically,  he  affili- 
ates with  the  Republican  party.  Two  of  his 
brothers  and  two  of  his  sisters  are  living  in 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


541 


the  United  States,  but  the  remainder  of  the 
family  are  in  Ireland.  Mr.  Boyd  is  a  man 
of  many  sterling  traits  of  character,  and  has 
the  respect  of  his  adopted  countrymen. 


[AMU  EL  W.  COOK,  a  highly  respected 
member  of  the  farming  community  of 
Oakland  township,  was  born  in  Marion 
county,  Ohio,  in  1833,  a  son  of  Peter  L. 
Cook.  The  father  was  born  in  1808.  and 
died  May  2,  1892,  aged  eighty-four  years; 
he  enjoyed  excellent  health  until  about  three 
weeks  previous  to  his  death.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  John  Cook,  was 
a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  also  carried  on 
farming  in  Marion  county,  Ohio;  he  was 
sixty-two  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  left  his  second  wife  a  widow. 
His  first  wife  was  Susan  Louderback,  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  that  State  they 
were  married;  thence  they  removed  to  Ohio, 
when  Peter  L.  was  a  small  lad  ;  he  is  one  of 
a  family  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
grew  to  adult  age.  He  married  Hannah 
Hankie,  a  native  of  Bucks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  daughter  of  Henry  Hankie,  who 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years. 
Eleven  children  were  born  of  this  union; 
the  mother  died  in  the  fall  of  1887,  in  her 
seventy-sixth  year;  one  son  died  in  the 
summer  of  1859,  aged  twenty-eight  years; 
he  left  a  wife  and  five  children;  the  other 
members  of  the  family  are  living,  all  are 
married  and  have  families,  the  first,  second 
and  third  generations  numbering  about  125 
souls. 

Samuel  W.  Cook,  our  worthy  subject,  was 
married  in  1857,  to  Elizabeth  Lovell,  of 
Schuyler  county,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Seaver)  Lovell;  Mrs.  Cook's  father 

86 


was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  her  mother 
was  of  German  extraction;  the  maternal 
grandmother  lived  to  the  extreme  old  age  of 
104  years:  Mrs.  Cook  was  born  in  1840.  They 
began  their  married  life  here  in  Schuyler 
county,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  legacy  of 
$3,000,  which  was  recently  received  by  Mrs. 
Cook,  have  accumulated  their  property 
through  their  own  efforts.  They  own  a  fine, 
fertile  farm  of  110  acres,  and  Mrs.  Cook  has 
a  tract  near  by  which  consists  of  fifty-six 
acres. 

They  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children: 
one  son  and  two  daughters  died  in  infancy; 
Charles  E.  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
in  1885;  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Chalkley;  William  T.  married  Laura  Straus- 
baugh,  and  has  two  children;  Lizzie  is  the 
wife  of  Harry  Smith;  Hannah  married 
James  Lybarger,  and  is  the  mother  of  one 
child;  Inez  L.,  Samuel  W.  and  Wilmar  F. 
are  at  home. 

In  his  political  opinions  Mr.  Cook  adheres 
to  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party;  he 
has  represented  his  township  in  some  of  the 
local  offices,  and  has  discharged  his  duties 
with  great  credit  to  himself.  Mrs.  Cook  is  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Disciples. 


,OAH  W.  BAKEH  was  born  in  Summit 
county,  Ohio,  June  25,  1835.  He  was 
the  son  of  James  M.  and  Eliza  (Taylor) 
Baker.  James  M.  Baker  was  of  New  York, 
and  came  from  there  to  Ohio,  and  rented  in 
Summit  county,  and  soon  after  bought  and 
began  farming.  In  1840,  he  sold  his  Ohio 
property  and  drove  of  oxen  and  one  wagon, 
and  settled  in  Pike  county,  near  Griggsville, 
and  lived  there  eight  months.  He  then  came 


542 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


to  this  county  and  bought  forty  acres  and 
built  a  log  house  in  which  they  lived.  He 
then  bought  sixty  acres  more,  and  he  lived 
there  till  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he 
was  eighty-six  years  of  age. 

Our  subject's  father  was  one  of  live  chil- 
dren. Our  subject's  mother  was  born  in 
Connecticut  and  came  West  to  Ohio  with  her 
people,  and  she  died  here  about  seventy-one 
years  of  age.  Noah  W.  was  one  of  eight 
children,  four  yet  living,  and  all  in  this 
neighborhood  but  one.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  Democrat,  and  was  from  his 
twenty-first  year.  His  people  all  belong  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  at 
home  till  he  was  of  age,  and  then  worked  out 
by  the  month. 

He  was  married  February  21,  1867,  to 
Miss  Margaret  Greenleaf,  who  was  born  in 
Elkhorn  township,  July  10,  1B43.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Furguson) 
Greenleaf,  she  being  of  Ohio,  and  he  came 
from  Canada  to  Illinois.  Their  daughter 
Margaret,  was  one  of  four  children,  and  all  are 
living.  Margaret's  father  and  mother  died 
in  Elkhorn  township  and  had  about  160 
acres  of  land  at  his  death.  He  went  to  Cali- 
fornia overland  and  part  of  the  way  he  walked 
and  rode.  He  staid  there  four  years,  and 
while  there  he  practiced  the  trade  of  a  tanner. 
He  returned  by  land. 

Our  subject's  wife  had  nine  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living:  Hattie  M.  was  born  De- 
cember, 1869;  Perry  was  born  February  4, 
1870;  Susie  was  born  October  22,  1873; 
Nellie  was  born  September  6,  1875;  Fred 
was  born  November  16,  1878;  Carson  was 
born  October  13,  1883,  and  Mart  was  born 
April  13, 1885.  After  his  marriage  our  sub- 
ject settled  on  the  forty  acres  he  had  bought 
and  built  a  log  house  and  then  a  frame  one. 
He  lived  there  till  1888.  He  has  now  in  the 


neighborhood,  over  480  acres  and  eighty  un- 
der cultivation. 

Subject's  children  are  all  cultivated  and  in- 
tellectual. One  of  them  is  teaching,  two  are 
musical,  and  the  others  are  more  or  less 
gifted.  He  himself  is  a  Democrat  and  voted 
for  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  1.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a 
fine  man,  and  very  much  respected  by  all  of 
his  fellow  citizens. 


LLEN  WEBB  was  born  in  Madison 
county,  Kentucky.  July  25,  1820.  He 
was  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Letta  (Haw- 
ard)  Webb.  The  former  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia and  came  with  his  parents  at  an  early 
day  to  Kentucky,  where  he  lived  and  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  was  in  the  war 
of  1812  and  drew  a  pension,  having  been  a 
brave  soldier.  He  was  the  son  of  John  and 
Millie  Webb,  who  were  both  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia and  died  in  Kentucky,  the  former  at 
eighty-  five,  the  latter  at  103.  All  the  family 
were  farmers.  Mrs.  Letta  Webb  was  born 
in  Virginia  and  died  in  the  same  State  as  her 
husband  when  she  was  fifty-five.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  Haward.  A 
brother  of  Joshua  Webb  was  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  was  at  the  Cornwallis  sur- 
render. 

Allen  Webb  was  one  of  five  children  and 
remained  at  home  until  nineteen  years  of  age, 
working  on  the  farm.  He  then  hired  himself 

O 

out  to  a  man  as  blacksmith's  apprentice  and 
stayed  with  him  two  years,  and  then  started 
a  business  for  himself  in  Clark  county,  Ken- 
tucky. He  continued  working  at  his  trade 
until  1851,  and  then  started  by  wagon  for 
Illinois.  He  first  located  at  Mt.  Sterling 


8GHUYLER    AND    SHOWN    COUNTIES. 


543 


His  original  farm  was  160  acres,  worth  but 
little  at  that  time,  and  he  lived  in  a  log  house 
for  some  time.  He  then  sold  that  farm  for 
100  per  cent,  profit  and  bought  another  farm 
of  225  acres.  He  built  a  good  farm  house 
and  soon  had  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
county.  This  farm  he  sold  also,  and  moved 
to  another  place  for  a  year.  He  then  settled 
on  the  old  Dennis  farm  and  lived  there  for 
three  years,  when  he  again  sold  out  and 
moved  back  to  Mt.  Sterling  and  retired  from 
active  business,  having  been  an  extensive 
stock-grower.  He  now  has  a  fine  town  house 
and  the  old  General  Signtetan  farm  of  twenty 
acres.  He  was  an  old  Whig  and  voted  first 
for  Henry  Clay  and  in  1856  for  John  Fre- 
mont. He  has  voted  the  Republican  ticket 
ever  since.  Mr.  Webb  had  only  six  month's 
schooling  in  his  entire  life,  but  he  has  edu- 
cated himself  and  is  a  well-read  man.  Mr. 
Webb  now  enjoys  life  in  an  easy  way  looking 
after  his  property  and  real  estate  interests. 

He  was  married  for  the  first  time  to  Emily 
Oliver,  of  Madison  county.  She  died  in  Lee 
township  aged  forty- eight  years.  She  bore 
her  husband  ten  children,  four  now  living, 
namely:  Jennie,  John  A.,  Emelineand  Isaac. 

Mr.  Webb  was  married  for  the  second  time 
to  Miss  Martha  Harper  of  Ohio,  daughter  of 
Stephen  and  Martha  Harper,  who  came  here 
at  an  early  day.  Mrs.  Webb  died  in  this 
county,  aged  forty-eight  years.  She  bore  him 
one  child,  that  died  at  the  age  of  four  years. 
Mr.  Webb  was  married  for  the  third  time,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Dennis  of  Bourbon  county,  Ken- 
tucky, near  Georgetown.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Clark  and  Elizabeth  Dennis.  They 
were  also  natives  of  Kentucky  and  came  to 
this  State  at  an  early  date,  and  Mr.  Dennis 
was  made  the  first  Sheriff  of  the  county. 
Mrs.  Webb  was  one  of  nine  children,  five  yet 
living.  Her  whole  family  were  members  of 


the  Christian  Church  of  which  her  father  was 
ati  Elder. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webb  have  educated  the  four 
living  children  of  Mr.  Webb  very  finely,  and 
the  oldest  son  was  in  the  late  war,  being  one 
of  the  first  100-day  men.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Webb  are  influential  people  who  are  greatly 
respected  by  their  large  circle  of  friends. 


RS.  ALMIEA  YOUNG,  widow  of 
John  Young,  is  the  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Elizabeth  (Seaver)  -Lovell, 
natives  of  Ohio.  Her  parents  emigrated  to 
Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1836,  when  she  was  an 
infant  of  two  years;  they  made  the  journey 
overland  with  horses  and  a  prairie  schooner, 
being  five  weeks  on  the  way;  the  family  con- 
sisted of  the  parents  and  three  children.  They 
first  settled  on  the  Illinois  river,  but  shortly 
afterward  removed  to  the  present  home  of 
Mrs.  Young.  The  mother  died  in  18,41?  leav? 
ing  a  family  of  six  children,  four  sons  and 
two  daughters;  she  was  forty-two  years  of 
age;  the  father  survived  her  forty-nine  years, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 

Mrs.  Young  was  married  in  1849  to  Ladon 
Beghto},  a  native  of  Kentucky,  a  son  of 
Peter  Beghtol,  who  emigrated  to  Illinois 
about  1840;  they  lived  here  until  the  death 
of  Mr.  Beghtol,  which  occurred  in  1857;  he 
left  a  family  of  three  children:  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, Sarah  Melvina  and  William  Levi.  Mrs. 
Beghtol  was  then  married  a  second  time,  this 
union  being  with  John  Young;  he  was  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania,  was  reared  in  the  State 
of  Ohio,  and  removed  to  Illinois  with  his 
first  wife  and  four  children  in  1855;  the  wife 
died  soon  after  their  arrival  in  this  State. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  were  married  in  1859, 
and  seven  years  later  they  moved  to  Hamil- 


544 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA3S, 


ton  county,  Iowa,  where  they  settled  on  a 
small  farm;  there  they  resided  until  the  death 
of  Mr.  Young,  which  occurred.  March  20, 
1876,  at  the  age  of  fifty-  seven  years.  Nine 
children  were  born  of  this  union:  John  died 
in  infancy;  Oscar  was  accidentally  killed  in 
childhood;  Justine  is  the  wife  of  Marion 
Stockton;  "William,  Eli,  George,  !{ola,  Mar- 
ion, Joseph;  Nola  is  married  to  Webster 
Aten  of  Schuyler  county. 


fOSEPH  PARKE  was  bor.u  in  Chester 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1818.  His 
father,  Jonathan,  was  born  in  the  same 
place  and  died  at  an  advanced  age,  when  his. 
son  was  so  small  that  he  has  no  recollection 
of  him.  There  were  ten  sons  and  the  same 
number  of  daughters  in  this  family,  all  coin- 
ing to  adult  years,  but  all  have  now  died. 
The  mother  of  this  remarkable  family  was 
Marjory  Woodward  of  the  same  county.  She 
lived  some  fourteen  years  after  her  husband's 
death  and  they  both  now  rest  in  the  Marshall- 
town  cemetery,  a  large  Quaker  cemetery. 
These  parents  were  well-to-do  and  gave  the 
family  a  good  education. 

Joseph  was  sent  to  a  Quaker  school  at 
Western  Academy.  He  was  reared  to  farm 
life,  but  at  twenty  -one  he  began  school-teach- 
ing, taught  two  years  in  Pennsylvania  and 
four  years  in  Ohio.  At  his  mother's  death 
he  was  put  under  a  guardian,  who  gave  him 
additional  educational  advantages. 

He  was  married  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  in 
his  twenty-sixth  year,  to  Mary  Ann  Wilson, 
She  was  a  daugther  of  Eobert  and  Elizabeth 
(Holt)  Wilson.  They,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parke  lived 
for  five  years  in  this  county  and  taught  school. 
In  October,  1840,  they  came  West,  overland, 
and  settled  in  Brooklyn  township,  entering 


160  acres.  This  was  wild  and  they  made  the 
first  improvements,  building  a  log  cabin  with 
a  sod  chimney.  Mr.  Parke  still  has  the 
cabin  as  a  part  of  his  present  dwelling  but 
the  sod  chimney  is  now  a  brick  one  and  the 
cabin  is  weather-boarded  externally  and  lathed 
and  plastered  inside.  He  has  300  acres,  a 
part  of  which  he  has  deeded  to  his  daughter. 
About  1865  they  buried  one  son,  Jonathan, 
aged  twenty.  They  next  buried  Elizabeth, 
Mrs.  Taylor  Gray,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six; 
in  1885  their  daughter,  Ada  Sario,  aged 
about  eighteen  years  old,  died  at  Dr.  Prince's 
establishment  at  Jacksonville.  His  wife  had 
fits  for  some  twenty  years  and  in  March, 
1891,  fell  into  the  tire  and  died  the  same 
day.  He  has  only  one  living  daughter,  Eliza, 
second  wife  of  Taylor  Gray.  She  has  four 
children:  George  W.,  Mary  Florence,  Estelle 
and  Nellie  Jane.  She  has  buried  one  infant 
son.  She  and  her  husband  are  operating  the 
farm,  for  her  father,  who  lives  with  them.  Mr. 
Parke  has  been  a  constant  toiler  since  1840, 
when  he  came  to  this  home.  He  has  served 
in  some  of  the  township  offices  and  taught 
school  one  year.  He  has  been  a  general 
farmer,  although  he  has  made  the  most 
out  of  wheat,  growing  from  fifteen  to  thirty 
bushels  per  acre.  Hogs  have  been  the  best- 
paying  stock  and  horses  have  paid  well  in  a 
small  way. 

He  has  voted  the  Democratic  and  Repub- 
lican tickets,  but'  is  now  a  Farmers'  Alliance 
man.  He  and  his  family  have  been  Univer- 
salists,  although  he  has  been  reared  a 
Quaker. 


fAMES  E.  NEELEY,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  dealer  in  live-stock,  Littleton  town- 
ship, was  born   at  Fort  Larned,  Kansas, 
March  3,  1864,  a  son  of  John  and  Lucinda 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


545 


(Snyder)  Neeley.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  but  emigrated  to  Kansas,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming.  James  E.  is  the 
only  child  of  the  first  marriage;  the  mother 
died  April  8,  1864,  at  Lamed,  Kansas.  Mr. 
Neeley  married  a  second  time,  and  had  one 
child  by  this  union.  After  the  death  of  his 
mother  our  subject  was  taken  to  the  home  of 
Major  Wheeler,  where  he  was  reared  with  all 
the  affectionate  care  that  could  be  bestowed 
upon  him.  The  farm  he  now  occupies  was 
inherited  from  the  Major,  and  he  is  engaged 
in  general  agriculture. 

Mr.  Neeley  made  a  specialty  of  breeding 
and  raising  tine,  thoroughbred  horses,  and 
fine  stock  of  excellent  pedigree;  Roan  Dick 
is  an  animal  of  good  record,  and  a  colt  that 
he  is  now  raising  promises  to  be  one  of  the 
fastest  horses  in  the  State.  He  has  managed 
all  branches  of  farming  with  keen  intelli- 
gence, and  has  met  with  merited  success. 

In  1886,  November  25,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Rachel  A.  Greer.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Neeley  are  the  parents  of  one  child: 
John  F.,  born  March  13,  1891.  Politically, 
our  subject  adheres  zealously  to  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party,  having  cast  his  first 
presidental  vote  for  James  G.  Elaine.  He 
is  a  young  man  of  superior  business  qualifica- 
tions, and  his  judgment  carries  due  weight 
throughout  the  agricultural  district  of  this 
section  of  Illinois. 


^ENRY  FISCHER,  a  successful  and 
practical  farmer,  living  on  section  24, 
township  17,  range  11,  was  born 
November  1,  1854,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry 
Fischer,  a  native  of  Hesse- Darmstadt,  where 
he  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker.  There 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Kraft,  a 


native  of  the  same  province.  After  the  birth 
of  two  daughters  and  a  son,  the  family  em- 
igrated, in  the  '40s,  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  Beardstown,  Illinois,  where  Mr. 
Fischer  established  a  shoemaking  business, 
and  ran  it  for  some  years  with  the  assistance 
of  his  son,  our  subject;  but  when  the  latter 
began  to  farm  the  father  withdrew  from  his 
trade  and  is  now  retired.  Although  now 
quite  an  old  man  he  is  still  very  active  and 
energetic^  and  is  a  Lutheran  in  religion  and  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  His  mother  is  still 
living,  in  Beardstown,  with  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Elisabeth  Bohrnman,  and  is  over  ninety 
years  old.  The  excellent  wife  of  Henry 
Fischer  is  yet  living,  about  seventy  years  old. 
She  has  been  a  valued  member  of  the  Luther- 
an Church  for  many  years.  Our  subject  and 
two  sisters  are  yet  living:  the  latter  are  Mar- 
garet, widow  of  Martin  Bolle,  deceased, 
having  died  from  the  effects  of  an  accident 
on  the  Qnincy  railroad;  and  Sophia,  wife  of 
George  Speaker,  who  is  now  foreman  of  the 
wrecking  department  of  the  Quincy  railroad. 

Our  subject  has  been  a  farmer  for  eleven 
years.  He  enjoys  it  more  than  his  former 
trade  of  shoemaker.  He  is  now  located  on 
section  24,  and  the  land  of  which  he  owns 
one-half  interest  is  known  under  the  firm 
name  of  Keil  &  Co.  They  purchased  to- 
gether the  old  John  Weiss  homestead,  em- 
bracing 500  acres  of  land,  mostly  well  im- 
proved with  good  farm  buildings.  On  this 
land  is  Hagener  station,  and  besides  this 
they  own  200  acres  in  this  township,  known 
as  pasture  land,  and  forty  acres  of  timber 
in  township  17,  range  11,  which  is  very 
valuable.  He  has,  for  the  last  eleven  years, 
had  the  management  of  this  land  and  is  a 
practical  man  and  an  excellent  farmer. 

Mr.  Fischer  was  married  to  Miss  Mamie 
Weiss,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  where  she 


546 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


now  lives,  April  26,  1856.  She  is  the 
youngest  child  of  John  and  Katherine 
(Hahn)  Weiss,  natives  of  Germany.  They 
married  immediately  before  sailing  to  the 
United  States,  in  1842,  and  on  reaching 
here  made  a  settlement  on  a  farm  in  town- 
ship 17,  range  11,  which  is  now  the  home  of 
Mr.  Fischer.  They  began  to  make  improve- 
ments and  bought  more  land,  and  in  time 
Mr.  Weiss'  possessions  increased  until  he 
owned  900  acres  of  valuable  land.  Here 
they  remained  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Mr. 
Weiss  died  in  1876,  aged  seventy-two  years. 
He  had  been  an  active,  hard-working  man  all 
his  life  and  was  regarded  by  his  neighbors 
as  an  upright  citizen,  worthy  of  their  respect 
and  regard.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  was  a  Republican. 
His  wife  died  some  years  later,  at  her  old 
home,  in  1887,  aged  sixty-two  years.  She 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
all  her  life.  Of  the  family  of  four  children 
left  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weiss,  all  were  daugh- 
ters: Lizzie,  wife  of  Christian  Meyer,  died  at 
the  age  of  forty,  leaving  a  family  of  eight 
children  ;  Katie  is  the  wife  of  William  Hack- 
man,  grocer  of  Jacksonville;  Sophia  is  the 
wife  of  Henry  C.  Keil  (see  sketch  of  same). 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fischer  are  the  parents  of 
five  children:  Adelaide,  Ervin  L.,  Ray  H., 
Rena  K.  and  Albert  H.,,who  died  when  an 
infant.  This  is  one  of  the  wealthy  and  greatly 
respected  families  of  the  township  with  whom 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  become  acquainted. 


CHARLES  D.  RITCHEY,  a  substantial 
farmer  and  influential  citizen  of  Little- 
ton township,  Schuyler  county,  was 
born  in  this  connty  on  June  11,  1862.  His 
father,  Addison  B.  Ritchey,  is  a  prominent 


pioneer  of  Schnyler  county,  and  a  sketch  of 
his  life  is  subjoined.  Our  subject  was  reared 
on  a  farm  and  was  educated  at  a  college  in 
Vaparaiso,  Indiana,  from  which  institution 
he  graduated  with  honor. 

He  was  married  June  13,  1889,  to  Miss 
Dena  Saunders,  a  native  of  Atlanta,  Macon 
connty,  Missouri,  in  which  place  she  was  born 
June  15,  1864.  She  was  a  daughter  of  James 
W.  and  Martha  A.  (Stone)  Saunders.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Missouri  when  he  was 
but  nine  months  old.  His  father,  Woodward 
G.  Saunders,  is  also  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  is  still  living,  at  an  advanced  age,  in  Mis- 
souri. George  W.  Saunders,  father  of  Wood- 
ward G.,  was  a  school  teacher,  and  died  in 
Missouri  a  number  of  years  ago.  Woodward 
G.  Saunders  located  on  a  farm  in  Missouri, 
where  he  and  family  began  the  life  of  pio- 
neers, experiencing  all  the  inconveniences  and 
hardships  incident  to  those  similarly  circum- 
stanced. Here,  James  W.  Saunders  was 
reared,  and  was  educated  at  the  William 
Jewell  College,  located  at  Liberty,  Missouri, 
and  was  for  twenty  years  a  Baptist  minister. 
It  was  in  Missouri  that  he  met  and  married 
Martha  A.  Stone,  a  very  attractive  lady,  and 
daughter  of  Hiram  and  Laura  J.  (De  Freire) 
Stone,  both  natives  of  Tennessee,  the  father 
still  surviving  in  Macon  county,  Missouri,  a 
graduate  from  the  high  school  in  Elletts- 
ville,  Monroe  connty,  Indiana.  Our  subject's 
wife  was  a  school  teacher  for  more  than  six- 
teen years,  and  is  a  highly  educated  and  in- 
teresting lady,  of  superior  ability  and  culture. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Ritchey  went  into 
business  with  Mr.  De  Witt,  in  a  general 
store,  where  he  remained  for  some  time.  He 
was  later  elected  Clerk  of  Littleton  township, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  for  one  year. 
He  was  afterward  elected  Collector  of  that 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


547 


township,  serving  for  two  years  in  a  highly 
creditable  manner. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritchey  have  one  child:  Edna 
M.,  who  was  born  December  25,  1890. 

Mrs.  Ritchey  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  to  which  she  contributes  liberal  aid. 

He  is  a  Republican,  and  cast  his  first  vote 
for  James  G.  Elaine.  His  constituents  have 
demonstrated  their  esteeem  by  electing  him 
to  two  of  the  most  responsible  positions  in 
their  power  to  bestow. 

Of  unswerving  fidelity  and  integrity,  and 
high  morality,  together  with  generous  im- 
pulses and  cordial  manners,  he  enjoys  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

ADDISON  B.  RITCHEY,  one  of  the  oldest 
pioneers  of  Schuyler  county,  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  was  born  in  Green  county,  of  that 
State,  September  17,  1817.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Reed)  Ritchey.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in 
Alleghany,  that  State>  and  was  a  farmer  all  his 
life.  He  went  to  Ohio  in  1816,  and  in  1824 
came  all  the  way  to  near  Rnshville  with  a 
four-horse  wagon.  All  the  worldly  posses- 
sions of  the  family  were  in  the  wagon  and  they 
had  very  little  money  besides,  as  they  paid 
their  last  fifty  cents  for  being  ferried  across 
the  river  at  Beardstown,  then  known  as 
Beard's  Ferry.  He  had  come  out  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  land,  for  which  he  had  a 
patent,  but  after  camping  on  the  land,  for 
one  night,  he  would  not  remain,  and  rtioved 
to  near  Rushville,  where  he  located  on  a 
quarter  section,  building  there  a  small  log 
cabin  about  16  x  18,  in  which  they  lived  for 
several  years.  His  was  the  thirteenth  family 
in  the  county.  In  1826,  he  traded  his  claim 
for  160  acres  of  land  in  Littleton  township, 
in  section  35,  on  which  he  built  another  log 
house,  where  they  lived  for  one  season,  then 
rented  land  and  removed  to  his  former  farm, 


where  on  account  of  some  trouble  about  trade, 
he  moved  to  Rushville,  buying  there  160 
acres  adjoining  the  town,  on  which  he  built 
another  log  house,  in  which  he  and  family 
lived  for  about  eight  years.  He  then  sold 
and  came  back  to  Littleton  township.  Dur- 
ing all  this  time  our  subject  was  employed  in 
various  pioneer  work,  splitting  rails,  plowing 
and  doing  whatever  other  work  he  found  to 
do.  His  father  died  in  1842,  aged  fifty-three 
years;  His  father's  father  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  from  which  country  he  emigrated  in 
the  early  days  of  this  country,  and  died  many 
years  ago,  in  Pennsylvania.  His  mother, 
Elizabeth  Reed,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  died  in  Ohio  when  our  subject  was  but 
three  years  of  age.  Our  subject  remained  at 
home  until  his  father's  death,  after  which  he 
spent  one  year  with  a  brother,  in  the  mean- 
time farming  the  old  homestead  on  his  own 
account. 

On  June  4, 1845,  Mr.  Ritchey  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Hayes,  a  native  of  Ver- 
milion county,  Illinois,  where  she  was  born 
October  3,  1829.  Her  parents  were  John  and 
Debora  (Hankins)  Hayes.  Her  father  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  from  which  State  he  emi- 
grated, first  to  Kentucky,  afterward  to  Illi- 
nois, at  a  very  early  day,  where  in  Vermilion 
county  he  rented  a  farm,  which  he  worked  for 
some  time,  when  he  later  came  to  Carroll 
county,  and  still  filter  to  Putnam  county,  fi- 
nally going  to  Henry  county,  all  in  Illinois,  in 
whjch  latter  place  he  died,  aged  seventy 
years.  His  wife,  Debora  Hankins,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Tennessee,  in  which  State  she  was  born 
and  is  at  present  living  with  a  daughter  in 
Kansas.  Grandfather  Hankins  also  came  to 
Illinois  at  an  early  day,  where  he  died,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years.  Grand- 
mother Hankins  also  died  in  Illinois,  aged 
sixty-five  years.  Grandfather  and  grand- 


548 


BIOORAPHIGAL    REVIEW    OF    CA88, 


mother  Hayes  were  also  pioneers  of  Illinois, 
where  they  died,  in  Whiteside  county,  both 
very  old  people.  The  Hayes  were  of  Irish 
descent.  Our  subject's  wife  was  one  of  seven 
children,  four  of  whom  are  yet  living.  Our 
subject  is  one  of  three  children,  of  whom  he 
ist  he  only  survivor;  he  has,  however,  a  half- 
sister  and  half-brother,  both  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. 

After  marriage,  our  subject  lived  in  section 
34,  in  his  old  home,  where  lie  remained  for 
two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought 
160  acres  of  wild  land,  on  which  there  was  a 
log  house.  Here  he  and  his  wife  lived  until 
he  built  his  present  home.  He  has  improved 
the  farm  in  numerous  ways,  until  now  it  is 
the  finest  in  the  county.  He  has  erected  a 
large  and  comfortable  residence,  and  com- 
modious barns  for  the  accommodation  of 
grain,  stock  and  machinery,  besides  adding 
other  modern  improvements  and  conveniences 
to  facilitate  agricultural  pursuits.  He  has 
planted  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs  around 
his  house,  which  now  only  renders  his  place 
attractive  from  a  distance,  but  is  a  welcome 
retreat  from  the  sun's  too  ardent  rays  on  a 
mid-summer  day. 

He  has  reared  fifteen  children,  eleven  of 
whom  are  living.  His  oldest  son,  John  Q. 
Ritchey,  served  for  four  months  in  the  war 
in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty 
seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  and  also  was  in  the 
hundred  days'  service. 

Our  subject's  father  was  an  old-line  Whig, 
as  was  also  his  son,  who  was  later  a  Free- 
soiler,  and  now  a  Republican.  Our  subject 
cast  his  first  vote  for  General  William  H. 
Harrison.  His  father  voted  for  John  Quincy 
Adams.  Neither  he  nor  his  father  were  poli- 
ticians in  the  modern  acceptation  of  the  term, 
never  desiring  office  but  wishing  only  the  ad- 
vancement and  welfare  of  their  country. 


Mr.  Ritchey  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  to  which  they  have  liberally 
contributed. 

Commencing  life  in  a  new  country,  with- 
out means  and  without  friends,  he  now  has 
both  money  and  friends,  which  have  accum- 
ulated and  increased  with  the  progress  of  the 
country.  He  is  the  oldest  living  pioneer  of 
his  county,  and  as  such  enjoys  a  pre-emi- 
nence among  his  neighbors,  which  superior 
age  always  bestows.  Of  superior  ability  and 
unswerving  integrity,  he  has  retained  the  re- 
gard of  all  through  his  checkered  career,  and 
now  holds  an  eminent  position  in  the  com- 
munity. 


lEYTON  HARDING,  farmer  of  town- 
ship 17,  range  9,  section  19,  Philadel- 
phia- postoflice,  was  born  in  Barren 
county,  Kentucky,  December  17,  18l7.  His 
parents  were  Martin  and  Isabella  (Beard) 
Harding.  The  father  came  from  Virginia,  . 
born  in  1792,  and  the  mother  from  Tennessee, 
born  in  1794.  They  were  married  in  Barren 
county,  Kentucky,  where  their  eldest  chil- 
dren were  born:  Peyton,  Paschal,  William, 
Sarah  and  Andrew;  and  after  coming  to  Illi- 
nois, Winnie,  Isabella  and  Martin  were  born. 
Paschal  lives  with  Peyton;  Andrew  is  a 
farmer  in  this  precinct;  Martin  lives  in  Vir- 
ginia, Illinois;  and  Isabella,  now  Mrs.  Foster, 
resides  in  Lucas  county,  Iowa.  The  parents 
removed  from  Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  1826, 
and  located  on  the  farm  where  Andrew  now 
lives.  The  father  entered  a  large  tract  of 
laud  here  on  which  he  died  in  1854,  and  the 
mother  died  in  1867.  At  the  time  the  Hard- 
ing family  located  here  the  country  was  en- 
tirely new.  There  was  no  improved  land, 
except  two  small  improved  tracts  in  this 
neighborhood.  The  forest  was  overrun  with 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


549 


wild  game  and  Indians.  Mr.  Harding  has 
lived  to  witness  the  development  of  this 
wilderness  into  one  of  the  most  fertile  and 
valuable  sections  in  the  United  States.  He 
has  also  witnessed  the  growth  of  inventions, 
the  extent  of  which  is  wonderful,  railroads, 
plows,  reapers,  mowers,  binders,  separating 
threshers,  telephones,  electric  lights  and 
thousands  of  other  inventions,  more  than  in 
the  past  200  years  previously.  Mr.  Harding 
taught  school  here  in  1840,  but  preferred  the 
less  confining  occupation  of  farming.  He 
has  been  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser  all  his 
life.  He  is  comfortably  situated  and  will 
spend  his  old  age  in  ease.  He  owns  280 
acres  of  good  land.  He  has  never  married, 
but  his  brother,  Paschal,  resides  with  him 
with  his  four  children.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Martin 
Van  Buren.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  the  Black  Hawk  war,  also 
in  the  Mormon  troubles,  but  none  of  the 
family  took  part  in  the  late  Civil  war. 


JPSAAC  BLACK,  a  retired  farmer,  is  proba- 
f[  bly  the  oldest  settler  of  Schuyler  county 
^  now  living  in  Rushville;  he  has  endured 
the  trials  and  toil  in  a  pioneer  country,  and 
is  entitled  to  more  than  passing  mention  in 
this  history.  He  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born 
in  Dubois  county,  February  24,  1824,  a  son 
of  Richard  Black;  the  father  was  born  in 
Mecklenburgh  county,  North  Carolina,  and 
was  reared  in  that  State;  he  removed  thence 
to  Hancock  county,  Kentucky,  and  lived  there 
a  few  years;  he  then  went  to  the  Territory  of 
Indiana,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Du- 
bois  county.  In  1826  he  again  started  to  the 
West,  keeping  close  upon  the  frontier  border. 
Accompanied  by  his  wife  and  four  children, 


he  made  a  journey  to  Illinois,  and  located  in 
Schuyier  county,  where  he  purchased  a  claim 
to  land  entered  by  Willis  O'Neil;  this  land 
is  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Rushville. 
When  the  county  was  organized  the  claim  was 
selected  as  the  county  seat,  and  so  was  taken 
from  Mr.  Black;  he  was  afterward  reimbursed 
in  part.  He  then  went  five  miles  to  the 
southwest,  near  the  present  site  of  Bethel 
Church,  and  there  bought  a  tract  of  patent 
land,  on  which  he  erected  a  log  cabin,  sixteen 
feet  square;  there  were  a  puncheon  floor  and 
a  stick-and-clay  chimney.  Later  he  made  an 
addition  to  this  domicile,  and  resided  there 
until  Iris  death  in  1853.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  second  wife  was  Elizabeth  Fowler,  a 
native  of  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky;  she 
spent  her  last  years  with  her  son  Isaac,  the 
subject  of  this  notice.  The  family  reared  by 
her  consisted  of  eight  children,  two  of  whom 
were  born  of  her  husband's  former  marriage: 
Elizabeth,  William,  Isaac,  Cecelia,  John  L., 
Richard  S.,  Austin  F.  and  Monroe. 

Isaac  Black  was  an  infant  when  his  parents 
removed  to  this  county;  the  country  was 
thinly  settled,  and  Indians  still  tarried  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rushville;  game  was  abundant 
and  the  pioneers  lived  on  wild  turkeys,  deer, 
and  the  product  of  their  land;  the  children 
were  clothed  in  homespun,  woven  by  the 
mother's  hands.  Young  Isaac  attended  the 
primitive  pioneer  schools  during  the  winter 
season,  and  in  the  summer  he  lent  valuable 
assistance  in  subduing  the  wild  land  and  pre- 
paring the  way  for  the  coming  generation;  it 
is  to  such  men  that  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude 
is  owing  from  those  who  have  reaped  the 
benefits  of  those  years  of  privation  and  labor. 
Until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he  remained 
with  his  parents,  and  then  with  his  brother 
rented  a  farm  near  Littleton;  they  cultivated 
this  land  four  years,  and  then  Isaac  Black 


550 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


purchased  ninety  acres  in  Woodstock  town- 
ship; there  he  lived  two  years,  and  in  1850 
sold  it,  purchasing  a  tract  in  Bainbridge 
township.  He  was  very  successful  in  all  his 
undertakings,  made  profitable  investments, 
and  secured  450  acres  of  as  choice  land  as 
lies  within  the  borders  of  the  county.  He 
lived  on  his  farm  until  1889,  when  he  retired 
to  Rushville,  where  he  leads  a  quiet,  con- 
tented life. 

In  1848  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Cynthia  A.  Edmonston,  a  daughter  of  Enoch 
Edmonston,  who  located  in  Schuyler  county 
in  1831;  he  became  prominently  identified 
with  public  affairs,  and  served  two  terms  as 
Sheriff  of  the  county;  he  was  also  County 
Treasurer  and  Assessor;  his  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Susan  Allen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black 
are  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Susan, 
Emily,  Sarah  E.,  George  M.,  James  P., 
Enoch,  Flora  A.,  Elvira  and  E.  Louisa. 
George  M.  Black  has  represented  the  people 
of  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature.  Mr. 
Black  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  at  one  time  represented  Bainbridge  town- 
ship on  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors. 
He  has  been  a  loyal  citizen,  always  giving  a 
liberal  support  to  worthy  movements  and  to 
those  enterprises  tending  to  benefit  the  gen- 
eral public. 


ZAHN,  a  practical  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  living  on  the  old  Zahn 
homestead,  which  he  has  owned  since 
1882,  was  born  in  Pike  county,  near  Waverly, 
in  1857.  He  came  with  his  father  to  Illinois 
when  only  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  has  since 
lived  in  this  county.  His  father,  Frederick 
Zahn,  was  a  native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and 
was  a  boy  of  sixteen  years  when  his  parents 


came  to  America  and  settled  in  Pike  county, 
Ohio,  where  they  were  pioneers.  There  the 
parents  of  Frederick  Zahn  died  when  he  was 
quite  young.  There  he  grew  up  as  a  farmer, 
and  was  there  married  to  Tinna  Creek,  who 
had  settled  there,  with  her  parents.  The  lat- 
ter had  come  with  a  colony  at  the  same  time 
the  Zahn  family  had  come  from  Hesse- 
Darmstadt.  Frederick  and  his  wife  began 
life  in  the  usual  pioneer  fashion,  both  work- 
ing very  hard,  raising  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren. There  Frederick's  wife  died,  being 
then  thirty-two  years  of  age.  He  was  mar- 
ried for  the  second  time,  in  Pike  county,  Ohio, 
to  Miss  Margaret  Halensteine,  who  was  born 
in  Germany,  but  reared  in  the  United  States. 
In  1864  they  decided  to  remove  to  Illinois 
and  settled  on  a  large  farm  of  507  acres,  where 
they  remained  two  years,  and  then  purchased 
200  acres  on  the  line  of  Morgan  and  Cass 
counties.  There  they  lived  until  1876.  They 
then  removed  to  Missouri,  where  they  now 
live.  Mr.  Kahn  was  seventy-three  years  of 
age,  December  29,  1891,  his  wife  being  not 
quite  so  old.  They  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  are  good, 
respectable  people.  Mr.  Zahn  has  been  a  life- 
long Democrat. 

Our  subject  was  reared  a  farmer  lad  and 
lived  at  home  until  he  took  a  farm  to  run  on 
his  own  account.  He  has  lived  on  this  farm, 
which  is  one  and  one-half  miles  from  Arenz- 
ville,  section  36,  township  17,  range  12,  and 
consists  of  250  acres,  well  improved  and  well 
stocked.  He  has  excellent  farm  buildings  and 
everything  convenient  about  him. 

He  was  married,  in  this  county,  to  Miss 
Mary  Hinners,  who  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Cass  county,  her  birth  occurring  Octo- 
ber 7,  1852.  She  was  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Caroline  (Miller)  Hinners,  who  were  born 
in  Hesse- Darmstadt,  Germany.  They  came 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


551 


to  the  United  States,  and  were  married  in 
Morgan  county,  and  here  lived  to  amass  a 
fine  property.  In  1891  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hinners 
retired  to  Meredosia,  Illinois,  where  they 
live,  respected  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zahn  are 
members  of  the  same  denomination,  and  Mr. 
Zahn  has  been  an  official  member  of  the 
church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zahn  are  the  parents  of  three 
bright,  well  educated  children:  Mamie  Ella, 
Lusetta  and  Henry  A.  This  is  a  fine  family, 
well  thought  of  in  and  around  Arenzville. 


IEORGE  H.  HOFFMAN,  a  successful 
farmer  of  section  2,  township  17,  range 
11,  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  May 
20,  1840,  and  when  young  came  alone  to  the 
United  States.  In  1856  he  sailed  from 
Bremen  and  after  forty-nine  days  of  the  ocean 
he  landed  in  New  York  city.  He  came  on 
to  Chicago,  and  thence  to  Springfield,  from 
there  to  Jacksonville,  and  across  the  country 
to  Arenzville.  When  he  landed  in  Arenzville 
he  was  $5  in  debt.  He  is  the  only  member 
of  the  family  who  came  to  this  country.  His 
father,  George,  is  still  living  in  Germany, 
and  is  hale  and  hearty,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six,  but  his  mother,  Mary,  died  when  he  was 
eight  years  old.  They  always  were  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Two  of  our  sub- 
ject's brothers  are  still  living  in  Germany, 
and  are  married,  pursuing  the  occupation  of 
farmers. 

After  our  subject  first  came  to  this  county 
he  began  work,  near  Hagener  Station.  After 
some  years  he  began  his  agricultural  life  as  a 
renter,  and  later  purchased  his  present  farm. 
Mr.  Hoffman  was  first  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Schuman,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 


this  county  at  what  is  known  as  Hagener  Sta- 
tion, March  9,  1849.  She  is  the  eldest  child 
of  John  Schnrnan  (see  biography  of  Adam 
Schumau  for  family  history).  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hoffman  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  Mr.  Hoffman  has  been  a 
Deacon  for  six  years.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  the  parents 
of  eleven  children:  Mary,  wife  of  Adolph 
Kruse,  a  farmer  iu  this  county;  John  A.,  at 
home,  helping  his  father;  Attia,  Henry, 
Emma,  Edward,  William,  Eva,  Ralph,  Martha, 
and  the  two-year-old  baby,  are  all  healthy, 
intelligent  children.  The  older  children  have 
been  well  educated  in  both  German  and  En- 
glish, and  are  able  to  speak  and  write  in  both 
languages.  Mr.  Hoffman  is  a  very  progres- 
sive farmer,  and  owns  a  tine  place,  containing 
170  acres,  135  of  which  is  under  the  plow. 
He  came  into  possession  of  this  in  1865,  and 
has  since  this  made  all  of  his  excellent  im- 
provements. 


fRED  MEYER,  a  retired  farmer  of  Arenz- 
ville, was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  in 
1805.     He  came  of   Prussian    parents, 
who   lived   and  died    when  quite  old.     His 
father,    Gotlieb    H.    Meyer,  was  a   German 
farmer,  and  his  wife  was  a   Prussian    lady, 
formerly  Anna  Roche.     They  were  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Fred  was  one  of  five  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter. The  latter  lived  and  died  in  Germany. 
The  five  sons  all  came  to  the  United  States 
at  different  times.  Fred  and  a  brother, 
Henry,  are  the  only  surviving  members  of 
the  family.  The  former  grew  up  and  was 
married  in  his  native  province,  to  Catherine 
M.  Burkesikus.  She  came  of  an  old  Prussian 
family.  After  the  birth  of  all  their  children 


552 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


but  one,  they  came  to  the  United  State8,  in 
December,  1848,  leaving  Bremen  on  a  sail- 
ing vessel  and  landing  at  New  Orleans  after 
a  trip  of  nine  weeks  and  three  days.  They 
proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  St. 
Louis,  and  from  there  to  .Beardstown,  and 
began  farming  the  next  year.  Here  Mrs. 
Meyer  died,  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  forty-three. 
She  and  her  husband  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  They  had  five  children: 
William,  a  farmer  in  this  precinct,  married 
Carrie  Talkerneier;  Mary,  wife  of  William 
Dougal,  farmer  near  Taylorsville,  Illinois; 
Minnie,  formerly  wife  of  Fred  Nordsiek,  and 
the  mother  of  seven  children;  Mary  A.,  at 
home;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Henry  Hierman,  farmer 
of  this  county;  Emma,  wife  of  Ed.  Kloker, 
farmer  in  this  county;  Henry,  Lena,  Ann  and 
John  are  all  at  home.  Another  son  of  Mr. 
Meyer,  now  deceased,  named  Henry  A.,  mar- 
ried Minnie  Yost. 

Mr.  Meyer  began  in  this  county  in  1848, 
and  in  the  time  since  then  has  by  hard  work 
accumulated  a  large  property.  He  had  only 
100  acres  at  first,  but  now  has  474  acres,. 
most  of  which  is  well  improved,  with  good 
farm  buildings.  He  has  always  been  a  hard- 
working man,  and  although  now  eighty-eight 
years  of  age,  is  as  active  as  ever  and  in  per- 
fect health.  He  has  been  a  good  citizen,  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  now  lives  in  re- 
tirement with  his  daughter  Minnie  (Mrs. 
Nordsiek),  on  section  7,  township  17,  range 
11.  He  is  a  good  old  man,  greatly  respected 
by  all  who  know  him. 


I  AMUEL  HINDMAN  was  born  in  Rich- 
land  county,  Ohio,  January  24,    1834; 
his  father,    Elijah   Hindman,  was  born 
in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  Novem- 


ber 4, 1798,  a  son  of  Samuel  Hindman,  whose 
nativity  is  not  positively  known :  the  year 
of  his  birth  was  1763,  and  after  his  marriage 
he  emigrated  to  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers;  he 
was  a  cooper  by  trade  and  followed  that  vo- 
cation until  his  death;  he  was  married  to 
Letitia  M.  Clinithan,  a  native  of  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Elijah  Hindman  was 
married  in  Alleghany  county  and  resided 
there  until  1833:  in  that  year  he  emigrated 
with  his  wife  and  four  children  to  Ohio,  mak- 
ing the  journey  overland  with  a  four-horse 
wagon;  he  located  in  Richland  county,  on  a 
tract  of  timber  land  which  he  occupied  until 
1838,  he  again  started  westward,  coming  to 
Illinois  and  settling  where  Rushville  town- 
ship, Schuyler  county,  now  is;  here  he  im- 
proved a  tract  of  land  and  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  married  Anna  Mace, 
a  daughter  of  John  Mace,  a  native  of  London, 
England,  who  emigrated  to  America  and 
fought  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Mrs. 
Hindman,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  resides 
with  a  daughter  in  Rushville  township,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years.  Sam- 
uel Hindman,  Jr.,  was  four  years  old  when 
his  parents  removed  to  Illinois.  Here  he 
grew  to  manhood,  among  the  vicissitudes 
and  privations  of  frontier  life;  the  mother 
carded  and  spun  the  cloth  with  which  the 
children  were  dressed,  and  they  lived  from 
the  products  of  their  land;  Mr.  Hindman  re- 
lates that  on  one  occasion  his  father  sold  a 
load  of  wheat  at  twenty-five  cents  a  bushel, 
and  at  the  same  time  paid  thirty-seven  and 
one-half  cents  a  yard  for  calico.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  pioneer  schools,  the  fur- 
niture and  house  being  constructed  in  the 
most  primitive  style;  in  early  youth  he  be- 
gan to  assist  in  the  cultivation  of  the  land, 
and  has  since  followed  farming. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


553 


In  1869  he  determined  to  make  a  trip  to 
Pike's  Peak,  but  at  Fort  Kearney  the  party 
met  many  returning  with  discouraging  re- 
ports; Mr.  Hindman  then  changed  his  course, 
going  to  Coffey  county,  Kansas,  whence  he 
returned  home  after  an  ahsence  of  three 
months.  He  had  once  before  started  to  the 
West,  in  1855,  accompanied  by  his  brother 
John;  their  destination  was  Kansas,  and 
they  traveled  via  the  Illinois,  Mississippi  and 
Missouri  rivers  to  Richfield,  Missouri,  at 
which  point  his  brother  died  of  cholera;  Mr. 
Hindman  pushed  on  to  western  Missouri, 
but  on  account  of  his  brother's  death  he  came 
back. 

He  was  married  November  8,  1876,  to 
Julia  (Ward)  Mathews,  a  native  of  Washing- 
ton county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter 
of  James  Ward,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
Thomas  Ward,  a  native  of  England,  who 
passed  his  life  in  the  British  kingdom.  James 
Ward  married  Nancy  Hamilton,  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  and  a  daughter  of  Richard  Ham- 
ilton. Mrs.  Hindman  was  first  married  in 
1853  'to  Thomas  H.  Mathews,  a  son  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Mclntire)  Mathews;  he  died  in 
1873;  one  child  was  born  of  this  union,  Le- 
inonia  H.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Hindman  have  one 
child,  Juniata.  Mr.  Hindman  inherited  a 
part  of  the  old  homestead,  and  has  devoted 
his  life  to  agricultural  pursuits. 


C.  NIESTRADT,  a  general 
farmer  living  on  section  12,  township 
17,  range  12,  is  a  young,  progressive 
man.  He  has  always  lived  in  this  county 
where  he  was  born  September  29,  1861.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
remaining  home  with  his  father  until  his  ma- 
jority. He  is  the  third  son  of  Henry  B. 


Niestradt,  who  was  born  in  Prussia,  Ger- 
many, where  he  grew  up  and  remained  until 
he  was  twenty -five  years  of  age.  He  then 
came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  where 
he  now  lives  and  now  owns  a  large  property. 
He  is  the  only  member  of  his  father's  family 
that  came  to  the  United  States.  He  is  very 
active  for  his  eighty  years,  and  is  proud  of 
his  good,  healthy  German  blood.  He  was 
married,  in  Cass  county  to  Charlotta  Miller, 
who  was  born  in  Prnssia,  Germany  and  who 
came  alone,  the  first  of  her  father's  family 
who  ventured  to  this  country.  Her  parents 
have  died,  but  the  most  of  her  brothers  and 
sisters  have  joined  her  here.  Henry  B.  and 
wife  are  both  active  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church  and  he  has  been  an  officer  in 
the  same  for  some  years.  Henry  C.  is  one 
of  seven  children,  two  having  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Mr.  Niestradt  has  been  a  farmer  for  some 
years,  having  carried  on  farming  for  three 
years  before  he  took  the  present  farm.  This 
he  purchased  September  30,  1890.  He  is  a 
very  practical  man  and  has  so  improved  his 
eighty  acres  that  one  would  predict  great 
success  for  him  in  the  future. 

He  was  married,  in  this  county,  to  Miss 
Minnie  Lawner,  who  was  born  in  this  town- 
ship, August,  1868.  Her  early  life  was  spent 
at  home  with  her  parents,  Frederick  mid  Car- 
rie (Meyer)  Lawner,  both  natives  of  Illinois. 
They  were  married  in  Cass  county  and  began 
life  as  farmers  in  township  17,  range  11,  and 
there  Mr.  Lawner  died,  in  1878,  being  under 
forty  years  of  age.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  a 
fine  farmer,  a,  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  His 
wife  was  married  for  a  second  time,  to  John 
Kern,  who  lives  in  Arenzville,  Illinois. 

Mrs.  Niestradt  is  the  only  child  born  to  her 
father.  She  is  an  intelligent  women  and 


551 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF     OA8S, 


makes  a  good  wife  and  mother.  She  and 
her  husband  have  one  child,  Anna  B.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Niedstradt  are  Lutherans  in 
religion  and  Mr.  Niedstradt  belongs  to  a 
Republican  family.  They  are  highly  re- 
spected people  of  their  neighborhood. 


\ERMAN  EL  LOVECAMP,  one  of  the 
most  successful  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  of  township  17,  range  11,  near 
Arenzville,  Illinois,  was  born  in  this  county 
in  1840.  He  has  passed  his  life  in  this  sec- 
tion and  is  the  son  of  Katherine  and  Fred 
Lovecamp,  both  natives  of  Germany,  born 
and  reared  in  Hanover,  and  married  after  they 
came  to  St.  Louis.  They  were  early  settlers 
of  Cass  county,  coming  to  Cass  county  about 
1835.  They  were  both  industrious  and 
economical,  and  bravely  contended  against 
all  the  trials  that  beset  the  early  settlers. 
They  spent  their  last  days  on  the  large  farm 
which  their  united  efforts  had  earned.  Mr- 
Lovecamp  only  lived  to  be  forty-live  years 
old,  but  his  wife  survived  him  until  she  was 
seventy-eight.  They  had  both  been  Luther- 
ans, and  Mr.  Lovecamp  was  a  Republican,  a 
worthy,  good  citizen  and  his  wife  was  one  of 
the  best  and  kindest  women  in  the  world. 

Herman  grew  up  under  his  mother's  care 
and  became  a  farmer  also.  He  was  married 
in  this  county  to  Mary  Peters,  born  in  Han- 
over, Germany,  December  19,  1843.  She 
came  to  the  United  States  and  to  Beardstown 
with  her  parents,  Mary  and  Fred  Peters,  in 
1845.  Mr.  Peters  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
a  good  mechanic  and  had  always  been  a  hard- 
working man  until  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  was  a  Democrat  and  belonged  to  the 
Lutheran  Church.  He  died  in  1877,  aged 
sixty-five.  His  wife  is  still  living  in  Beards- 


town,  and  upon  her  last  birthday,  August  13, 
1892,  was  seventy-three  years  old.  She  is 
still  active  and  lias  been  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  all  her  lite.  Mrs.  Love- 
camp  is  one  of  nine  children,  three  yet  living. 
She  is  one  of  the  good,  German  women  where 
she  resides  and  she  has  the  respect  of  the 
whole  neighborhood.  She  is  the  mother  of 
twelve  children:  Emma  and  Cora  died  yonng; 
John  is  a  harnessmaker  in  Arenzville;  Will- 
iam, a  farmer  in  Cass  county,  married  Miss 
Caroline  Carls;  Henry  assists  in  running  the 
home  farm;  Mary, Christina,  Lucinda,  Louisa, 
Alma  Albert  and  Julius  all  are  at  home. 
They  are  Lutherans  and  they  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  their  children  confirmed 
in  the  same  faith.  Mr.  Lovecamp  and  his 
grown  sons  agree  in  their  political  faith,  being 
members  of  the  Democratic  party. 

Mr.  Lovecamp  owns  over  240  of  well  im- 
proved land,  and  has  been  the  possessor  of  it 
for  the  past  fifteen  yea'rs.  He  has  made  a 
great  many  improvements  on  the  place  and 
now  resides  very  comfortably  in  his  nice  home 
with  his  family  around  him. 


DWARD  T.  M1LBY  was  born  in  Sus- 
sex county,  Delaware,  August  4,  1835. 
His  father,  Nathaniel  J.  Milby,  emi- 
grated with  his  wife  and  four  children  to 
Illinois  in  1840,  settling  in  Rushville  town- 
ship. The  journey  was  made  by  canals  and 
rivers  and  proved  a  tiresome  one.  The  father 
bought  a  tract  of  land  and  hastened  to  make 
it  ready  for  settlement.  Two  acres  of  the  land 
had  been  cleared  and  a  plain  log  cabin  had 
been  built.  This  was  all.  But  deft  and  will- 
ing fingers  soon  made  things  assume  a  fairly 
comfortable  shape,  and  western  life  was  fairly 
under  way.  This  log  cabin,  by  the  way,  was 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


555 


the  first  permanent  house  of  its  kind  in  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  Milby,  Sr.,  occupied  the  farm  to 
the  day  of  his  death.  The  maiden  name  of 
the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
Mary  Wilson,  born  in  Sussex  county,  Dela- 
ware. She  died  on  the  Schuyler  county  home 
farm. 

In  those  days  nearly  every  one  lived  in  log 
cabins  of  one  room.  The  housewife  spun 
and  wove  the  cloth  used  for  the  clothes  for 
both  sexes.  She  also  had  many  other  duties 
to  which  the  wives  of  farmers  now  are 
strangers. 

Edward  attended  school  attired  in  home- 
spun that  his  mother  had  made  for  him  with 
her  own  hands.  Notwithstanding  his  school 
duties  he  assisted  on  the  farm  and  continued 
to  do  so  until  his  marriage,  when  he  began 
for  himself  on  rented  land  in  Huntsville. 
He  continued  to  pay  rent  for  land  for  about 
ten  years,  when  he  bought  two  and  a  half  acres 
in  Buena  Vista  township.  He  lived  in  the 
latter  place  but  two  months  as  he  went  to  his 
father's  farm,  where  he  stayed  for  seven  years 
and  then  bought  eighty  acres  in  section  23. 
After  ten  years'  residence  there  he  sold  out  and 
bought  the  place  where  he  now  resides.  On 
his  farm  of  223  acres  he  does  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising. 

Mr.  Milby  has  been  married  thrice.  The 
first  time  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age 
when  he  married,  and  the  lady  who  honored 
him  with  her  hand  was  Lydia  Hillis,  of  Rush- 
ville,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Jane  Ferres 
Hillis.  She  died  in  1865  and  Mr.  Milby  re- 
mained single  until  1872,  when  he  again  en- 
tered the  married  state.  The  second  lady 
was  Lizzie  J.  Davidson,  of  Kentucky,  and 
she  died  in  1879.  Mary  A.  Bauer,  of  High- 
land county,  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  Valentine 
Bauer,  was  the  lady  to  whom  he  was  married 
January,  21,  1886. 


Mr.  Milby  has  had  six  children,  all  of  which 
save  one,  are  living.  Three  of  the  children 
are  the  issue  of  the  first  marriage:  Frank, 
Clement  and  Lizzie,  and  the  other  three  are 
the  issue  of  the  second  marriage.  The  second 
child  of  the  second  marriage,  Herne,  died 
when  three  years  old,  but  the  other  two, 
Walter  and  Ida,  are  living. 

Mr.  Milby  is  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  while 
the  present  Mrs.  Milby  is  a  member  of 
the  same  church  in  the  North. 

In  politics  Mr.  Milby  is  a  disciple  of  "  Old 
Hickory,"  he  being  a  Democrat. 


ATHERINE  SAUNDERS,  who  has 
kept  a  little  store  for  years  at  La 
Grange,  Brown  county,  Illinois,  is  the 
widow  of  John  Saunders,  and  was  born 
in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1826.  Her  father,  John  Whited,  and  her 
mother,  Mary  Sheckler,  were  of  the  same 
place  in  Pennsylvania.  Her  husband  was 
from  Maryland.  Mrs.  Saunders  is  the  fourth 
child  of  a  family  of  eleven.  As  her  parents 
were  poor,  Mrs.  Saunders  has  had  no  educa- 
tional advantages,  but  has  worked  hard  from 
early  childhood. 

She  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  to  William  Thomas,  with  whom  she 
lived  ten  years,  bearing  him  four  children, 
all  of  whom  have  died.  In  1855,  she  came 
West  to  this  part  of  Brown  county,  where 
she  has  lived  the  most  of  the  time.  She  was 
married  a  second  time  when  she  was  thirty- 
four  years  old,  to  George  Wei  bourn,  of  En- 
gland. By  this  marriage,  there  were  two 
children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the 
other  at  eighteen  years  of  age.  Mr.  Wei- 
bourn  died  in  1862,  aged  thirty-  two  years, 


556 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    C'ASS, 


of  congestive  chills.  She  was  married  to 
her  last  husband,  John  Saunders,  of  Virginia. 
By  this  husband,  she  had  one  daughter:  Liz- 
zie, now  Mrs.  John  Cisco.  Her  husband  is 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
working  by  the  day.  They  live  at  home  with 
her  mother.  She  received  a  good  education 
at  the  public  schools,  and  now  conducts  the 
store  for  her  aged  mother. 

Mrs.  Saunders  has  seen  some  hard  times 
in  her  life,  but  she  has  bravely  met  her 
troubles  and  conquered  them.  She  owns  her 
little  home  and  store,  which  are  nestled  under 
the  hill  on  the  banks  of  the  Illinois  river, 
where  she  has  done  a  snug  little  business, 
paying  as  she  went.  Mrs.  Saunders  is  not 
wealthy,  but  she  owes  no  one,  and  expects  to 
finish  her  days  here  happily.  She  is  a  good 
and  worthy  woman,  and  deserves  much  praise 
for  the  way  in  which  she  has  supported  her- 
self, keeping  out  of  debt  as  she  has. 


>iRS.  MINERVA  HINMAN  was  born 
near  her  present  farm  home,  January 
2,  1832.  Her  lather  was  Ralph 
Alexander,  and  her  mother,  Elizabeth  Fields. 
She  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  he  in  Hillsboro, 
Ohio,  in  1808.  Elizabeth  Fields  was  left  an 
orphan  at  eight  years,  was  reared  by  a  Mr. 
Scott,  of  Indiana,  who  gave  her  a  good  school- 
ing for  that  period.  She  was  married  in 
Indiana,  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  to  Ralph 
Alexander,  when  he  was  twenty-six.  He  was 
a  tanner  and  currier  by  trade,  and  followed 
that  business  until  they  came  West  to  Brown 
county,  in  1829.  They  came  as  other  emi- 
grants did,  and  made  their  first  stop  in  this 
neighborhood,  at  the  home  of  Ezekiel  Rosses, 
who  had  come  here  about  six  months  earlier. 
The  two  families  dwelt  in  this  one  log  house 


during  that  memorable  winter  of  deep  snow, 
and  it  was  not  a  large  cabin,  either.  With 
his  good  span  of  horses,  Mr.  Alexander 
helped  Mr.  Rosses  harvest  his  first  crop  of 
grain  and  hay.  He  took  a  half  section  of 
land  close  by,  to  which  they  moved  in  the 
spring  of  1830,  and  lived  in  the  rough  log 
cabin  on  the  place.  It  was  in  this  mansion 
that  our  subject  first  saw  the  light.  Eight 
years  later  they  moved  into  the  two-story 
hewn-log  house,  and  in  this  very  good  dwell- 
ing the  father  died,  in  1846.  He  died  a  com- 
paratively young  man,  leaving  his  wife,  who 
survived  him  some  thirty  years,  and  died  in 
Kansas,  aged  seventy.  She  was  the  mother 
of  twelve  children,  many  of  whom  have  also 
passed  away.  The  living  ones  are:  Thomas 
M.,  a  ranchman  in  Arizona,  now  seventy-one 
years  old,  who  killed  two  mountain  lions 
at  this  age;  Milton  H.,  living  at  Versailles, 
Illinois;  Mrs.  Hinman;  James,  now  in  Ari- 
zona, and  the  youngest  of  the  family;  John 
P.,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Auburn, 
Illinois. 

Mrs.  Hinman  was  married  in  this  county, 
in  1851,  to  Gideon  Hinman,  who  was  a 
widower  with  three  sons.  They  have  had 
eight  children:  Clara,  Otis,  Ralph  and  Hes- 
ter have  died.  The  living  are:  Minerva  J. 
Withrow,  of  Cooperstown;  Nellie  Swenson, 
wife  of  a  farmer  at  Mound  Station;  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  the  unfortunate  son,  crippled 
and  nervous  from  infancy  from  whooping- 
cough.  He  is  very  bright  in  some  things, 
especially  in  figures.  He  cannot  express 
himself.  Elizabeth  is  the  next  child,  and  is 
known  as  Dolly,  a  young  lady  at  home,  who 
graduated  at  the  Rushville  Normal  College, 
being  the  valedictorian.  Two  of  the  sons  of 
Mr.  Hinman's  first  marriage  are  still  living, 
large  farmers  and  stock  dealers. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


557 


Mr.  Ilinrnan  left  his  wife  this  tine-  estate 
of  160  acres  of  rich  farm  land  with  good 
buildings,  well  stocked.  She  has  made  a  suc- 
cess of  conducting  it,  pays  taxes  like  her  male 
neighbors,  even  if  she  cannot  vote.  She 
believes  in  a  rotation  of  crops  and  clover. 
She  grows  from  forty  to  sixty  acres  of  corn, 
yielding  from  fifty  to  sixty  bushels  per  acre, 
and  feeds  the  most  of  it  to  hogs,  of  which 
she  sells  from  fifty  to  sixty-five  per  year.  She 
has  colts,  and  about  thirty  head  of  cattle 
raised  on  the  farm.  The  farm  is  in  a  finer 
condition  than  ever  before. 

Mr.  Hinman  came  here  about  1840.  He 
was  a  school  teacher,  and  he  soon  settled  on 
eighty  acres  south  of  Cooperstown,  and  two 
years  later  he  entered  160  acres.  He  started 
with  no  means  at  all,  but  by  his  industry  he 
accumulated  a  large  property.  He  was  in 
ill  health  some  time  before  his  death,  and 
Mrs.  Hinrnan  had  the  experience  that  has 
proved  so  valuable  to  her  in  the  management 
of  the  farm. 


jARO  HARRIS  was  born  in  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  November  10, 1864. 
His  parents  were  F.  Marion  and 
Arthusia  (Hollingsworth)  Harris.  Mr.  Har- 
ris, Sr.,  was  born  on  the  farm,  on  which  his 
son  now  lives,  in  1844,  and  he  die,d  March 
27,  1892. 

Maro  Harris  is  the  only  surviving  child, 
and  he  was  educated  in  Schuyler  county. 
When  about  fourteen  he  decided  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  world  outside  of  Illinois;  so 
visited  Pikes  Peak,  Denver,  etc.  He  is  a 
fine  musician,  and  there  is  a  great  demand 
for  his  talents.  He  enjoyed  himself  to  such 
a  degree  during  his  trip  that  he  did  not  re- 
turn until  three  years  ago.  He  tried  farming 

87 


when  in  the  West,  and  was  successful  in  his 
undertakings.  He  has  inherited  a  fine  farm 
of  320  acres  in  Schuyler  county  from  his 
father,  and  owns  valuable  property  in  the 
vicinity  of  Beardstown,  besides  the  fine  farm 
in  Colorado. 

He  was  married  about  three  years  ago  to 
Miss  Melinda  Betville,  of  Arkansas.  They 
have  one  child.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  is  a  good  business  man,  and  is 
respected  by  all  who  know  him. 


ILLIAM  PERRY.— The  gentleman 
whose  sketch  it  is  our  pleasure  to 
present  to  our  readers,  was  born  in 
Cooperstown  township,  at  the  present  home 
of  his  father,  March,  1844.  His  father, 
James  Perry,  was  born  on  Powel's  river,  in 
Tennessee,  in  1808,  poising  to  Illinois  in 
1830. 

William  Perry  was  reare.d  to  farm  life,  and 
was  well  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
teaching  several  terms  after  finishing  his 
education. 

His  marriage  occurred,  in  1866,  when  he 
was  only  twenty-two  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Grover, 
daughter  of  W.  P.  Grover,  and  his  wife,  a 
Miss  Patterson,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  but 
residents  of  Brown  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  first  rented  the  old 
home  farm,  and  in  1876  bought  eight  acres 
for  $3,200,  which  he  sold  two  years  later, 
buying  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres  on 
section  32,  paying  the  same  price  for  it. 

By  this  marriage  Mr.  Perry  had  six  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  died  when  an  infant. 
Mrs.  Perry  died  in  1878,  leaving  three  sons 
and  one  daughter,  namely:  Oscar,  twenty- 
four;  Elmer,  twenty-two;  Scott,  eighteen, and 
Hattie,  fourteen.  He  was  again  married  in 


588 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


1882,  to  Miss  Anna  Whitehead,  of  this 
county,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  and  Mary 
(Gilford)  Whitehead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry 
have  one  living  child,  Orpha,  aged  six. 

Mr.  Perry  was  Town  Collector,  at  twenty- 
two  years,  and  served  as  Assessor  for  two 
years,  from  the  time  he  was  twenty-three  un- 
til he  was  twenty-five.  He  next  served  as 
Township  Treasurer  for  twelve  years.  Until 
1876  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  since  that  time 
he  has  been  an  advocate  of  reforms,  being 
now  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  or 
People's  Party. 

Mr.  Perry  carries  on  general  farming  on 
his  beautiful  farm,  where  he  resides,  sur- 
rounded by  his  children  and  his  loving  wife; 
and  if  ever  a  man  had  cause  to  be  proud  of 
his  past  life,  it  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
William  Perry. 


WILLIAM  H.  GRIFFITH  is  a  native 
son  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  born 
in  Woodstock  township,  Schuyler 
county,  April  5,  1847.  His  father,  Joshua 
Griffith,  was  born  in  Tuscarawas  county, 
Ohio,  and  was  there  reared  to  the  occupation 
of  a  farmer.  In  1837  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  Iowa,  and  three  years  later  he  came 
to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  and  purchased 
forty  acres  of  wild,  timber  land.  He  built  a 
log-house,  which  was  his  dwelling  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  years.  In  connection  with  his 
agricultural  pursuits  he  had  mastered  the 
cooper's  trade,  which  he  followed  after  com- 
ing to  this  county.  His  father  was  Nathan 
Griffith,  and  he  died  in  this  county  at  the 
residence  of  his  son,  Joshua,  aged  ninety-three 
years;  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  drew  a  pension  from  the  Government  in 
recognition  of  his  service.  Joshua  Griffith 


married  Margaret  Hoffman,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty-seven  years;  they  reared  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 
Mr.  Griffith  is  living  a  retired  life  at  Lewis- 
town,  Fulton  county,  Illinois.  He  has  a  few 
acres  of  land,  and  is  devoting  his  energies  to 
fruit  culture.  Politically  he  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  while  a  resi- 
dent of  Schuyler  county  was  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  many  years.  He  is  a  self-made 
man,  and  has  accumulated  his  entire  property 
since  coming  to  the  State;  he  has  been  very 
successful  in  his  farming  operations,  but  has 
relinquished  the  care  and  management  of  his 
land  to  his  son,  William  H.  He  has  bravely 
done  his  share  in 'the  development  of  the  re- 
sources of  Schuyler  county,  and  the  present 
prosperity  of  the  commonwealth  is  due  to 
the  men  of  his  type. 

William  H.  Griffith  was  married  October 
9,  1870,  to  Miss  Susanna  Ouster,  a  native  of 
Washington  county,  Iowa,  born  August  12, 
1852.  Her  parents,  Abraham  and  Susanna 
(Antrim)  Ouster,  were  natives  of  the  State  of 
Ohio;  the  father  died  in  Iowa,  but  the  mother 
survives,  and  is  a  resident  of  this  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Griffith  are  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Elmer  E.  was  born  September  17, 
1871;  Wilmer  E.  was  born  January  26, 1877; 
Edith  L.  was  born  February  26, 1880;  Myrtle 
was  born  March  32,  1888.  After  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Griffi,th  settled  on  a  farm  with  his 
grandfather,  renting  for  a  year;  he  then  pur- 
chased forty  acres,  to  which  he  removed,  and 
later  bought  an  additional  forty;  he  has  the 
management  of  the  entire  farm,  which  con- 
sists of  200  acres. 

In  politics  he  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party,  having  cast  his  first  vote  for  General 
Grant's  second  term. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county;  he 


8CUUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


559 


made  the  journey  to  the  frontier  when  the 
distance  was  wearily  covered  by  driving  or 
walking,  and  met  the  privations  and  hardships 
unflinchingly,  as  became  the  sturdy  soul  who 
undertook  to  rescue  this  wilderness  and  con- 
vert it  into  one  of  the  most  fertile  States  of 
the  Union.  Let  the  coming  generations 
never  forget  the  debt  of  gratitude  they  owe 
their  worthy  forefathers. 


?AMES  M.  PATTERSON,  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  of  Cooperstown,  re- 
siding on  section  21,  was  born  in  this 

O 

county,  June,  1849.  His  father  was  Joseph 
Patterson,  a  native  of  Highland  county, 
Ohio,  who  lost  his  father  when  very  young 
and  was  reared  by  an  uncle,  learning  the  wool- 
carding  business.  He  came  to  Brown  county, 
when  young,  in  company  with  the  family  of 
James  B.  Russell,  making  the  journey  by 
team,  in  1830.  The  gentleman  with  whom 
he  came  brought  his  family  of  seven.  Mr. 
Patterson  married  one  of  the  daughters  of 
Mr.  Russell,  Phoabe,  whose  mother  had  been 
a  Miss  Sarah  Lincoln,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Her  husband,  however,  hailed  from 
the  State  of  Vermont.  They  were  married 
in  Fulton  county,  between  1843  and  1845, 
and  Mr.  Patterson  pursued  his  trade  at  the 
Cardie  mills,  near  Versailles,  and  then  in 
Versailles.  Their  next  place  of  settlement 
was  in  Elkhorn  township,  and  later  they 
moved  to  this  county,  where  he  worked  in  a 
flouring  mill.  He  also  cleared  a  fine  farm  of 
heavy  timber. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  appears  at  the 
heading  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to  farm 
life,  and  was  offered  plenty  of  opportunity 
for  improvement,  but  like  many  boys  of  that 
age  he  did  not  appreciate  nor  take  advantage 


of  his  opportunities.  When  twenty-one  he 
began  working  by  the  day  and  month. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  married,  January  16, 
1879,  to  Miss  Sarah  Howell,  born  May,  1856, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Rebecca  (Bearel) 
Howell,  natives  of  Indiana  and  North  Caro- 
lina, respectively.  Mr.  Howell  came  to  Illi- 
nois when  he  was  eleven  or  twelve  years  old, 
in  1832,  and  was  there  married,  twelve  years 
later.  They  bought  eighty  acres  of  land, 
built  a  log  house,  where  they  spent  the  first 
year  of  their  married  life,  and  then  moved  to 
a  much  better  piece  of  land  on  which  they 
built  a  permanent  house,  and  lived  therefor 
twenty-one  years,  when  they  moved  one  halt 
a  mile  away.  Mrs.  Howell  died  November, 
1878,  aged  fifty-three  years  and  fourteen 
weeks;  on  February  14,  the  husband  followed 
the  partner  of  his  joys  and  sorrows,  dying  at 
the  age  of  fifty-seven.  They  had  ten  children, 
but  lost  all  but  three,  they  all  dying  at  the 
farm,  some  in  infancy  and  others  later. 
These  good  people  had  been  extremely  poor 
when  they  were  married,  but  when  they  died 
they  had  100  acres  of  fine  land  and  a  property 
worth  about  $30,000.  They  were  good, 
worthy  people  who  richly  deserved  their  good 
fortune. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patterson  began  their  mar- 
ried life  on  the  old  homestead,  where  they 
remained  for  one  and  one  half  years,  then,  in 
1881  bought  their  present  farm  of  160  acres, 
paying  $8,000  for  it.  On  this  farm  was  the 
present  fine  frame  farm  house,  built  by  the 
former  owner,  .1.  Stiles.  They  built  their 
large,  ornamental  barn  in  1885.  It  is  a  tine 
structure,  40  x  60  feet,  with  eighteen-foot 
posts  and  a  shed  12  x  60,  and  they  can  house 
sixteen  horses. 

These  good  people  have  buried  one  infant 
son  and  still  have  two  living:  Otho  T.  and 
Lee  R.,  the  former  twelve  years  old,  the  lat- 


560 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


ter  nine.  They  are  intelligent  little  lads,  who 
are  fond  of  their  books. 

Mr.  Patterson  is  pursuing  geaeral  farm- 
ing, growing  corn,  wheat  and  hay,  of  which  he 
has  just  cut  a  tine  crop,  filling  both  barns. 
He  engages  in  stock-raising,  having  some 
forty  to  sixty  head  of  cattle,  hogs,  and  now 
feeds  sixteen  head  of  horses,  three  of  whom 
he  has  raised. 

Mr.  Patterson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  adheres  strictly  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Democratic  party.  Mrs.  Patter- 
son is  a  devout  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  she  and  her  husband  are  worthy 
members  of  the  society  of  Cooperstown. 


ARTHUR  A.  McCABE,  M.  D.,  one  of 
the  most  prominent  physicians  of  Ver- 
sailles, was  born  in  Macomb,  Mc- 
Donough  county,  Illinois,  December  17, 
1856.  His  father,  John  McCabe,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  and  his  father,  also  John  Mc- 
Cabe, was  a  native  of  the  same  State.  The 
latter  gentleman  was  a  blacksmith  who  came 
to  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  about  1849,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  until  he  went  into  the 
army,  in  1862.  He  had  a  family  of  seven 
sons  and  one  son-in-law  when  he  went  to  the 
defense  of  the  old  flag.  Four  of  his  eons, 
he,  himself  and  the  son-in-law,  all  perished 
in  the  army.  Mr.  McCabe  dying  from  the 
effects  of  poison  in  a  mince  pie,  which  was 
bought  of  a  Confederate  and  contained  poison. 
The  names  of  his  sons  who  fought  in  the 
late  struggle,  were:  John,  father  of  subject; 
Miles,  James,  Marion,  Westley  and  the 
son-in-law,  James  W.  Jefferson,  who  married 
the  daughter,  Mary  McCabe.  There  were 
four  other  brothers,  also.  Miles  survived 


the  war,  but  died  of  consumption,  contracted 
in  the  service.  John  was  a  volunteer  in  the 
Eighty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  entering  as 
a  private  and  coming  out  as  an  Orderly  of 
Company  A,  after  a  service  of  three  years. 
He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Lookout 
Mountain,  a  ball  passing  through  his  ankle. 
He  received  a  furlough,  but  on  his  way  back 
to  Washington  he  was  hurt  by  jumping  from 
the  cars;  so  badly  was  he  injured  that  he  was 
obliged  to  delay  joining  his  command  for 
some  weeks.  While  waiting  he  joined  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  while  sick  in  a  strange 
city  proved  the  worth  of  the  order.  When 
he  returned,  he  was  given  a  commissary 
position,  and  served  his  time  out.  His 
brother  James  was  in  the  service  three  years 
and  came  out  of  the  war  sound  and  hearty, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Texas,  in  the  employ 
of  the  railroad.  He  had  quite  a  romantic 
accident  some  time  since.  He  was  injured 
by  an  explosion  in  Ohio,  and  he  was  nursed 
back  to  life  in  a  Catholic  hospital  by  the 
Catholic  Sisters.  So  impressed  was  he  by 
their  sweet  faces  and  kind,  skillful  treatment 
that  he  declares  that  if  he  ever  marries,  one 
of  those  sisters  will  be  his  wife! 

John  McCabe  was  married,  at  Indian- 
apolis, Indiana,  to  Mary  Ann  Clark  of  that 
city,  when  twenty-two  years  of  age.  They 
came  to  Illinois  soon  after  marriage,  and 
made  their  home  on  a  farm  in  Littleton 
township,  Schuyler  county,  moving  from 
there  to  Macomb,  and  from  there  to  Rush- 
ville,  where  they  have  lived  ever  since.  Here 
Mr.  McCabe  has  carried  on  a  successful  busi- 
ness in  the  manufactury  of  brick  and  tile,  in 
connection  with  his  son,  James.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cabe has  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely : 
James;  Arthur,  subject;  Howard  C.;  Cora 
May,  wife  of  Allen  Walker,  of  Rushville. 
Two  sons  and  one  daughter  died  in  infancy. 


SOHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


561 


Dr.  McCabe  was  educated  at  the  Rushville 
high  school,  and  in  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  grad- 
uating in  the  class  of  1878.  He  began  his 
practice  in  Bath,  Mason  county,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years,  then  removing  to  Lit- 
tleton, Schuyler  county,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years,  when  he  finally  removed  to 
Versailles.  Here  he  practiced  for  four  years 
and  then  removed  to  Mt.  Sterling  and  re- 
mained for  one  year,  returning  to  Versailles, 
where  he  has  remained  ever  since,  enjoying  a 
good  practice. 

The  Doctor  was  married,  January  1,  1879, 
to  Carrie  E.  Seely,  of  Rushville,  daughter  of 
James  Seely  and  Mary  Sanford,  born  in  New 
York.  They  have  one  daughter,  Myrtle 
Isabelle,  a  promising,  beautiful  child  of  ten 
years  of  age,  whose  musical  attainments  on 
the  piano  are  wonderful  for  one  of  her  tender 
years. 

The  Doctor  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  fraternity  of  Modern  Woodmen. 
He  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  start  of 
the  party,  and  has  always  voted  according  to 
the  principles  of  that  party.  He  has  served 
on  the  central  committee  for  some  time. 

The  Doctor  has  gained  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  all  who  know  him,  and  his  large 
practice  testifies  to  the  appreciation  in  which 
his  services  are  held.  He  and  his  estimable 
wife  hold  an  enviable  position  in  Versailles 
society. 


S.  GLOVER,  of  Beardstown,  was 
born  about  thirty  years  ago  at 
1°  Winnemac,  Indiana,  and  was  there 
reared  and  partly  educated,  but  desiring  to 
to  improve  his  knowledge  of  books  he  at- 
tended a  college  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana. 


Upon  completing  his  course  there  he  became 
a  telegraph  operator  there,  working  in  the 
city  of  his  birth  for  some  time  and  later  at 
Logansport,  Indiana,  for  the  Pittsburg,  Chi- 
cago &  St.  Louis  Railroad.  He  remained 
here  three  years  and  then  went  to  Nickerson, 
Kansas,  in  a  similar  position  on  the  Santa 
Fe  road.  He  was  in  active  service  there  as 
a  train  dispatcher  until  he  came  to  Beards- 
town  and  the  Quincy  system,  February,  1882. 
Like  most  railroad  men,  he  has  since  that 
time  seen  very  active  service.  Mr.  Glover's 
personal  appearance  and  jovial  manner  are 
sufficient  to  make  friends  for  him  everywhere. 
He  comes  of  a  respectable  line  of  ancestry, 
who  date  their  first  settlement  in  this  coun- 
try prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  His 
grandparents  lived  and  died  in  Ohio,  where 
his  father,  Samuel  Glover,  was  born,  at  Ports- 
mouth, Ohio.  He  came  to  Winnemac  when 
young  and  there  became  a  successful  me- 
chanic, and  was  thus  engaged  when  the  Re- 
bellion broke  out.  He  enlisted  in  the  Eighty- 
First  Indiana  Infantry,  but  was  transferred 
later  to  the  Ninth  Indiana  Cavalry,  and  con- 
tinned  in  the  service  for  three  years,  seeing 
much  hard  fighting  He  was  neither  cap- 
tured nor  wounded,  but  he  contracted  a  terri- 
ble camp  malady,  from  the  effects  of  which 
he  died  in  1866.  He  married  in  Winnemac, 
Indiana,  Hannah  Hawes,  of  Kentucky,  who 
had  been  brought  to  Indiana  by  her  parents 
in  the  '40s,  where  th'ey  lived  and  died,  re- 
spected by  all.  Mrs.  Hannah  Glover  is  still 
living,  and  is  very  active  in  spite  of  her  fifty- 
seven  years,  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
son,  W.  S.  Glover.  She  is  a  Christian  lady 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  for  years. 

September5,  1886,  Mr.  Glover  received 
the  promotion  of  chief  train  dispatcher  for 
the  St.  Louis  &  Rock  Island  Division  of 


562 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GA88, 


the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Qnincy,  affecting 
285  miles  of  line  and  railroad  and  places  him 
over  several  men.  His  energy  and  fidelity  to 
business  is  what  brought  him  this  promotion. 
While  in  Mckerson,  Kansas,  Mr.  Glover 
met  and  married  Sarah  Van  Arnsdale,  a  lead- 
ing lady  of  that  place.  She  received  a  prac- 
tical education  in  Ohio,  that  being  her  place 
of  nativity.  She  has  no  children,  but  is 
known  as  a  worthy  wife  and  kind  neighbor, 
and  she  and  her  husband  take  an  interest  in 
bettering  humanity.  They  affiliate  with  no 
particular  church  creed.  They  are  interested 
in  everything  that  benefits  Beardstown,  and 
have  recently  built  a  fine  residence  with  all 
modern  improvements  in  the  best  part  of 
the  city.  Mr.  Glover  is  a  sound  Republi- 
can, and  is  interested  in  local  politics.  He  is 
a  prominent  member  of  Beardstown  Lodge, 
No.  107,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  has  filled 
all  the  chairs. 


jUGUST  KROHE,  an  old  settler  and 
well-to-do  fanner,  was  born  on  Saxony, 
Germany,  on  August  19,  1812.  He 
came  of  good  German  blood  and  good  fam- 
ily. He  is  the  son  of  Christian  and  Rosina 
(Reicker)  Krohe,  natives  of  Saxony,  where 
they  grew  up  and  lived  until  the  family  of 
children  were  all  born  and  part  6f  them  grown 
up.  They  then  took  passage  on  a  sailing  vessel 
in  August,  1835,  and  after  a  seven  weeks' 
voyage  landed  in  New  Orleans,  coming 
thence  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers 
to  Beardstown.  From  there  they  soon  went 
to  Spring  Bluff,  and  here  they  bought  and 
improved  new  lands,  part  of  which  was 
Government  land.  It  was  on  this  farm  that 
the  father  and  mother  spent  their  last  days, 


the  former  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years;  the  latter  was  eighty-eight  when  she 
died.  They  were  a  healthy  and  prosperous 
family,  and  the  same  quality  is  in  their  son, 
August,  who  is  as  bright  and  healthy  at  eighty 
years  as  he  ever  was.  The  father  and  mother 
of  our  subject  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Mr.  Krohe  has  a  fine  farm  with  good  build- 
ings on  it,  on  which  he  has  lived  since  1840. 
It  is  in  section  8,  township  17,  range  11.  He 
has  always  been  identified  with  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  county,  and  has  lived  to  see 
wonderful  improvements  here. 

He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Miss 
Christianna  Jockisch,  born  near  the  farm  of 
her  husband  in  Saxony,  Germany,  in  1810. 
She  was  yet  a  young  woman  when  her  par- 
ents and  grandparents  came  to  the  United 
States,  in  1835,  on  the  same  vessel  that  the 
Krohes  came  on,  and  they,  like  the  latter,  found 
good  homes  in  Cass  county.  Soon  after  coin- 
ing here,  Mr.  Krohe  and  Miss  Jockisch  were 
married,  and  lived  together  until  1889,  when 
Mrs.  Krohe  died.  She  was  a  good  mother 
and  wife  and  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  She  was  the  only  daugh- 
ter of  Gottlieb  and  Christianna  (Jacob)  Jock- 
isch. Grandfather  Jockisch  died  here  in 
1836,  after  he  had  been  here  about  a  year. 
He  was  then  about  sixty-four  and  was  a  good, 
reliable  old  man.  His  name  was  Gottlieb 
Jockisch,  and  he  was  the  founder  of  the  fam- 
ily in  this  country. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krohe  had  six  living  chil- 
dren: Louis,  a  farmer  in  Schuyler  county, 
married  to  Sophia  Korte;  Minnie,  wife  of 
Henry  Korte  (see  biography);  Louisa,  wife 
of  a  farmer  of  Morgan  county;  Henry  (see 
biography);  Amelia,  wife  of  Henry  Rupel,  a 
farmer  on  Mr.  Krohe's  homestead. 


SGHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


503 


Mr.  Krohe,  wife  and  all  the  family  have 
been  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 
Mr.  Krohe  and  his  sons  are  Democrats. 
They  are  all  worthy  people. 


^ATHANIEL  P.  MESERVE,  a  resident 
farmer  of  section  30,  Lee  township,  was 
born  in  Caledonia  county,  Vermont, 
March  25,  1825.  His  father,  Nathaniel,  was 
a  native  of  Barnstable,  New  Hampshire,  born 
about  1794,  and  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-two, 
in  Vermont. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in 
the  best  New  England  schools  for  a  teacher, 
which  profession  he  followed  for  over  twenty 
years,  in  the  East  and  West.  He  taught  sev- 
eral years  in  Illinois,  both  before  and  after 
his  marriage.  He  married  Mary  J.  Meserve, 
a  cousin  who  was  born  in  1839.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Meserve, 
who  were  English  people.  The  peculiar  in- 
cident that  led  to  this  marriage  was  romantic. 
After  Mr.  Meserve  had  been  in  Illinois  some 
time,  he  was  shown  a  letter  from  this  young 
miss,  and  he  said  to  his  friend  who  showed  it 
to  him,  "That  girl  shall  be  uty  wife;"  and 
sure  enough,  when  she  came  West  she  became 
his  wife.  They  were  married  in  Brown 
county,  in  1856,  and  settled  on  their  present 
farm  two  years  later,  first  buying  eighty  acres 
and  later  100  more.  In  1870  they  went  to 
Colorado  Springs,  where  they  remained  six 
years.  This  move  was  made  partly  on  ac- 
count of  Mr.  Meserve's  failing  health.  While 
there  he  invested  in  silver  mines,  and  now 
owns  one  mine  and  has  an  interest  in  another. 
They  returned  to  their  Illinoian  home. 
They  have  two  children,  Ai  Meserve,  born  in 
1857,  and  Rosabelle,  born  in  1871.  The  son 
is  a  farmer,  and  both  are  at  home  where  they 


have  enjoyed  every  advantage  and  have  im- 
proved every  opportunity.  Mr.  Meserve  is 
not  strongly  partisan,  but  votes  the  Republi- 
can ticket.  His  wife  is  a  Presbyterian,  and 
is  an  interesting  lady.  He  is  in  failing  health 
and  strength,  and  has  retired  from  all  business. 
They  are  both  admirable  people,  and  are 
greatly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  them. 


ON.  WILLIAM  C.  RENO, of  Browning, 
Illinois,  dealer  in  grain  and  stock,  is  a 
native  of  this  township,  born  in  1838. 
He  is  the  son  of  Jonathan  and  Louisa  (Thorn- 
ton) Reno,  both  natives  of  east  Tennessee, 
father  born  in  1811,  the  mother  in  1813.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  also  named  Jonathan, 
came  to  Schuyler  county  in  1825,  and  was 
accompanied  by  his  son,  Jonathan.  The  lat- 
ter was  married  in  1834. 

William  Reno  grew  to  manhood  in  Brown- 
ing township,  spent  a  year  traveling  through 
Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Colorado,  and  on  his 
return  was  married  to  Rebecca  A.  Wallace 
of  Browning  township,  in  1860.  She  was 
boru  in  1841,  grew  up  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood, as  her  parents  were  very  early  settlers 
in  this  county.  Mr.  Reno  was  raised  on  a 
farm  and  followed  that  occupation  until  nine 
yearsago,  when  he  went  into  his  present  busi- 
ness. He  has  been  an  active  man  all  his  life. 

In  1880,  he  was  elected  Representative  to 
the  State  Legislature,  and  served  one  term  of 
two  years,  having  been  elected  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
an  active  worker  in  political  affairs,  and  on 
the  national  and  State  issues  has  always  affil- 
iated with  the  Democrats,  but  in  county  and 
township  affairs  he  has  voted  for  men  rather 
than  measures.  Mr.  Reno  is  a  man  of  ster- 
ling integrity,  having  the  esteem  of  all  with 


564 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OAJ3S, 


whom  he  has  been  associated,  either  socially 
or  in  business  capacity.  He  has  been  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  Browning  township  for  the 
last  sixteen  years,  and  has  represented  his 
township  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  five 
or  six  years,  and  has  held  the  various  offices 
of  the  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reno  have  seven  living  chil- 
dren, having  lost  one,  namely:  Samuel  F.  is 
cashier  of  the  bank  at  Rushville,  Illinois;  Sa- 
lina  and  Jennie  are  at  home,  the  former  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools;  Mark  M.  is  a 
telegraph  operator  at  Creston,  Iowa;  Minnie 
M.  is  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools;  Jay  and 
Fred  are  still  at  home.  Mrs.  Reno  belongs 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Reno 
family  are  of  French  ancestry  on  the  father's 
side  and  of  Welsh  and  Dutch  on  the  mother's. 
The  family  was  established  in  America  five 
generations  ago  and  all  were  given  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  His  father  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 


[LENDON  L.  ROWLAND,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  citizens  of  Versailles, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Newark,  Ohio,  De- 
cember 5,  1856.  His  father,  Thomas  Jack- 
son Rowland,  was  born  near  Winchester, 
Virginia,  about  1826,  and  his  father,  'grand- 
father of  subject,  was  named  Martin  Rowland 
who  was  a  farmer  of  Virginia,  who  died 
therein  1830,  in  early  manhood,  of  consump- 
tion. He  was  married  and  had  four  children 

> 

nam  ely:  Julia  Ann,  wife  of  Mr.  McCapp; 
Abner  died  near  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  leav- 
ing four  children;  Thomas,  father  of  subject; 
Lucinda,  wife  of  Henry  Lybarger,  died  in 
middle  life,  leaving  two  children.  Thomas 
Rowland  married  Leonora  Barney  of  Sackett's 
Harbor,  New  York,  daughter  of  Thomas  J. 


and  Louisa  (Wells)  Barney,  of  Wellsville, 
New  York.  The  latter  died  in  Watertown, 
New  York,  and  the  mother  of  subject  was 
reared  by  an  uncle,  James  Barney,  who 
moved  to  Newark,  Ohio,  when  she  was  a 
small  child.  Here  she  was  married  to  the  fa- 
ther of  subject,  who  was  a  harnessmaker  and 
worked  at  his  trade  at  Newark,  Millwood  and 
Spring  Mountain,  Ohio.  He  and  Senator 
Joseph  Wilson  were  shopmates  and  warm 
friends.  They  came  West  in  1864,  to  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  but  three  years  later  landed  in  Ver- 
sailles. They  were  in  humble  circumstances 
and  had  only  $200  when  they  arrived  in  Ver- 
sailles. Mrs.  Rowland  bore  her  husband 
eleven  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  another,  Emma,  died  when  seven 
years  old.  The  adults,  seven  in  number,  are 
as  follows:  Blendon  L.,  of  this  notice;  Anna, 
wife  of  Charles  W.  Wainnon,  of  Rushville, 
Illinois;  Lucinda  C.,  wife  of  Oscar  Van  De- 
venter;  Abner  C.,  of  the  mercantile  firm  of 
Rowland  Brothers,  hardware  and  farm  im- 
plements; Love  Augusta,  of  Versailles;  Bes- 
sie, wife  of  J.  C.  Cleveland  of  •  Versailles; 
and  Homer  M.,  bookkeeper  and  salesman  for 
the  firm  of  Rowland  Brothers,  a  promising 
young  man  of  twenty.  These  children  all 
received  a  good  common-school  education  and 
are  all  well  informed,  intelligent  people.  The 
parents,  while  not  wealthy,  were  able  to  give 
them  a  good  start  in  life.  The  mother 
died  in  1884,  but  the  father  is  still  living  a 
retired  life  in  Versailles,  making  his  home 
with  Abner  C.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
Thomas  J.  Barney,  died  in  St.  Paul,  in  his 
seventy-eighth  year,  leaving  an  estate  of 
$100,000,  which  he  willed  to  his  nephews 
and  nieces,  making  no  mention  of  this  daugh- 
ter. This  injustice  was  too  great,  so  Blendon 
broke  the  will  and  recovered  $40,000  to  the 
family,  showing  great  ability  in  the  contest, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


005 


although  he  had  received  no  education  in  this 
direction.  He  persistently  worked  at  the 
case  in  the  face  of  much  discouragement 
from  a  prominent  lawyer,  who  told  him  that 
there  was  nothing  in  the  case.  His  efforts 
were  richly  rewarded  and  much  credit  is  due 
him. 

Mr.  Blendon  Rowland  left  the  harness 
trade,  in  1884,  having  worked  at  it  for 
twenty  years,  and  embarked  in  his  present 
business,  with  his  brothers.  They  do  nearly 
all  of  the  business  in  this  line,  and  he  is  the 
leader  in  this  line,  as  he  always  was  in  the 
harness  business. 

Mr.  Rowland  is  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Central  Committee  of  Brown  county, 
and  has  filled  all  the  township  offices,  being 
School  Director  for  ten  years  and  the  Super- 
visor from  this  township.  He  is  a  Master 
Mason,  and  is  a  very  influential  man  in  his 
township. 

He  and  his  charming  wife  have  four  chil- 
dren, Dollie  Rowland,  a  young  lady  of  twenty ; 
Nellie,  wife  of  A.  R.  Groves  of  Versailles; 
Nettie,  fourteen;  and  Ethel,  eight. 

Mrs.  Rowland  is  a  Methodist  and  her  hus- 
band is  favorably  inclined  toward  that  church. 


LATHANIEL  G.  SLACK,  M.  D.,  de- 
ceased, stood  at  the  head  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Schnyler  county,  and  it  is  fit- 
ting that  his  name  should  be  recorded  in  this 
history  as  one  of  the  most  skillful  and  be- 
nevolent practitioners.  He  was  a  native  of 
England,  born  April  9,  1830,  a  son  of  John 
and  Ann  Slack;  the  father  spent  all  his  life 
in  England,  but  after  his  death  the  mother 
emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Fulton 
Illinois;  she  had  married  a  second  time,  a 
Mr.  Potts,  who  died  a  few  years  after  they 


came  to  this  country.  Nathaniel  G.  was  a 
mere  lad  when  his  father  died,  and  still  in  his 
youth  when  he  came  to  the  United  States 
with  an  older  brother;  he  first  settled  in 
Rhode  Island,  and  thence  removed  to  Fulton 
county,  Illinois.  He  attended  Farmington 
Academy,  and  afterward  went  to  Cedar  Rap- 
ids; but  the  funds  to  defray  his  expenses 
were  raised  through  his  own  efforts;  possess- 
ing a  natural  talent  for  painting,  he  secured 
pupils  in  this  art,  and  taught  until  he  had 
saved  sufficient  means  to  carry  him  through 
his  literary  course;  he  then  taught  school  for 
a  time,  and  choosing  the  profession  of  den- 
tistry he  was  in  due  time  engaged  in  prac- 
tice. All  his  leisure  time,  however,  was  given 
to  study,  and  he  attended  medical  lectures  at 
Keokuk  later  on;  he  finally  abandoned  the 
profession  of  dentistry,  and  began  practicing 
medicine  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois.  In  1859 
he  removed  to  Rushville,  Schuyler  county, 
and  in  November  of  that  year  entered  upon  a 
career,  every  action  of  which  reflected  honor 
upon  his  name.  He  was  very  successful  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  was  a  skillful 
surgeon.  The  poor  found  in  him  the  truest 
and  kindest  of  friends,  and  the  best  knowl- 
edge was  as  freely  given  to  them  in  their 
distress  as  was  expended  in  the  care  of  the 
wealthiest  patient. 

In  addition  to  his  professional  duties,  Dr. 
Slack  found  time  to  engage  in  mercantile 
pursuits,  and  was  also  interested  in  the  woolen 
mills  here. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  November  12, 
1858,  to  Eliza  C.  Berry,  a  native  of  Fulton 
county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  C. 
Berry,  who  was  a  native  of  Berkshire,  En- 
gland; the  grandfather,  Joseph  Berry,  also  a 
native  of  England,  emigrated  to  America, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  and  settled  in 
Canada;  he  removed  from  the  Dominion  to 


568 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS 8, 


Fulton  county,  Illinois,  about  1839;  he  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  there  on  which  he  re- 
sided until  his  death;  his  wife's  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Blanche;  her  death  occurred 
in  Fulton  county.  Henry  C.  Berry  was  a 
miller  by  trade,  having  mastered  this  vocation 
in  England;  he  followsd  this  pursuit  after 
coming  to  America,  and  also  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Later  he  disposed  of  his  land  and  em- 
barked in  mercantile  business  in  Fulton 
county,  Illinois.  Thence  he  removed  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  lived  in  Santa  Ana  for  a  number 
of  years;  his  death  occurred  there.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Temple,  a  native  of  En- 
gland, who  emigrated  to  this  country  with 
an  uncle.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Slack  had  born  to 
them  six  children:  Clement  L.,  Sheridan 
Grant,  Flora  M.,  Bessie,  Clara  and  Henry. 

Politically,  the  Doctor  affiliated  with  the 
Republican  party.  During  the  war  he  was 
United  States  Marshal,  and  passed  through 
many  dangers  and  perils  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duty.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Rush- 
ville  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also  belonged  to 
the  Encampment.  He  continued  in  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession  until  overtaken  by 
death,  August  9,  1887.  The  country  lost  a 
loyal,  noble-hearted  citizen,  the  medical  pro- 
fession a  skilled  practitioner,  and  the  family 
a  beloved  husband  and  indulgent  father. 


(AMUEL  A.  MOORE,  of  Lee  township, 
was  born  in  the  State  of  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1820.  His  father  was  William 
Moore,  a  farmer  and  blacksmith,  who  emi- 
grated from  North  Carolina  to  Indiana 
when  about  sixty  years  of  age.  He  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Monroe  county,  where  he  re- 
sided some  fifteen  years,  when  he  again  sold 


and  moved  to  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1852. 
He  died  on  his  farm  near  Kingston,  when 
about  eighty-five  years  old.  His  wife  was 
Margaret  Summers,  born  near  Baltimore,  and 
died  when  nearly  eighty  years  old.  They 
left  what  was  considered  a  good  estate  at  that 
time. 

Samuel  had  but  little  schooling,  as  there 
were  no  public  schools  where  he  was  reared. 
His  parents  had  but  a  small  farm,  but  did 
the  best  they  could  for  their  children.  He 
worked  by  the  day  and  month  for  some  years, 
and  was  married  at  twenty-six  years  of  age, 
in  Indiana,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  and 
Agnes  (Jones)  Goodnight.  They  were  farm- 
ers and  moved  to  McDonough  county,  Illi- 
nois, about  two  years  after  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Moore  came  to  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore 
started  with  no  means  when  they  were  mar- 
ried and  they  worked  rented  lands  three 
years  near  Bloomington,  the  county  seat  of 
Monroe  county.  They  then  started  with  a 
pair  of  horses,  a  covered  lumber  wagon, 
bedding,  furniture  and  clothing,  all  that 
they  could  draw  for  a  new  home.  They 
camped  nights  in  their  tent,  which  they 
brought  along.  They  drove  two  milch  cows, 
and  had  a  pleasant  journey  of  some  three 
weeks.  They  settled  in  Adams  county,  where 
they  now  have  a  good  farm  of  240  acres  and 
other  lands  there,  making  720  acres  in  this 
part  of  Illinois.  They  have  seven  living 
children:  A.  W.,  of  Chicago,  a  stock-dealer 
in  the  Exchange  building;  Elizabeth,  at  home 
with  her  parents;  Esther  Ann,  wife  of  J.  H. 
Amran,  a  farmer  of  Lee  township;  Sarah  M., 
wife  of  I.  M.  Sout,  of  Ripley,  Illinois;  Paris 
D.  is  on  the  old  homestead;  S.  D.  remains 
on  the  old  farm,  and  Mary  E.  is  still  at  home. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore,  with  most  of  the  chil- 
dren, are  professors  of  the  Christian  faith. 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


567 


Mr.  Moore  is  a  Democrat.  He  never  sought 
office,  but  was  made  Supervisor  of  the  town- 
ship, and  for  sixteen  years  a  director  of  the 
County  Agricultural  Society. 


R.  SUTHERLAND  was  born  in 
Knox  county,  Ohio.  His  father,  Joseph 
B.,  was  born  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio, 
and  his  father,  Benjamin,  married  Jane 
Beard,  of  Pennsylvania.  They  were  farmers 
and  spent  the  most  of  their  lives  in  that 
county.  Joseph  Sutherland  married,  in  Ohio, 
in  1834,  Jane,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
(Crider)  Eaton  both  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
were  married  in  Ohio,  where  the  father  died, 
in  middle  age,  and  the  mother  died  in  Little- 
ton, Illinois,  aged  fifty.  Mr.  Joseph  Suther- 
land died  in  Ohio,  aged  twenty-four,  leaving 
his  widow  and  this  one  son.  She  was  mar- 
ried again,  to  Henry  Schoonover,  of  Ohio,  by 
whom  she  had  two  children,  both  dying 
young.  They  came  to  Illinois  in  1858,  and 
settled  near  the  present  home  soon  after  com- 
ing. They  bought  140  acres  first,  paying 
$800,  and  they  have  lived  here  since,  where 
Mr.  Schoonover  died,  aged  forty-  four  years. 
Mrs.  Schoonover  and  her  son,  Henry  R. 
Sutherland,  have  added  to  the  original  pur- 
chase of  eighty  acres,  making  220.  All  of 
this,  except  twenty  acres,  is  under  good  culti- 
vation, and  these  twenty  are  in  pasture  and 
timber.  They  were  left  in  good  circum- 
stances, and  by  good  management  have 
prospered  since. 

Henry  married  Ella  R.  Pratt,  of  Licking 
county,  Ohio,  daughter  of  Hector  and  Susan 
E.  (Reed)  Pratt.  They  have  two  children: 
Twilie  D.,  born  July  3,  1887,  and  Glen  C., 
born  August  30,  1889. 


Mr.  Sutherland  has  been  a  School  Director 
for  many  years.  He  has  a  good  education, 
and  is  an  intelligent,  reading  man.  He  is  a 
Democrat.  They  have  one  a  general  farmer, 
raising  the  usual  crops,  but  he  sells  no  grain 
but  wheat.  He  has  six  cows  and  the  same 
number  of  horses,  and  fattens  forty  to  sixty 
hogs,  also  feeding  some  cattle.  They  raise  a 
great  plenty  of  orchard  and  small  fruits. 

Mrs.  Sutherland  is  a  Baptist,  and  the  whole 
family  are  greatly  esteemed  by  their  large 
circle  of  admiring  friends. 


>DAM  L.  HAGEMAN  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1857,  on  the  farm  which 
he  now  owns.  Here  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  was  educated.  His  father,  Isaac 
Hageman,  was  born  in  Schuyler  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1809,  of  English  and  Scotch 
ancestry.  His  wife  was  Susanna  Lischy, 
born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1813, 
of  German  and  Scotch  ancestry.  They  were 
married  in  1837,  in  Ohio,  and  removed  to  Illi- 
nois in  1839.  They  settled  on  the  farm 
where  their  son  now  lives  in  Monroe  precinct, 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  where  both  died,  the 
father  in  1873  and  the  mother  in  1883. 
They  had  eight  children:  Jesse,  William, 
Emanuel,  Noah,  Miller,  Adam,  Amanda  and 
Sarah.  All  the  children  except  Jesse  were 
born  on  the  old  homestead  in  Monroe  pre- 
cinct. He  was  born  in  Ohio.  Mrs.  Hageman 
was  raised  in  the  Lutheran  faith,  but  after 
marriage  she  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  with  her  husband.  Both  were  con- 
sistent members  of  that  church  at  their  death 
and  were  respected  by  all. 

Adam  bought  out  the  other  heirs  and  now 
owns  the  old  homestead.  The  farm  comprises 
acres  of  farming  land  well    adapted  to 


568 


BIOGRAPHICAL    US  VIM  W    Off    GASS, 


stock-raising.  There  are  sixty  acres  of  tim- 
ber on  the  land.  He  has  rented  the  farm  for 
live  years.  Next  year  he  purposes  moving 
his  family  to  Virginia  to  live  in  comfort  and 
ease.  He  is  a  Eepublican  in  politics. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  Jockisch  of 
Bluff  Springs,  Cass  county,  Illinois,  born 
May  20,  1865,  he  being  thirty  years  of  age. 
Her  parents  were  Charles  T.  and  Eleanora 
(Carls)  Jockisch,  who  were  very  early  settlers 
of  Bluff  Springs.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hageman 
have  been  born  four  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living:  Mary  Eleanora,  Emma  Madora, 
Eflie  Cornelia  and  a  son  who  is  yet  un- 
named. Effie  C.  is  the  one  not  living. 

Mrs.  Hageman  is  a  member'  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  and  both  she  and  her 
husband  are  worthy  people. 


fOHN  J.  BEATTY,  Sheriff  of  Cass 
county  and  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Beatty  &  Hammer,  formerly  Rearick  & 
Beatty,  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  lost  his  father  when  very 
young.  The  latter  was  of  Irish  descent  and 
died  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  was  a  miller 
by  trade.  His  mother  died  soon  after  and 
he  was  reared  by  Jacob  Rearick  and  wife, 
who  brought  him  to  Cass  county,  when  he 
was  six  years  old.  They  were  early  settlers 
of  Cass  county  and  here  they  lived  and  died, 
leaving  three  sons.  The  latter  were  very 
prominent  in  politics  for  many  years.  Mr. 
Beatty,  after  he  had  grown  up,  started  out  to 
seek  his  own  fortune,  always  with  the  love 
and  respect  of  his  foster  parents.  He  came 
to  Beardstown  in  1856,  and  afterward  spent 
some  five  years  in  Missouri,  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business.  His  present  business  is 
dealing  in  farm  implements  and  hardware. 


He  is  located  on  Main  street  and  the  present 
firm  has  been  in  business  seven  years.  The 
store  is  an  old  one  and  was  first  started  in 
the  '40s  and  has  been  considered  one  of  the 
leading  stores  of  the  city  since  it  was  started. 
Some  years  ago  he  was  elected  Mayor  and 
held  that  office  five  terms.  In  1980  he  was 
elected  Sheriff  of  the  county,  and  has  held 
this  office  with  great  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  the  people.  Being  an  ardent 
Democrat,  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
local  politics  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  the 
Congressional  conventions. 

He  was  married  in  Canton,  Missouri,  to 
Miss  Mary  Francis  Pickering,  of  Boston, 
Massachusetts.  Her  father,  John,  was  born 
in  New  England,  and  came  from  there  to 
Chicago,  and  at  one  time  was  well-known  as 
a  railroad  contractor  and  builder  and  now 
lives  retired  in  Portland.  His  wife  is  yet 
living  and  is  also  quite  old.  They  are  both 
quite  intelligent  and  are  highly  respected  by 
all  who  know  them  . 

Mrs.  Beatty  was  carefully  educated  and  is 
the  devoted  mother  of  two  bright  young 
sons,  William  P.  and  Edward  L.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Beatty  are  prominent  people  of  Beards- 
town  and  leaders  in  society.  Mr.  Beatty  is  a 
leading  Mason,  member  of  the  blue  and 
chapter  lodges  in  Beardstown. 


HO  MAS  ARMSTRONG,  a  retired 
farmer  now  residing  in  Bainbridge 
township,  was  born  in  county  Mona- 
ghan,  Ireland,  in  March,  1837.  His  father, 
Robert  Armstrong,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
county,  but  unquestionably  of  Scotch  ex- 
traction; he  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
passed  his  life  in  his  own  country.  He 
married  Jane  Crozier,  a  native  of  county 


SCHUYLER    AND    BRO'WN    COUNTIES. 


Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  a  daughter  of   William 
Crozier;  she  emigrated  to  America   in  1852, 
resided  in  the  State  of  JS  ew  York  four  years, 
and  then  came  to  Illinois,  where  she  spent  the 
remainder   of  her  days;  she  was  the  mother 
of  sixteen  children.    Thomas  Armstrong  was 
a   youth    ot  sixteen  years  when   he  came  to 
America;   he  sailed  from  Dundalk  to  Liver- 
pool, and  there  embarked  upon  an  American 
vessel;    he  landed   at  the  port  of  New  York 
after  a  voyage  of  five  weeks  and  three    days. 
He  now  fonnd  himself  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
land,  without  money.    After  a  time  he  found 
work  at  the  cabinetmaker's  trade  which  he 
followed  about  a  year  and  a  half,  and  then 
turned     his     attention     to     marble-cutting. 
Times  were  hard,  business  dull,  and  he  conld 
earn  but  little  more  than  a  living.    He  there- 
fore determined    to  emigrate  to  the    West, 
and  try  his  fortunes  on  the  frontier.     He  lo- 
cated at    Rushville,   Illinois,  and  worked  by 
the  day,  month  or  job  for  three  years.     He 
then  rented  land  for  a  time,  aad  a  little  later, 
purchased   forty    acres    in  Bainbridge  town- 
ship;   there  was  a  small  house  on  the  place, 
and  seven  acres  had  been  cleared;  this  con- 
stituted the  improvements.     Mr.  Armstrong 
lived  here  four  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  sold    at   an   advance;    he  then  bought 
seventy-five  acres    in    the    same    township, 
made  many  valuable  improvements,  occupy- 
ing the  place  two  years;  he  disposed  of  this 
farm  and  purchased  106  acres,  which  are  in- 
cluded in  his  present  farm.     He  has  erected 
a  nice  set  of  frame  buildings,  has  invested  in 
other  lands  as  his  means  increased,  and  now 
owns  285  acres.     He    was    actively  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1892,  when  he 
removed    to  the  home  he  now  occupies;  he 
erected    this    dwelling    in    1891,  and  is  sur- 
rounded   with    all    the   comforts  which   his 
years  of  industry  have  secured. 


Mr.  Armstrong  was  married,  in  1859,  to 
Catherine  Ryan,  who  was  born  in  Buena 
Vista  township,  February  1,  1840,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  and  Margaret  Ryan  (see 
sketch  of  Thomas  Ryan).  They  have  six 
children  living:  John,  Mary,  Charles,  Rob- 
ert, Samuel  and  Frank.  The  parents  are 
consistent  members  of  the  Protestant  Meth- 
odist Church.  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party.  He  is  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  and 
has  the  respect  of  the  entire  community. 


ILLIAM  SCHEWE,  a  large  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  living  in  section  5, 
range  18,  has  a  large  farm  of  160 
acres.  He  owns  in  other  parts  of  the  county 
large  amounts  of  land.  He  has  altogether 
680  acres,  mostly  in  the  Sangamon  bottoms, 
and  is  unusually  well  improved.  He  has 
lived  in  this  county  ever  since  1866.  He  has 
always  been  a  farmer  on  his  own  account 
since  1869,  having  spent  the  first  two  years 
in  Beardstown. 

He  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Prussia,  Ger- 
many, in  1839,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  country.  When  he  was  of  age 
he  set  out  for  the  United  States,  being  the 
first  of  the  family  to  come.  He  left  Bremen 
in  1859,  crossing  on  a  sailing  vessel  to 
New  Orleans,  and  thence  up  the  Missis- 
sippi river  to  St.  Louis.  After  spending 
some  years  in  the  southern  part  of  Illinois 
and  around  St.  Louis,  he  came  on  to  Beards- 
town,  and  has  since  been  a  tiller  of  the  soil 
in  Cass  county. 

He  was  joined,  some  years  after  his  coming 
to  this  country,  by  his  father,  William  Schewe, 
who  died  in  Cass  county  when  forty-four 
years  of  age.  He  had  lost  his  wife  in  Ger- 


570 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    Of    CAS8, 


many,  when  she  was  in  middle  life.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Louisa  Meyer.  She  and 
her  husband  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  all  their  lives.  Our  subject  and  a 
sister,  Mrs.  Charles  Brokemeier,  are  all  that 
are  living  of  the  children  born  to  their 
parents. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  St.  Louis 
county,  Missouri,  to  Miss  Ingra  Otschwe. 
She  was  born  and  reared  in  Prussia,  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
twenty  years  of  age,  and  since  her  marriage 
has  been  a  hard-working  woman,  and  has 
borne  her  husband  eight  children:  Anna, 
wife  of  Henry  Wette;  Louisa,  wife  of  Henry 
Merz,  a  farmer  in  this  county;  William, 
Charles,  Herman,  Minnie,  Henry  and  Emiel 
are  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schewe  are  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Schewe  is  a 
Republican. 


tAVID  C.  LINN,  who  ably  represents 
Frederick  township  on  the  County  Board 
of  Supervisors,  was  born  in  Franklin 
county,  Indiana,  March  29,  1834,  a  son  of 
John  Linn,  a  native  of  Sidney,  Ohio.  The 
father  was  a  carpenter  and  wheelwright  by 
trade,  and  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  large  spinning  and  small  flax  wheels.  He 
removed  to  Indiana  when  a  young  man,  and 
followed  his  trade  in  Franklin  county  until 
1839,  when  he  started  westward  with  his 
family,  his  objective  point  being  Illinois;  the 
entire  journey  was  made  overland,  and  after 
about  five  weeks  of  travel  he  landed  in  Adams 
county.  At  first  he  rented  land  near  Camp 
Point,  and  two  years  later  he  bought  a  tract 
of  land ;  here  he  erected  a  log  house  and  a 


shop,  and  worked  at  his  trade,  at  the  same 
time  superintending  the  cultivation  of  his 
farm.  He  made  many  valuable  improve- 
ments, and  resided  on  the  place  until  his 
death  in  1881.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Nancy  Gant;  she  now  resides  at  Camp  Point, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
David  C.  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, and  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents.  At  that 
time  Adams  county  was  sparsely  settled;  deer, 
wild  turkeys  and  other  game  abounded,  and 
the  iron  .horse  had  not  yet  penetrated  the 
frontier.  Quincy  was  the  nearest  market 
town,  and  was  the  depot  of  supplies  for  many 
miles  around. 

Dr.  Linn  received  his  early  education  in 
the  primitive  schools  which  were  taught  in 
the  log  schoolhouse.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  the 
preceptorship  of  Dr.  Ashton,  of  Cincinnati; 
he  also  attended  lectures  at  the  Eclectic 
Medical  College,  and  in  1857  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Birmingham ;  he 
had  been  there  but  a  short  time  when  he 
went  to  Plymouth,  where  he  practiced  until 
1859.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  was 
graduated  from  the  Eclectic  Medical  College 
of  Cincinnati,  and  then  located  in  Frederick 
township,  where  he  has  practiced  continu- 
ously since.  He  has  been  a  close  student  of 
his  profession,  and  has  availed  himself  of 
every  opportunity  of  improvement.  In  1883 
he  attended  a  course  of  medical  lectures  at 
Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  and  in 
1888  he  was  graduated  from  the  Ohio  Medi- 
cal College  at  Cincinnati. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1865,  Dr.  Linn 
entered  the  service  of  the  United  States,  as 
Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-eighth  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  on 
duty  until  the  following  September,  when  he 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


571 


was    honorably    discharged,    the    war    being 
ended. 

He  was  married  in  March,  1861,  to  Ada 
Folsom,  a  native  of  Illinois;  she  died  in  Au- 
gust, 1862.  The  Doctor  was  married  again 
in  1863,  to  Delia  Trnett,  of  Baltimore.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  Republican,  and  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  that  party. 
He  was  first  elected  Supervisor  in  1886,  and 
has  served  continuously  since  that  time.  He 
has  been  a  capable  and  efficient  officer,  work- 
ing always  for  the  best  interests  of  the 
county.  He  has  been  successful  in  his  pro- 
fession, and  has  a  large  and  appreciative 
practice. 


[ILLIAM  THOMAS  was  born  in  Fay- 
ette  county,  Ohio,  January  9,  1809. 
His  father  was  John,  a  Virginian, 
who  came  to  Ohio  while  the  Indians  were 
still  plentiful  on  Paint  creek.  His  first  wife 
was  Nancy  Putnam  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
died  in  early  life,  leaving  six  young  children. 
Four  years  later  he  was  married  again,  but 
she  was  drowned  about  one  year  later,  while 
trying  to  save  the  life  of  his  child.  Some 
years  later  he  was  married  again,  and  by 
this  marriage  he  had  six  children,  making  in 
all  thirteen.  He  died  at  eighty  years,  on  his 
farm.  These  children  have  all  passed  away 
but  our  subject  and  Benjamin  Thomas,  a 
farmer  in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  living  in  Iowa. 
William  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life  and 
had  very  little  schooling.  He  was  married 
in  Ohio,  to  Julia  DeWitt,  and  came  West  in 
the  fall  of  1831,  with  wife  and  one  child. 
They  came  in  a  four-horse  wagon  and  with 
three  loose  horses,  which  they  rode  part  of  the 
time.  In  good  weather  his  wife  rode  his  little 

D 

pacing  mare  and  carried  the  baby.     He  had 


very  little  money  left  when  he  crossed  the  river 
at  Beardstown.  He  took  up  a  homestead,  and, 
not  being  able  to  deed  it,  sold  out  his  im- 
provements and  then  had  enough  to  enter 
120  acres,  for  which  he  obtained  a  Govern- 
ment deed,  and  then  had  eighty  acres  under 
the  plow  and  an  orchard  and  two  good 
hewed-log  houses.  There  he  lived  from  1837 
to  1860.  He  traded  it  for  160  acres  of  his 
present  farm  and  moved  upon  it.  There  was 
an  old  log  house  into  which  he  moved  until 
he  could  build  a  good  log  house,  and  in  1866 
or  1867  he  built  a  part  of  his  present  frame 
house.  In  1882  he  built  his  good  barn,  and 
in  1884  he  built  the  frame  addition  to  his 
house.  There  is  not  a  man  living  in  this 
section  that  was  living  here  when  Mr.  Thomas 
first  came. 

Mr.  Thomas  lost  his  first  wife  in  March, 
1855,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  Dru- 
silla  Shield,  deceased;  John  M.,  deceased; 
James,  deceased ;  Sarah  C.,  a  maiden  lady  at 
home  with  her  parents;  William  A.,  a  mer- 
chant in  Cooperstown;  Peter  A.,  farmer  close 
by;  Parmelia  Ann  Gibson,  living  on  the 
homestead;  Eliza  Jane  Garnett,  in  Arkansas. 
Mr.  Thomas  was  married  again,  to  Mrs. 
Nancy  Brown,  nee  Clayton.  She  died,  aged 
seventy-eight  years,  in  1884,  after  having 
been  his  faithful  wife  for  twenty-four  years. 
He  is  a  Master  Mason  and  organized  the  Ver- 
sailles Lodge,  of  which  he  is  the  last  living 
member.  He  believes  in  moral  reform  in 
politics. 

MANUEL  LEIB,  deceased,  was  one  of 
the  most  highly  respected  farmers  of 
Schuyler  county,  and  it  is  fitting  that 
his  name  should  be  preserved  to  the  coming 
generations  as  an  honored  citizen  of  the 


572 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RRV1K*W     OF    OASS, 


great  commonwealth  of  Illinois.  He  was 
born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  August 
26,  1808,  a  son  of  Abraham  Leib,  a  native 
of  the  same  county;  the  paternal  grandfather 
spent  his  entire  life  in  York  county,  and  there 
Abraham  Leib  was  reared  to  agricultural 
pursuits;  he,  too,  remained  in  York  county 
until  the  day  of  hia  death.  He  married 
Matilda  Ziegler  of  the  same  county,  and 
she  died  on  the  homestead.  Emanuel  Leib 
grew  to  maturity,  surrounded  by  rural  scenes 
and  occupations;  he  remained  in  the  place 
where  he  was  born  until  1865,  when  he  em- 
igrated to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Rushville 
township,  Schuyler  county;  he  purchased  a 
farm  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  was  an  intelligent,  successful  farmer,  and 
developed  one  of  the  most  desirable  tracts  of 
land  in  Schuyler  county. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
Ann  Kimmel,  a  native  of  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Eliz- 
abeth (King)  Kimmel.  Three  children  were 
born  to  them:  Henry  E  ,  who  married  Addie 
Wells,  is  a  resident  of  Chicago;  Alice  Leota, 
a  stenographer,  is  also  in  Chicago;  and  John 
Robert  resides  with  his  mother. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Leib 
remained  on  the  farm  for  three  years,  man- 
aging it  with  marked  success;  in  1890,  how- 
ever, she  rented  the  land,  and  is  now  making 
her  home  in  Rushville. 


?W.    ORWIG,  of    the   firm    of    Orwig 
Brothers,  successful  house  painters  of 
9  Beardstown,  is  one  of  the   prominent 
men  of  the  city.     The  firm  employs  from  two 
to  ten  men  and  are  noted  for  the  excellence  of 
their  work.     They  make  a  speciality  of  fine 
graining.     The   firm    includes  J.  W.  and  a 


brother,  George.  They  have  been  doing 
business  under  the  present  firm  name  for  the 
past  twenty-two  years:  formerly  the  firm  was 
known  as  William  D.  Orwig  &  Sons.  Mr. 
Orwig  started  the  business  as  early  as  1857. 
He  was  engaged  in  business  with  them  as 
journeymen  workmen  for  two  years,  coming 
to  Beardstown  in  1867.  Here  he  died  in 
1875,  aged  sixty-three.  He  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  parents. 
He  grew  up  in  his  native  State,  following  in 
his  trade  of  distiller,  and  was  yet  a  young  man 
when  he  .came  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Morgan 
county.  Here  he  was  married  to  Jane  Whipp 
born  in  Yorkshire,  England.  She  emigrated 
to  this  country  with  her  parents,  settling  in 
Morgan  county  in  the  '30s.  Mrs.  Orwig 
remained  with  her  parents  until  her  marriage, 
and  she  made  her  husband  a  most  faithful 
wife  until  his  death. 

For  some  time  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Orwig  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in 
Morgan  county,  but  later  went  to  Rushville, 
Schuyler  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  same  business  for  a  time.  In  1857  he 
entered  the  painter's  trade,  having  learned 
his  trade  in  Sandusky,  Ohio.  He  was  a 
good  citizen  and  his  loss  was  felt  by  all  who 
knew  him.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics 
from  the  formation  of  the  party.  He  was  a 
sound  friend  and  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's, having  formed  his  acquaintance  while 
he,  Mr.  Orwig,  was  a  clerk  in  the  treasury 
department  at  Springfield.  His  wife  is  still 
living  with  her  son,  George  L.,  at  Beardstown 
and,  although  she  is  in  her  seventy-first  year 
she  is  very  active  for  her  years  and  is  a  devoted 
Methodist  and  a  good  Christian  woman.  Her 
husband  was  of  the  same  religious  faith. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  namely:  Lizzie,  wife  of  John 
Shaw,  retired  farmer  of  Beardstown;  Mary, 


SCHUYLER    AN£>    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


573 


wife  of  Charles  Fulks,  wholesale  grocer  of 
Peoria,  Illinois;  Rosa  I.,  wife  of  Milton  Mc- 
Clure  of  Beardstown;  J.  W.,  born  in  Rush- 
ville,  Illinois,  November  12,  1845,  and 
George. 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in 
this  city  and  was  married  here  to  Ann  Sum- 
mers of  Rochester,  New  York,  born  in  1869. 
She  came  to  Beardstown  when  young  with 
her  parents.  They  are  still  living  in  this 
place  and  are  past  middle  life.  They  are 
well  known  and  highly  respected  people. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orwig  are  parents  of  one 
child:  Charles  William.  The  are  prominent 
young  married  people  and  are  gre.atly  liked 
by  their  large  circle  of  frie.ncjs. 


§EWIS  DIMMER  is  nqw  retired  from  act- 
ive labor  as  a  farmer  and  is  living  at  the 
corner,  of  Jefferson  and  Twelfth  streets 
in  Beardstown.  He  was  born  in  Frankfort- 
on-the-Maiu  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  July  28, 
1819.  He  came  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  parents, 
his  father,  John  Zimmer  being  a  German 
farmer  in,  a  small  way  and  died  when  ninety- 
two  years  of  age.  He  was  an  active  old  man 
to  the  last,  and  when  seventy-five  thought 
nothing  qf  walking  twelve  miles.  He  was  a 
tried  and  loyal  soldier  and  served  his  country 
for  six  years  as  one.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Margaret  Snyder,  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty,  at  the  same  place  as  her  husband.  She 
came  of  a  long  lived-family.  They  were  both 
members  of  the  State  Church  of  Hesse- 
Darmstadt. 

Lewis  is  the  youngest,  but  one  of  nine 
children  born  to  his  parents.  Several  of  the 
family  are  still  living  and  married,  but  Lewis  is 
the  only  one  who  came  to  the  United  States. 
He  grew  up  on  the  farm  in  his  native  country 

88 


and  after  he  became  of  age  he  enlisted  as 
a  soldier  in  the  regular  Germany  army,  serv- 
ing six  years;  when  he  received  his  honorable 
discharge  he  came  to  the  United  States,  leav- 
ing in  August,  1846.  He  sailed  from  France 
on  a  three-mast  sailing  vessel,  landing  in  New 
York  city  after  thirty-one  days'  passage.  He 
came  thence  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  locat- 
ing fourteen  miles  west  of  that  city  and  be- 
gan life  in  the  new  country  as  a  day  laborer, 
After  about  three  years  he  came  to  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  through  the  influence  of  a 
German  friend  who  lived  there.  Here  he 
has  lived  ever  since.  He  has  a  nice  farm  of 
200  acres,  a  good  portion  of  which  is  well 
improved  and  the  soil  is  as  fine  as  any  in  the 
county.  The  farm  lies  against  Bluff  Springs, 
in,  the  valley  of  the  same  name.  He  came  to 
the  county  a  poor  man,  renting  his  fann,  but 
in  1859  he  purchased  sixty-eight  acres  and  on 
this  began  to  farm  on  his  own  account.  He 
added  to  this  original  farm  until  he  had  ac- 
cumulated a  tine  property  and  fortune,  and 
this  without  assistance  from  anybody  but  his 
faithful  wife. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown  to  Mrs. 
Catharine  Price,  nee  Keil.  She  was  born  in 
Hesse- Darmstadt  and  after  growing  up  was 
married  to  Conrad  Price,  a  gentleman  of  the 
same  province.  After  marriage  Mr.  Price 
with  his  parents  and  young  wife  came,  in 
1845,  from  Bremen  to  Baltimore  and  thence 
to  Beardstown,  Illinois,  and  here  a  few  years 
later  he  died  very  suddenly  from  paralysis, 
leaving  his  widow  with  quite  a  family,  two 
sons  who  are  now  grown  up  arid  prosperous, 
Henry  and  John.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Price 
died  in  Beardstown  when  old  people,  their 
names  were  Conrad  and  Catherine  (Shelman) 
Price.  They  were  both  natives  of  Hesse- 
Darmstadt  and  were  all  Lutherans. 


574 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zimmer  are  the  parents  of 
two  children:  Lewis,  Jr.  (see  biography),  and 
Margaret,  wife  of  Theo.  Krohe,  an  implement 
dealer  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Zimmer  moved  into  the  city  in  1888 
and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  early 
labors.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 


kOBERT  LITTLE  was  born  in  county 
Tyrone,  Ireland,  August  8,  1808.  He 
was  the  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Cro- 
zier)  Little,  who  were  both  born  in  Ireland, 
where  he  died,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  but 
she,  surviving,  came  to  Pittsburg,  where 
she  died,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 
William  L.  came  to  this  country  in  1831,  in 
a  sailing  vessel,  Captain  Haines,  command- 
ing. They  were  nearly  six  weeks  on  the  trip 
and  first  landed  at  Quebec,  Canadas  and  re- 
mained there  that  summer.  He  worked  in 
Queen  Victoria's  works  for  about  three 
months  at  dry  masonry,  and  he  was  injured 
there  by  a  large  stone  falling  upon  him  which 
laid  him  up  for  about  two  months.  He  seems 
to  have  had  a  good  deal  of  sickness  and  mis- 
fortune, and  it  was  not  until  that  fall  that  he 
was  able  to  go  to  Eastern  Canada,  where  he 
worked  for  two  years.  The  next  spring  he 
came  to  Pennsylvania,  and  went  into  a  boot 
and  shoe  store  with  his  uncle.  He  left  Canada 
against  the  wishes  of  the  English  company 
by  whom  he  was  employed,  who  offered  to 
make  him  an  officer  and  deed  him  a  large 
tract  of  land.  He  remained  in  Pennsylvania 
twelve  to  fifteen  years,  engaged  for  the  most 
part  in  superintending  the  construction  of 
railroads. 

He  was  married  the  day  before  he  left  Ire- 
land, and  his  wife  came  with  him.     He,  his 


wife  and  eight  children  left  Pittsburg  for 
Illinois  via  St.  Louis  and  Fredericktown, 
and  from  there  came  to  Rushville.  In  1844 
he  rented  a  farm  for  three  years,  and  then 
bought  a  farm  of  partly  improved  land  in 
Littleton  township.  The  next  spring  he 
moved  to  this  farm,  into  a  little  log  house 
about  ready  to  tumble  down.  The  next  year 
he  built  a  substantial  log  house,  and  then 
built  a  frame  addition  and  otherwise  improved 
the  entire  house.  He  has  now  over  600  acres 
of  fine  land  and  two  houses,  and  several  lo<s 
in  Littleton.  About  eleven  years  ago  he  re- 
tired from  farm  work,  and  rented  his  land  to 
his  boys.  His  wife  was  named  Eliza  Cun- 
ningham, was  born  in  1814,  on  the  estate  of 
Lord  Mt.  Joy,  in  Tyrone  county,  Ireland, 
Easter  Monday.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Henry  Cunningham,  who  came  to  Quebec, 
and  the  father,  who  was  pensioner  of  the  Brit- 
ish army,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty,  and  his 
wife  at  the  age  of  sixty-five. 

Mr.  Little's  wife  died  in  1890,  at  home 
where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Little  had 
ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  yet  living. 


EORGE  E.  RICHARDSON  of  Elkhorn 
township  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mis 
squri,  in  J.846.  He  was  the  son  of  Rob- 
ert H.  and  Sophia  (Armbrewster)  Richard- 
son. He  carne  with  his  parents  to  Illinois 
when  a  boy,  and  before  he  was  of  age  went 
on  the  river  and  learned  to  be  an  engineer 
and  followed  that  business  until  1864,  when 
he  died.  His  father's  family  were  farmers 
and  mechanics. 

George  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  old,  having  remained  at  school 
until  fourteen.  He  entered  an  office  in  St. 
Louis  as  shipping  clerk,  and  afterward  came 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


575 


to  this  county  and  settled  in  JVIt.  Pleasant, 
and  worked  for  an  uncle  one  year  on  a  farm. 
He  then  took  to  running  a  portable  sawmill. 
Since  then  he  has  farmed  and  continued  his 
business  in  the  sawmill.  He  has  been  As- 
sessor and  Collector,  and  is  now  a  Democrat, 
although  he  first  voted  the  Republican  ticket. 
He  was  married  April  22,  1875,  to  Miss 
Martha  J.  Gerrish,  who  was  born  in  this 
county  April  9,  1854.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Sewall  and  Elizabeth  (Grove)  Gerrish.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Richardson  have  five  children, 
namely:  Otis  E.,  Josie  L.,  Sewall  H.,  George 
Everett  and  Nina  L.  Mr.  Richardson  and 
family  are  prominent  people  in  the  township 
and  they  are  steady  church-going  people. 


,ENRY  Y.  NEWBOLD,  now  deceased, 
was  born  in  Lippe-Detmold,  Prussia, 
Germany,  September  22,  1828.  He 
came  of  a  respectable  family  and  his  mother 
died  in  her  native  province  when  he  was  eight 
years  fid.  His  father,  Henry,  who  was  a 
small  German  farmer,  came  with  his  four 
children,  in  1850,  to  New  York  city,  and 
from  thence  to  Stephenson  county,  Illinois, 
where  they  all  settled  for  a  time,  and  where 
a  part  remained.  The  father  continued  there 
with  one  of  his  eons  until  his  death.  He  and 
his  wife  were  Lutherans  all  their  lives. 

Henry  Y.  came  to  .Beardstown  in  ^854,  and 
two  years  later  was  married,  and  after  a  few 
years  purchased  a  good  farm,  five  miles  east 
of  Beardstown,  where  he  lived  and  died.  He 
was  a  practical  farmer,  improved  his  land 
nicely,  put  up  a  tine  residence  and  good  out- 
buildings. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned 
152  acres  of  good,  improved  land  in  the  bot- 
toms. He  was  a  much  respected  citizen  arid 
a  working  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


His  wife,  who  still  survives  him,  and  is 
managing  the  farm  with  remarkable  success, 
is  a  very  capable  woman.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Mary  Mohlman,  and  she  was  born  in 
Westphalia,  Prussia,  September  25,  1838. 
She  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  her  parents 
came  to  the  United  States  and  to  Beardstown. 
There  the  father,  Henry  Mohlman,  died,  be- 
ing nearly  sixty  years  old.  He  was  a  good 
mechanic  and  operated  a  large  planing- mill, 
and  also  did  business  as  a  merchant.  He  was 
a  well-known  and  worthy  citizen,  a  Repub- 
lican, and  an  active  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  His  wife  is  yet  living,  and  bears 
her  eighty  years  as  well  as  can  be  expected. 
She  has  always  been  a  consistent  Lutheran. 

Mrs.  Newbold  lived  with  her  parents  until 
her  marriage.  She  is  the  mother  of  six 
intelligent  children,  all  living:  Henry  A.,  a 
farmer  of  Christian  county,  Illinois,  married 
to  Phoebe  Livergood;  Ellen,  wife  of  Herman 
Drawer,  a  farmer  of  Christian  county  ; 
Charles,  also  a  farmer,  married  Amelia  Tribs- 
water;  William  runs  his  father's  old  farm  5 
Emma  is  the  wife  of  Parker  Hammer  and 
Lily  M.,  a  charming  young  lady,  is  at  home 
with  her  mother.  The  children  are  all  well 
educated,  and  are,  highly  respected  through* 
out  this  county. 


MASA  HILL  was  born  two  and  a 
half  miles  from  Friendship,  Allegany 
county,  New  York,  July  1,  1830.  His 
grandfather  Hill,  a  pioneer  of  Allegany 
county,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation,  died  in 
1832.  His  father,  Nathaniel  Hill,  was  born 
in  Delaware  county,  New  York;  removed 
from  there  to  Allegany  county,  bought  a  tract 
of  timber  land,  and  from  the  wilderness  de- 
veloped a  farm.  He  spent  his  life  there,  and 


576 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASH, 


died  in  1838.  The  maiden  name  of  the  wife 
of  Nathaniel  Hill  and  the  mother  of  Amasa 
was  Ehoda  Tiffney.  She  was  born  in  Dela- 
ware county,  New  York,  daughter  of  Horace 
Tiffney.  She  came  to  Illinois,  and  died  at 
the  home  of  her  son,  Amasa,  in  1875.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hill  reared  four  children:  Chancey, 
Horace,  Mary  and  Amasa.  Chancey  now 
lives  at  Fredericktown,  Knox  county,  Ohio. 
Horace  and  Mary  are  deceased. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  attended  the 
primitive  schools  of  Allegany  county,  which 
were  held  in  log  soho.olhonses,  with  greased 
paper  for  windows  and  the  seats  made  of 
slabs  with  wooden  pins  for  legs.  When  he 
was  nine  years  old  his  mother  sold  the  farm, 
his  father  having  died  the  previous  year,  and 
emigrated  to  Ohio,  the  western  journey  being 
made  in  a  two-horse  w^gon.  They  settled  in 
Knox  county.  There  were  no  railroads  in 
Ohio  then,  and  the  people  lived  off  the  prod- 
ucts of  their  farms  and  wild  game.  The 
mother  bought  fifty  acres  of  land,  eight  miles 
from  Mount  Vernon,  and  there  Amasa  Hill 
was  reared  to  manhood.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  began  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world,  starting  out  from  hom.e  with  all  his 
possessions  tied  up  in  a  handkerchief.  He  went 
to  Fredericktown,  and  there  served  a  three 
years'  apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  wagon 
and  carriage  maker.  After  learning  his  trade 
he  did  journeyman  work  there  one  year.  In 
1846  he  came  to  Illinois,  landing  in  Cass 
county,  September  20.  He  found  employ- 
ment in  a  carriage  shop  at  Beardstown,  where 
he  worked  four  years.  He  then  started  in 
business  in  company  with  Richard  Miller, 
and  together  they  conducted  a  carriage  shop 
four  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  and 
his  brother,  Horace,  bought  a  farm  and  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  They  farmed 
together  till  the  latter's  death,  April  13, 


1877.     Since  then  Mr.  Hill  has  operated  it 
alone. 

He  was  married,  in  1850,  to  Mary  A. 
Streeter,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
August  11,  1832,  daughter  of  Andrew  J.  and 
Diana  Streeter.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  had 
three  children:  Chancey,  Amanda  and  Will- 
iam. Chancey  married  Lucy  Schaeffer,  and 
Amanda  is  the  wife  of  J.  Theirget,  and  has 
one  child,  Nettie.  Mrs.  Hill  died  Decem- 
ber 3,  1885.  She  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  her 
children  are  also  members. 


NGLEBERT  CRAMER,  farmer  on 
section  33,  township  18,  range  11,  was 
born  in  Beardstown,  November  7,  1856. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  iu  his  native 
city.  He  is  the  son  of  Jacob  H.  Cramer,  a 
native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  who  came  to 
America  when  a  young,  single  man.  He  set 
sail  from  Bremen,  on  a  sailing  vessel,  and 
after  a  long  and  stormy  passage  he  "landed 
in  this  country,  and  coming  up  the  Missis- 
sippi river  he  located  at  Beardstown,  Illinois. 
This  was  in  the  spring  of  1848.  He  was  a 
cabinetmaker,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  ob- 
taining work,  as  he  was  a  skilled  workman. 
He  later  engaged  as  mechanic,  and  house- 
builder,  and  carpenter.  He  was  thus  engaged 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  at  his  home 
in  Beardstown,  in  1874,  when  he  was  fifty- 
four  years  of  age,  having  been  born  in  1820. 
He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  a  good  substantial  citizen.  He 
was  married  in  Beardstown,  to  Charlotte 
Frankle,  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  coming 
to  this  country  with  a  sister.  They  settled 
in  St.  Louis,  where  they  remained  for  a  time 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


577 


She  was  a  true  wife  and  good  mother,  and  a 
worthy  woman,  dying  in  1888,  being  about 
sixty  years  of  age.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
She  was  the  mother  of  ten  children,  seven 
yet  living,  three  of  them  being  married. 

Englebert  grew  to  manhood  in  this  county. 
He  has  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres,  which  lies 
in  the  Illinois  valley,  and  is  well  improved. 
He  has  good  buildings  on  it,  and  also  very 
good  stock.  He  is  a  practical  farmer,  and  a 
good  manager. 

He  was  married  to  Paulina  M.  Hackman, 
born  in  this  county,  in  1858,  where  she  was 
reared  and  educated.  She  is  a  very  intelli- 
gent woman  and  good  housekeeper.  She  has 
proved  herself  a  kind  and  devoted  wife  and 
mother.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  fl.  and 
Louisa  (Jockisch)  Hackman.  Mr.  Hackman 
was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  when  thirteen  years  old 
with  his  parents,  John  E.  and  Mary  E.  (Stn- 
ben)  Hackman.  The  family  located  in  Cass 
county,  in  the  early  '40s.  They  bought  a 
farm  on  which  the  father  died  soon  afterward, 
and  the  mother  some  years  later.  John  Hack- 
man was  reared  to  manhood  on  a  farm  in 
this  county,  and  was  married  here.  After 
marriage  he  purchased  land  in  township  17, 
range  11  (which  is  the  home  of  our  subject) 
and  here  Mr.  Hackman  and  wife  worked  and 
built  up  a  fine  home  and  large  farm  of  320 
acres  in  one  body,  and  here  they  both  died, 
the  former  April  18,  1874,  aged  fifty.  He 
was  a  prominent  man,  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  was  one  of  the  builders  and  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Zion  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  His  wife  died  July  26,  1877. 
She  was  born  in  this  county,  in  1837.  (For 
full  biography  of  her  family  see  history  of 
William  Jockisch).  She  was  a  kind  and  good 
neighbor,  a  worthy  wife  and  mother,  and  a 


member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
She  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  yet  liv- 
ing. 

Mrs.  Cramer  is  the  eldest;  Frank  J.  R.,  a 
farmer  in  this  county,  married  Rosa  Wag- 
oner; Lydia  C.,  wife  of  Henry  Sitter,  now  a 
farmer  in  Petersburg,  Illinois;  Julius  H.  is 
single  and  lives  with  his  brother,  Frank. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cramer  have  four  children: 
Louisa  B.,  Jacob  H.,  Julius  W.  and  Engle- 
bert Ci  Mr.  Cramer  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  takes  a  very  prominent  part  in  politics, 
having  held  all  of  the  precinct  offices.  He 
and  his  wife  are  leading  people  in  the  county. 


H.  DRUSE,  passenger  and  freight 
agent  at  Beardstown  for  the  Chi- 
cago;  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road since  1886,  was  born  in  Henry  county, 
Illinois  and  was  reared,  educated  and  has  al- 
ways lived  in  this  State.  His  father  lived  on 
a  farm  when  he  was  born  and  reared  in  that 
calling;  later  he  learned  the  trade  of  a 
carrriage  painter,  but  after  pursuing  the 
trade  for  a  short  time  he  found  it  was  not 
congenial  and  so  did  not  continue  it.  He 
then  entered  into  the  employ  of  the  railroad. 
Since  then  he  has  been  successful  and  has 
saved  part  of  his  income,  with  which  he  has 
purchased  various  pieces  of  real  estate:  in 
this  is  the  valuable  farm  in  Clay  county  of 
160  acres.  It  was  uncultivated  when  he  pur- 
chased it,  but  he  has  improved  it  until  it  is 
one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county.  He  has 
put  a  good  farm  house  and  farm  building  on 
it  and  has  planted  a  large  number  of  fine  trees. 
Mr.  Druse  comes  of  Eastern  people,  his 
parents  being  from  Kentucky.  His  father, 
Stephen  Druse,  was  a  farmer  in  Illinois  and 
finally  ended  his  days  with  his  son  in  Leland, 


578 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


Illinois.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Driggs,  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home 
with  Mr.  Druse.  She  is  now  an  old  lady  and 
holds  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  She  has  only  live  living  children, 
all  of  whom,  excepting  Mr.  Druse,  are  resi- 
dents of  Nebraska. 

Mr.  Druse  came  to  Beardstown  in  1882  and 
has  not  lost  at  single  day  since  from  the  pur- 
suit of  his  duty.  He  has  exclusive  charge 
of  the  passenger  and  freight  depots  and  has 
always  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  trust 
imposed  in  him.  There  are  from  twelve  to 
twenty-five  men  under  him  all  the  time.  He 
is  a  popular  young  man  in  his  city  and  has 
the  confidence  of  his  employers.  He  has  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  his  business  and  is  a 
man  of  good  habits.  When  he  first  came 
to  the  city  he  was  clerk  and  night  agent  for 
the  Quincy  Railroad  until  1886.  He  was 
also  connected  with  the  main  line,  with  head- 
quarters at  Leland  for  some  time.  When  he 
was  first  employed  he  was  the  youngest  man 
in  the  employ  of  the  road. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown,  to  Miss 
Bertha  Boehme  of  Williamsville,  Illinois.  She 
was  yet  young  when  her  parents  came  to 
Beardstown  and  here  she  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated. Her  father,  Julius  Boehme,  was  a  na- 
ive of  Germany  who  settled  in  Illinois  and 
was  engaged  as  a  mechanic  until  his  death. 
His  wife  followed  her  husband  some  years 
afterward  and  was  about  the  same  age  when 
she  died.  Her  maiden  name  was  Anna  Phil- 
lipi  and  she  also  was  a  native  of  Germany. 
She  came  to  this  country  with  her  husband 
and  they  became  pioneers  of  Beardstown. 
Here  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days. 
They  were  people  quite  well  known  to  the 
people  of  this  city  and  county  and  can  be 
properly  associated  with  the  history  of  this 
place. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Druse  have  a  close  social  re- 
lation with  the  better  class  of  Beardstown  so- 
ciety, and  are  prosperous,  progressive  young 
people  who  will  make  life  a  success.  They  ad- 
here to  the  moral  principles  of  life,  but  hold 
to  no  church  creed.  Mr.  Druse  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  but  is  no  oince  seeker.  He  is  an 
active  worker  for  the  principles  of  his  party 
in  a  local  way.  He  is  a  working  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  Cass  Lodge,  No.  23,  and 
takes  a  live  interest  in  public  matters  tending 
to  benefit  the  city  and  county. 


fAMES  L.  GREEK,  who  was  for  more 
than  twenty  years  the  popular  landlord 
of  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  Rushville, 
was  born  near  Five  Mile  Town,  county  Ty- 
rone, Ireland,  January  14,  1820,  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Catherine  (Lendrum)  Greer.  (See 
sketch  of  George  Greer.)  He  was  a  lad  of 
nine  years  when  his  parents  left  the  beautiful 
Emerald  Isle  and  crossed  the  sea  to  America. 
When  thirteen  years  of  age  he  was  sent  to 
sea  as  a  cabin  boy  on  a  cruising  vessel,  mak- 
ing the  principal  ports  of  both  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  coasts.  A  portion  of  the  time  he 
was  drillmaster,  and  after  seven  years  he 
was  discharged  as  an  able-bodied  seaman. 

In  1841  he  removed  to  Rushville  and  there 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brooms  for  a 
few  years.  During  the  war  he  was  engaged 
in  buying  horses  under  contract  from  the 
Government.  Previous  to  the  war  he  had 
bought  a  farm  in  Littleton  township,  on  which 
he  resided  until  1869,  when  he  sold  out  and 
came  to  Rushville.  He  purchased  the  prop- 
perty  which  has  been  used  as  a  hotel,  and  be- 
came the  proprietor  of  a  hotel  which  he  man- 
aged with  rare  ability;  he  had  a  large  and  en- 
thusiastic patronage,  and  a  reputation  that 
reached  as  far  as  his  guests  traveled. 


8CHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


579 


Mr.  Greer  WEB  married  in  1841,  to  Nancy 
Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Nelson  county, 
Kentucky,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  M.  and  Jane 
(Hawley)  Wilson.  Six  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  who  are  still  living:  Em- 
ily, now  Mrs.  McCreery,  Robert,  George, 
Charles  and  Milton.  Robert  and  Charles  are 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Kear- 
ney, Nebraska;  George  is  a  carpenter,  and  Mil- 
ton is  in  the  livery  business  at  Rashville. 
Mr.  Greer  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  assisted  in 
organizing  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  class 
in  Littleton,  and  aided  very  materially  in  the 
building  of  the  church.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  has  always  been  a  devoted  worker 
in  the  cause  of  the  Master.  He  is  a  man  of 
excellent  traits,  and  has  the  respect  of  all  who 
know  him. 


|EV.  JOHN  W.  HAYES,  general  farmer 
on  section  7,  township  17,  range  ll, 
was  born  in  Clark  county,  Missouri,  but 
was  reared  in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  He 
is  the  son  of  George  W.  Hayes,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  own  cousin  of  ex-President 
Hayes.  His  mother  was  a  relation  of  J.  Q. 
Adams.  Mr.  George  Hayes  came  to  Indi- 
ana when  a  young  man,  and  followed  his  trade 
of  general  mechanic  and  cooper  carpenter. 
Here  he  was  married  to  Martha  Finer,  of 
Jennings  county.  Here  he  lived  for  a  few 
years,  and  then  moved  to  Missouri,  coming 
to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  in  1862,  and 
began  life  as  a  farmer.  Later  he  settled  in 
Rushville,  and  there  the  wife  and  mother 
died,  in  1886,  when  in  middle  life.  Mr. 
Hayes  still  lives  in  Rushville,  and  is  sixty- 
six  years  of  age.  He  is  a  Methodist,  as  is  his 


wife.  He  was  a  Democrat,  He  has  three 
living  children:  Nancy,  wife  of  Mr.  Lee  of 
Rushville;  L.  Jennie,  wife  of  M.  B.  Woods, 
living  at  Havana,  Illinois,  and  John  W. 

John  W.  Hayes  has  been  in  this  place 
only  a  short  time,  formerly  living  in  Schuy- 
ler county,  Illinois,  where  he  had  lived  the 
most  of  his  life  after  he  was  five  years  old. 

He  was  married  in  Schuyler  county,  to 
Annie  Horton,  who  bore  him  no  children. 
He  was  married  a  second  time,  in  Cass 
county,  to  Mrs.  Martha  E.  Buck,  nee  Wegle, 
born  in  Cass  county,  where  she  has  since 
lived.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Jeptha  and 
Phebe  (Tood)  Wegle,  natives  of  Kentucky, 
where  they  were  reared  and  married.  They 
came  to  Illinois  in  the  '30s  and  settled  in 
Brown  county.  Later  they  came  to  Cass 
county,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  where  Mr. 
Wegle  died,  in  1861,  in  middle  life,  being 
born  in  1812.  He  was  a  farmer,  a  Republi- 
can, and  a  member  of  the  Union  Baptist 
Church.  His  wife  makes  her  home  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  John  Hayes.  She  is  quite 
old,  being  born  in  1812.  She  is  a  Baptist, 
and  was  the  mother  of  twelve  children.  Mrs. 
Hayes  is  the  youngest  of  the  nine  now  living, 
all  married  with  families. 

Mrs,  Hayes  was  married  for  the  first  time 
in  Cass  county,  to  Stephen  D.  Buck,  who  was 
born  on  the  farm  he  lived  to  own  and  im- 
prove. Here  he  died,  September  16,  1890. 
He  was  then  fifty-seven  years  old,  being  born 
of  a  family  of  pioneers,  who  came  here  at  an 
early  date  from  North  Carolina.  Mr.  Buck 
was  a  kind  husband  and  a  good  citizen,  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  but  not  an  office  seeker. 
He  was  the  father  of  ten  children,  two  de- 
ceased. Those  living  are:  Flora,  wife  of  Elza 
Merrot,  of  Cass  county,  a  farmer;  Julius  H. 
works  for  a  farmer  in  this  county;  Ste- 
phen D.  and  Ella,  at  home.  Edith  M.,  Lillian 


580 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS 8, 


M.,  and  Walter  A.  are  triplets,  and  are  bright 
healthy  children.  Mr.  Hayes  is  a  minister 
of  the  Church  of  God,  and  has  been  the 
pastor  of  the  church  for  several  years.  He 
is  a  forcible  speaker,  and  prominent  minister. 
His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Both  are  worthy  people. 


|EORGE  W.  BARNEYCASTLE,  Alder- 
man of  the  First  Ward,  Beardstown, 
and  blacksmith  for  the  Quincy  railroad, 
was  born  in  Bertie  county,  North  Carolina, 
October  1,  1844.  His  father,  George  W. 
Barneycastle  was  born  and  spent  all  his  life 
in  Bertie  county.  He  spent  his  life  in  farm- 
ing, and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
His  wife  died  when  little  George  was  twelve 
years  old.  At  the  death  of  his  mother,  little 
George  was  taken  by  an  uncle  and  aunt,  James 
and  Sarah  Wilson,  and  taken  by  them  to  Cass 
county,  Illinois.  They  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Arenzville  precinct.  Here  George  was 
raised  and  his  uncle  and  aunt  lived  and  died. 
He  learned  his  trade  in  Beardstown  under  the 
oldest  firm  in  the  city,  John  Webb  &  Co., 
and  completed  his  trade  a  little  before 
he  was  twenty-one.  He  then  tried  his  hand 
at  farm  ing  for  three  years,  but  finally  entered 
the  Quincy  shops,  and  has  since  been  engaged 
there.  He  has  been  on  their  pay  rolls  ever 
since  1878. 

When  George  was  eighteen,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  Third  Illinois  Cavalry,  Captain 
Samuel  Shelenberger  in  command.  They 
went  as  a  regiment  to  the  front  in  1864,  and 
engaged  in  many  small  battles  in  the  Cum- 
berland mountains  and  Mississippi,  under 
General  Hatch.  After  serving  fry  about  one 
year  he  was  mustered  out  at  Snelling,  Min- 
nesota, October  20,  1865.  He  escaped  un- 


hurt and  was  never  captured.  He  was  always 
on  duty  and  never  was  sick.  Since  the  war 
he  has  lived  in  Beardstown  most  of  the  time 
and  has  been  an  enterprising  citizen.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  McLane  Post,  97, 
also  a  member  of  the  subordinate  lodge  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  and  is  Past  Grand  Commander, 
having  filled  all  the  chairs.  He  takes  an  act- 
ive part  in  local  politics  and  serves  his  party, 
Democratic,  in  a  very  proficient  manner.  He 
has  been  closely  associated  with  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  city. 

He  was  married  in  this  city,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Dengler  of  Schnylkill  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  in  1845.  She  came  West  with 
her  parents  when  very  young,  the  family  set- 
tling in  Bath,  Mason  county.  Her  father 
and  mother  died  when  quite  old,  Mr.  Deng- 
ler being  an  engineer. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barneycastle  attend  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Mrs. 
Barneycastle  is  a  member.  They  have  three 
children  besides  the  one  child,  William,  who 
died  when  young.  The  living  children  are: 
Lillie  M.,  a  type-writer  in  the  office  of  the 
"  Star  of  the  West;"  Clyde,  at  home. 


|OBERT  ANDERSON,  the  capable  and 
enterprising  manager  of  the  lumber 
business  of  J.  S.  &  G.  S.  Russell,  and  a 
popular  citizen  of  Ashland,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland.  December  22, 
1842.  His  parents  were  William  and  Mar- 
tha (Kimpston)  Anderson,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  county  Tyrone,  where  they 
were  married  and  where  all  of  their  children 
were  born.  In  1847,  they  came  to  America, 
and  located  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
where  both  parents  afterward  died.  This 
worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 


SCRUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


581 


dren,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  first  son.  Jane,  the  first  in  order  of  birth, 
died  in  young  womanhood,  in  Philadelphia; 
next  in  order  was  our  subject;  Kate,  the  third 
cl;ild,  resides  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania; 
Sarah,  now  Mrs.  Finley,  lives  in  Philadelphia 
where  her  husband  is  a  carpet  manufacturer; 
Willie  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  but  died  in 
infancy. 

Mr.  Anderson  lived  with  his  maternal 
grandfather  in  Ireland,  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  when,  in  June,  1865,  he 
came  to  Philadelphia.  He  remained  in  the 
city  of  Brotherly  Love  until  the  fall  of  1872, 
and  was,  in  the  meantime,  on  May  2, 1868, 
married  there,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Lucas,  who 
was  born  in  his  native  county,  in  Ireland, 
and  who  had  been  a  schoolmate  of  his  in  the 
beautiful  Emerald  Isle,  in  which  country  her 
parents  spent  their  entire  lives. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Anderson  came  to  Jackson- 
ville, Illinois,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Russell  Brothers,  with  whom  he  has  been 
connected  ever  since.  In  1876,  he  started 
the  business  in  Ashland,  which  he  now  oper- 
ates, which  is  the  only  lumber-yard  in  that 
city,  and  they  enjoy  a  large  and  lucrative 
trade.  The  entire  management  of  this  large 
enterprise  is  vested  in  Mr.  Anderson's  hands. 
It  is  he  who  pays  the  men,  does  all  the  col- 
lecting, and  handles  all  the  money,  and  is,  in 
fact,  a  trusted  employee,  whose  integrity  is 
unimpeachable  and  his  faithfulness  unsur- 
passed. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  four  children: 
Robert  L.,  twenty-four  years  of  age  and  unmar- 
ried, is  the  manager  of  a  lumber  business  in 
Virginia,  Illinois;  Henrietta,  is  the  wife  of 
Ferdinand  L.  Strawn,  a  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful young  farmer  near  Jacksonville,  Illi- 
nois, to  whom  she  was  married  January  6, 
1892;  Sarah  E.  and  Willie  Johnson  are  still 


under  the  parental  roof:  the  former,  now  past 
eighteen  years  of  age,  is  an  efficient  teacher 
in  the  public  schools  of  Sangamon  county; 
the  latter  is  employed,  during  vacation,  about 
the  lumber-yard  or  on  the  farm  belonging  to 
the  Russell  Brothers.  All  of  the  children 
have  had  excellent  educational  opportunities 
in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Ashland. 
Robert  L.,  the  oldest  son,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Jacksonville  Business  College,  and  Henrietta 
graduated  in  music  at  the  Jacksonville  Con- 
servatory of  Music,  and  taught  that  beautiful 
art  in  Ashland  for  several  years,  being  .very 
successful. 

In  his  political  affiliations,  Mr.  Anderson 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  advocating  most 
thoroughly  jthe  principles  of  that  party.  He 
abhors  free-trade  England,  and  deeply  sym- 
pathizes with  his  oppressed  countrymen 
across  the  water.  Socially,  he  affiliates  with 
the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  with 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.  The  entire  family  are 
earnest  and  useful  members  of  Pleasant 
Plains  Presbyterian  Church,  contributing 
liberally  to  its  support  and  advancement. 

Ireland  and  America  being  such  friends,  it 
is  natural  that  their  respective  countrymen 
should  entertain  the  kindest  regard  for  each 
other,  especially  if,  as  in  Mr.  Anderson's 
case,  they  are  irreproachable  in  business  and 
social  life,  inspiring  all  worthy  men  with  the 
deepest  respect  and  esteem. 


}SAAC    R.  GARNER,    a    prominent   and 
esteemed  citizen  of  Ashland,  Illinois,  and 
an  honored  veteran  of  the  late  war,  was 
born   in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  February  21, 
1846.  His  parents  were  Greenberry  and  Mary 
J.  (Redman)  Garner,  his  father   being  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  while  his  mother  was  born  in 


582 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GAS 8, 


Morgan  county,  Illinois,  in  which  latter 
county  their  marriage  took  place  in  1837. 
The  father  was  a  prominent  and  useful  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Illinois  confer- 
ence for  more  than  forty  years.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Rev. 
James  Garner,  was  also  an  able  minister  of 
the  same  denomination,  while  four  brothers 
of  our  subject's  father  were  also  ministers  of 
the  same  church.  The  family  was  originally 
from  Hollaad,  but  have  been  established  in 
America  since  an  early  day.  The  subject  of 
this  notice  was  one  of  ten  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  now  living.  Hannah  E.,  the  old- 
est, is  the  wife  of  Rev.  G.  B.  Wolfe,  an  itinerant 
minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  Illinois  Conference;  Charles  W.,  mar- 
ried, is  a  farmer  in  Pike  county,  Illinois; 
Isaac  E.,  the  subject  of  this  biography;  Mary 
A.,  widow  of  J.  Bagby,  resides  in  Ashland ; 
Hattie  E.,  wife  of  .Ross  Ister,  lives  on  a  farm 
in  Pike  county,  Illinois;  George,  unmarried, 
is  a  horse  trainer  in  Virginia,  Illinois;  Min- 
nie Lee,  wife  of  Jerry  Hitter,  lives  in  Ash- 
laud;  James  died  in  childhood;  William  N. 
died  aged  eight  years ;  and  Elina  Bell  aged 
thirteen. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  spent  in 
school  and  in  working  in  a  store,  up  to  the 
time  of  his  enlistment  in  the  army.  He 
offered  his  services  to  the  Twenty-first  Illi- 
nois Regiment,  under  General  Grant,  but 
was  rejected  on  account  of  his  youth;  a  year 
later,  however,  he  was  accepted  in  Company 
I  of  the  Sixty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Army  of  the 
West.  For  a  time  he  served  in  the  Sixteenth 
Army  Corps,  and  was  afterward  under  Gen- 
eral Steele  in  the  Seventeenth  Corps.  Mr. 
Garner  was  appointed  Drum-major  of  his 
regiment,  serving  in  that  capacity  most  of 


his  army  life.  His  duties  were  to  drill  his 
own  band,  and  he  was  afterward  detached  and 
placed  in  charge  of  the  bands  of  new  regi- 
ments as  drillmaster.  He  participated  with 
his  regiment  in  several  skirmishes,  and  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Little  Rock.  It  was 
while  on  board  a  boat,  in  the  spring  of  1864, 
that  he  met  with  a  distressing  accident,  which 
destroyed  his  sight,  and  he  has  been  totally 
blind  since  the  spring  of  1866.  The  anguish 
occasioned  by  the  deprivation  of  sight  has 
been  intense,  and  for  twenty-six  years  he  has 
never  looked  upon  the  face  of  his  wife  and 
children.  On  May  2,  1865,  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged,  and  at  once  returned  to  his 
parental  home  in  Cass  county,  Illinois.  He 
afterward  entered  the  Blind  Institution  at 
Jacksonville,  where  he  remained  four  years, 
taking  the  entire  five  years'  course.  He  then 
engaged  in  selling  musical  instruments,  in 
which  business  he  continued  for  seven  years. 
After  this,  he  was  for  two  years  in  the  livery 
business  at  Plymouth,  Hancock  county. 
Later,  he  followed  trading  for  a  time,  but, 
since  coming  to  Ashland,  about  twelve  years 
ago,  he  has  retired  from  active  business.  He 

o    ' 

receives  a  liberal  pension  on  account  of  his 
misfortunes. 

Mr.  Garner  was  married  November  10, 
1885,  to  Miss  Grace  E.  Douglass,'a  highly  es- 
teemed lady  and  a  daughter  of  W.  S.  and  Vir- 
ginia (Job)  Douglass,  honored  pioneers  of  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  who  now  own  and  operate 
the  Central  Hotel,  in  Ashland.  Mrs.  Garner 
is  the  second  of  five  children,  of  whom 
Charles,  the  eldest,  is  unmarried,  and  is  in 
the  insurance  business  in  Ashland;  Edward, 
died  in  infancy;  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
William  Bane,  a  practicing  physician  of 
Springfield,  Illinois;  William  is  employed  in 
a  drug  store  in  Ashland,  and  is  unmarried. 

Mr.  and   Mrs.  Garner  have    two  children, 


SCHUYLfiR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


583 


Harold  D.,  born  in  Ashland,  September  10, 
1886;  and  Helen  Lee,  born  September  2, 
1888. 

Politically,  Mr.  Garner  is  a  straight  Re- 
publican, and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  country.  Socially,  he  is  a  prom- 
inent member  of  Douglass  Post,  No.  592, 
G.  A.  R.,  in  Ashland. 

He  is  a  devout  and  useful  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  active  in 
forwarding  the  interests  of  the  church,  Sun- 
day-school and  other  religious  and  charitable 
enterprises. 

Thus,  notwithstanding  his  deep  affliction, 
he  does  more  for  his  fellow-men  than  many 
others  who  have  nothing  of  that  kind  with 
which  to  contend.  In  the  midst  of  all  his 
sorrow,  he  is  buoyed  up  with  the  sense  of  a 
duty  done  by  which  he  is  assisted  in  liberat- 
ing thousands  of  suffering  humanity,  who 
might  yet  be  groaning  in  bondage.  This  and 
the  universal  esteem  of  his  associates  and 
friends  tend  to  brighten  his  otherwise  dark 
pathway  through  life. 


JILL1AM  HARVEY  McCASKILL 
is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  native-born 
citizens  of  Illinois  now  residing  in 
Brown  county.  He  was  born  in  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  July  23,  1826.  His  father, 
Daniel  McCaskill,  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina, and  his  father,  John  McCaskill,  was 
born  in  Scotland,  coming  to  America  when  a 
young  man,  locating  in  North  Carolina, 
where  he  married  a  lady  of  Scotch  birth,  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  there.  His 
son  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
State,  but  came  North  when  a  young  man  and 
engaged  in  teaching.  He  married  in  Indi- 
ana, at  the  age  of  thirty-four,  and  either  in 


the  fall  of  1825  or  the  spring  of  1826  came 
to  Illinois,  making  the  journey  overland  with 
teams.  He  located  in  Sangamon  county. 
At  that  time  the  State  capital  was  at  Van- 
dalia;  Springfield  was  but  a  hamlet,  and  the 
surrounding  country  was  sparsely  settled. 
He  engaged  in  teaching,  and  resided  there 
until  1834,  when  he  emigrated  to  Schuyler 
county,  settling  in  that  part  now  included  in 
Pea  Ridge  township,  Brown  county.  He 
entered  a  tract  of  Government  land,  and  at 
once  built  on  the  place.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  teachers  in  the  county,  and  followed  his 
profession  for  many  years.  He  superin- 
tended the  improvement  of  his  farm,  which 
he  occupied  until  his  death  in  1851.  His 
wife  was  Esther  Turner,  daughter  of  Archi- 
bald Turner,  of  Ireland,  of  Scottish  descent. 

William  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
since  his  eighth  year,  and  has  witnessed  the 
improvement  and  development  of  this  sec- 
tion of  country.  Deer,  wild  turkeys  and 
other  game  were  plentiful.  There  were  no 
railroads  for  years,  and  the  people  were 
obliged  to  convey  their  grain  by  team  to  a 
distant  market.  The  people  lived  principally 
off  of  the  products  of  their  own  farms.  Hie 
father  used  to  raise  flax  and  sheep,  and  his 
mother  manufactured  all  the  cloth  used  in 
the  family,  dressing  the  children  in  home- 
spun made  by  her  own  hands. 

William  received  an  ordinary  education, 
but  began  when  very  young  to  assist  his 
father  on  the  farm.  After  his  marriage  he 
settled  on  a  farm  on  section  1,  where  he  re- 
sided until  1864,  when  he  settled  on  the  old 
homestead,  which  he  had  bought  from  the 
other  heirs.  The  farm,  which  is  well  im- 
proved, contains  240  acres;  besides  this  he 
has  a  farm  of  ninety  acres  in  Bates  county, 
Missouri. 

He  was  married  in  October,  1851,  to  Jane 


584 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


Crooks.  She  was  born  in  England,  and  came 
to  America  with  her  parents  when  an  infant. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCaskill  have  eight  children 
living:  Daniel  Morgan,  Mary,  William  H., 
Thomas  L.,  Ella,  Esther,  Cora  and  Kate. 

Mr.  McCaskill  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  highly  respected 
members  of  society. 


flNIS  E.  DOWNING,  the  present  Clerk 
of  the  Circuit  Court,  and  a    resident  of 
Virginia,  was   born  in    Virginia,    Cass 
county,  Illinois,  August  24,  1846.     Of  his 
life  and  ancestry    we    record    the   following 
facts  : 

Rev.  Nathan  H.  Downing,  his  father,  was 
the  son  of  John  Downing,  son  of  William 
Downing.  The  father  of  William  was  a 
native  of  Scotland  or  Ireland,  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry, and  was  one  of  three  brothers  who 
came  to  America  in  early  Colonial  times.  He 
settled  in  Virginia  and  there  spent  his  last 
years.  William  Downing  was  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Virginia,  and  about  1784 
moved  to  Kentucky,  becoming  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Garrard  county.  For  some  years 
after  his  settlement  there  the  Indians  were 
numerous  and  troublesome,  and  the  whites 
lived  in  block-houses.  He  cleared  and  de- 
veloped a  farm,  and  resided  there  till  his 
death.  John  Downing  was  about  eight  years 
old  when  the  family  moved  to  Kentucky.  He 
resided  there  till  1828,  when,  with  his  wife 
and  ten  children,  he  moved  to  Missouri  and 
settled  in  Marion  county.  He  entered  a  tract 
of  Government  land,  twenty  miles  from  Han- 
nibal, erected  a  log  cabin,  and  there  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying  in  his  fron- 
tier home  on  the  7th  of  June,  in  1832.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife,  grandmother  of  the 


subject  of  our  sketch,  was  Susanna  Hall. 
She  was  born  in  Virginia,  daughter  of  Ran- 
dolph and  Sally  (Woodson)  Hall.  Her  death 
occurred  at  Newark,  Knox  county,  Missouri, 
March  4,  1861.  She  reared  nine  of  her  twelve 
children. 

While  John  was  a  resident  of  Garrard 
county,  Kentucky,  his  sou  Nathan  H.  was 
born  there,  November  11,  1811.  The  latter 
was  seventeen  years  old  when  the  family 
moved  to  Missouri.  His  youthful  days  were 
spent  in  assisting  his  father  on  the  farm,  and 
when  he  .was  twenty-one  he  entered  Marion 
College,  Marion  county,  Missouri,  and  worked 
his  way  through  college.  Before  leaving 
Kentucky  he  was  converted,  and  while  a  col- 
lege student  joined  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
After  completing  his  studies  he  was  employed 
at  various  kinds  of  work.  He  subsequently 
bought  an  interest  in  a  sawmill  at  Hannibal, 
which  he  operated  six  or  seven  jrears.  ^n 
1842  he  came  to  Virginia.  During  this  time 
he  had  severed  his  connection  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  had  joined  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  ordained 
as  preacher  of  the  Salt  River  Presbytery.  He 
came  to  Virginia  to  accept  the  pastorate  over 
a  small  society  here  and  other  charges  in  this 
vicinity.  He  was  instrumental  in  building 
a  church  and  having  a  college  located  here. 
His  death  occurred  in  Virginia,  November 
30,  1853.  On  March  16,  1836,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Eliza  J.  Head,  who  was  born 
in  Boone  county,  Missouri,  July  16,  1821,  a 
daughter  of  Alfred  R.  Head,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. Her  grandfather,  William  Head,  was 
born  in  England;  came  to  America  and 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  After 
residing  in  Virginia  some  years,  he  moved 
to  Missouri  long  before  it  was  a  State. 
He  erected  a  block-house  on  his  place,  four 
miles  from  Rocheport,  which  is  now  known 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


585 


as  Head's  Fort.  He  resided  there  till  death. 
His  son  Alfred,  grandfather  of  Mr.  Downing, 
went  to  Missouri  with  his  parents,  and  on 
their  frontier  farm  he  was  reared.  All  his  life 
he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
bought  a  tract  of  land  near  the  old  home  in 
Boone  county,  and  lived  on  it  till  his  death. 
His  wife,  nee  Margaret  Heard,  a  native  of 
Garrard  county,  Kentucky,  was  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Jane  (Stevenson)  Heard,  pioneers 
of  Howard  county,  Missouri.  Her  second 
husband  was  John  Arnold,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred at  the  home  of  her  son,  Jesse  Arnold, 
near  Los  Angeles,  California.  The  mother 
of  Mr.  Downing  is  now  a  resident  of  Vir- 
ginia. She  reared  three  children,  viz:  John 
C.,  who  served  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Four- 
teenth Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  died  in  the  service  at  Memphis, 
in  1863;  Finis  E.;  and  Lucy  J.,  who  married 
Russel  G.  Middleton. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  seven  years 
old  when  his  father  died.  He  continued  to 
reside  with  his  mother,  attending  the  public 
schools  and  working  on  the  farm.  When  he 
was  twenty  years  old  he  was  employed  as 
clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  in  Virginia,  re- 
maining as  such  five  years.  Then  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  on  his  own  account 
in  Virginia,  and  conducted  the  same  until 
1869.  Next  we  find  him  at  Butler,  Missouri, 
where  he  clerked  till  1874,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  Virginia,  and  continued  clerking 
here  till  1880.  That  year  he  was  elected  to 
his  present  position ;  has  since  been  re-elected 
twice,  and  is  now  serving  his  third  term. 
He  has  been  quite  an  extensive  dealer  in  real 
estate,  both  in  city  property  and  farm  lands. 

In  1868  Mr.  Downing  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Sue  H.  Payne,  who  was  born  in 
Fayette  county,  Kentucky,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam B.  and  H.  E.  Payne.  They  have  one 


son,  Harry  F.,  who  graduated  from  Knox 
College  in  the  class  of  '90,  and  from  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  in 
1891. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Downing  was  elected  to  his 
present  office  he  commenced  the  study  of  law, 
and  in  January,  1887,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar. 

Politically,  he  has  always  affiliated  with 
the  Democratic  party.  He  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  City  Council,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Senatorial  and  Congressional 
committees. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Downing  is  associated 
with  the  Virginia  Lodge,  No.  544,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M;  Clark  Chapter,  No.  29,  R.  A.M.; 
Hospitaller  Commandery,  No.  31,  K.  T.  ; 
Saxon  Lodge,  No.  68,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Vir- 
ginia Camp,  M.  "W.  A. 


fRANCIS  MUHLERT,  now  deceased, 
was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  April  4,  1820.  He  grew  up 
there  and  obtained  a  good  German  education. 
His  father  was  a  professor  of  mathematics 
in  Hildesheim  University,  and  as  a  linguist 
he  could  speak  five  different  languages.  He 
had  three  brothers  and  two  sisters.  Fred- 
erick, the  eldest  brother,  and  Ferdinand,  the 
youngest,  are  professors  in  the  University  of 
Gothingen.  Herman  went  to  the  East  In- 
dies, where  he  became  head  physician  of  the 
East  India  hospitals.  The  two  sisters,  Bertha 
and  Amelia,  are  still  in  their  native  country, 
married.  All  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  His  parents  lived  and  died  in  their 
native  province  and  he  was  the  only  one  of 
the  family  to  come  to  the  United  States. 
When  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he  embarked 
on  a  sailing  vessel  from  Hamburg  to  New 


586 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OASS, 


Orleans,  and  after  the  usual  tedious  trip 
arrived  in  Beardstown,  February,  1848.  In 
Germany  Mr.  Muhlert  had  been  overseer  of  a 
large  farm,  but  after  his  arrival  here  he  be- 
came for  two  years  a  merchant  in  Arenzville. 
About  this  time  he  was  married  to  Paulina 
Winhold,  born  in  Kurhessen,  Germany,  Jan- 
uary 4,  1831.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Barbara  (Weber)  Winhold,  who 
were  born  in  the  same  place  in  Germany  and 
came  to  the  United  States  after  the  birth  of 
their  two  children.  This  was  in  1834.  They 
landed  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  after  a 
seven  weeks'  voyage  and  afterward  settled 
near  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  Seven  years 
later  they  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Cass  county,  township  17,  range  11, 
and  here  they  lived  and  died,  the  father  aged 
seventy-seven,  and  the  mother  eighty-two. 
They  were  good,  hard-working  people,  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Mrs.  Muhlert   is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of 
which  seven  are  still  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muhlert  purchased  a  good 
farm  after  their  marriage  in  section  4,  town- 
ship 17,  range  11,  and  there  Mr.  Muhlert 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
well  respected  and  favorably  known  citizen. 
His  widow  now  lives  on  and  owns  a  fine  prop- 
erty of  sixty  acres  of  land,  all  highly'  im- 
proved. She  is  a  noble,  good,  kind  woman 
and  has  many  friends  here.  She  attends  the 
German  Lutheran  Church,  as  did  her  hus- 
band. She  is  the  mother  of  eleven  children, 
one  having  died  young.  The  living  children 
are:  Sophia,  wife  of  Jacob  Heinen,  now 
•  farmers  in  Kansas;  William,  living  with  his 
mother  on  the  home  place;  Amelia,  wife  of 
William  Meyer,  farmer  in  this  county;  Ed- 
ward is  a  farmer  in  Kansas  and  he  married 
Matilda  Heinen;  Henry  is  a  carpenter  and 
lives  with  his  mother;  Herman  is  a  farmer 


in  Kansas  and  lives  with  his  sister;  Lena  is 
the  wife  of  John  Parish,  a  railroad  engineer 
at  Jacksonville,  Illinois;  Charles,  Frank  and 
Ernest  are  at  home. 


WEBB,  who  was  for  many  years 
prominently  identified  with  the  manu- 
facturing interests  of  Beardstown,  Illi- 
nois, is  now  a  resident  of  Baiubridge  town- 
ship, Schuyler  county.  He  was  born  in 
Lancashire,  England,  December  9,  1813,  a 
eon  of  Samuel  Webb,  who  was  a  native,  of 
the  same  shire;  the  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Webb,  was  a  manufacturer  of  cotton 
goods,  and  operated  in  Lancashire,  where  he 
spent  his  entire  life.  Samuel  Webb  learned 
the  trade  in  his  father's  factory,  and  became 
a  skilled  workman.  In  1817  he  determined 
to  come  to  America,  and,  as  it  was  at  that  time 
time  against  the  law  for  expert  mechanics  to 
leave  Great  Britain,  he  sailed  under  an  as- 
sumed name.  He  located  in  Baltimore,  and 
there  secured  a  situation  as  foreman  in  a 
cotton  factory  three  miles  from  the  city;  after 
a  few  years  he  took  the  same  position  in 
another  mill,  where  he  continued  until  1827. 
He  then  went  to  Mercer  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  leased  a  mill,  engaging  in  the 
manufacture  of  cloth.  He  afterward  returned 
to  Baltimore,  and  in  1842  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois; he  was  foreman  of  a  woolen  factory  at 
Petersburg,  Menard  county,  several  years, 
and  then  purchased  a  farm  near  Mason  City, 
on  which  he  resided  until  death.  He  mar- 
ried Ellen  Fletcher,  a  native  of  Manchester, 
England  and  a  daughter  of  James  Fletcher,  a 
soldier  in  the  British  army  and  a  participant 
in  the  battle  of  Waterloo:  she  died  at  Peters- 
burg about  1848.  The  family  consisted  of 
ten  children:  Mary,  Ellen,  Olive,  Sarah, 
John,  James,  Samuel,  Nathaniel,  Thomas 


SGHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


587 


and  "William.  John  Webb  was  a  child  of  five 
years  when  he  was  brought  to  America;  he 
attended  school  in  Baltimore,  and  when  he 
had  finished  his  studies  began  to  learn  the 
machinist's  trade;  he  served  an  apprentice- 
ship of  three  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  took  charge  of  a  shop  for  his  employer; 
he  held  this  position  three  years,  and  then 
entered  the  service  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad  at  Mt.  Clare;  after  a  year  he  went 
to  work  in  a  marine  foundry  in  Baltimore; 
twelvemonths  later  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Savage  Manufacturing  Company, 
and  remained  with  this  firm  until  1817. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois,  via  stage  to 
Pittsburg,  and  thence  by  the  Ohio,  Missis- 
sippi and  Illinois  rivers.  He  was  in  poor 
health,  and  did  not  at  once  engage  in  business. 
September  12,  of  the  same  year,  he  started 
back  to  Baltimore  with  a  horse  and  carriage 
making  the  entire  journey  overland,  and  ar- 
riving at  his  destination  October  22.  De- 
cember 2,  he  started  on  the  return  trip,  ac- 
companied by  his  family;  this  journey  was 
also  made  with  a  horse  and  carriage. 

Mr.  Webb  remained  in  Springfield  until 
1839,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  went  to 
Petersburg,  where  he  had  purchased  a  flour 
mill;  in  1844  he  went  to  Cass  county,  and 
there  built  the  first  circular-saw  mill  west  of 
the  Alleghany  mountains;  this  he  operated 
until  1848,  and  then  went  to  Beardstown 
where  he  opened  a  machine  shop  and  foundry. 
December  5,  1856.  the  buildings  and  entire 
plant  were  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  he  rebuilt,  and  continued  there  until 
1866,  when  he  sold  out.  Later  he  built  a 
carriage-shop  which  he  operated  a  number  of 
years.  For  the  past  nineteen  years  he  has 
been  interested  in  agriculture;  he  owns  500 
acres  of  land,  and  is  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  First  State  Bank  of  Beardstown. 


He  was  married  in  the  city  of  Baltimore  in 
1834  to  Miss  Eliza  Callaley,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia; she  died  November  20,  1888.  His 
second  marriage  was  in  November,  1890, 
when  he  was  united  to  Maria  Serrat,  a  native 
of  Scioto  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Mary  Serrat.  Five  children  were 
born  of  this  union:  John,  Joseph,  Samuel, 
William  and  Mary;  the  children  are  all  mar- 
ried, and  there  are  twenty-eight  grand-chil- 
dren in  the  family. 


HOMAS  GAPEN,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Rushville  township,  Schuyler  county, 
is  the  subject  of  the  following  bio- 
graphical sketch.  He  was  born  in  Clearfield 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  3,  1833,  a  son  of 
Zachariah  T.  Gapen,  also  a  native  of  the  Key- 
stone State.  The  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Gapen,  was  descended  from  English  ancestors; 
he  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  owned 
land  in  Greene  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
which  he  lived  the  last  years  of  his  life.  His 
'son,  Zachariah  T.,  was  reared  and  married  in 
Pennsylvania;  there  he  resided  until  1841, 
when  he  removed  to  Illinois;  the  journey  was 
begun  March  19;  he  floated  down  the  Mo- 
nongahela  to  Pittsburg,  and  there  took  a 
boat,  going  via  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and 
Illinois  rivers  to  a  point  in  Schuyler  county 
then  known  as  Erie;  by  team  he  came  to 
Rushville  township.  His  means  were  very 
small,  and  he  was  obliged  to  rent  the  lands 
he  cultivated;  later  he  purchased  the  tract  on 
which  he  had  expended  so  much  labor,  and 
lived  there  until  his  death  in  1846.  His 
wife's  maiden  name  was  Margaret  McGee; 
she  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  died  in 
Rushville  township,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois, 
in  1851;  they  reared  a  family  of  eleven  chil 


588 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


dren.  Thomas  Gapen  was  a  child  of  eight 
years  when  his  parents  came  to  Illinois.  He 
has  since  witnessed  many  changes  in  the 
country,  wrought  by  the  inarch  of  progress 
He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
bereft  of  both  father  and  mother.  He  then 
purchased  the  old  homestead,  and  now  has 
320  acres,  130  acres  being  in  an  advanced 
state  of  cultivation.  He  now  rents  the  land 
and  lives  a  quiet  life  at  Rushville. 

Mr.  Gapen  was  married,  in  1872,  to  Isabelle 
Williamson,  a  daughter  of  L.  S.  and  Margaret 
Williamson;  she  was  born  in  Peoria  county, 
Illinois.  Three  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy:  Maggie  is 
the  name  of  the  surviving  child.  Mr.  Gapen 
is  a  man  of  high  and  honorable  principles, 
and  has  the  respect  of  the  entire  comrn  unity. 


PILLIAM  T.  EMMERSON  of  Beards- 
town  was  born  in  Morgan  county, 
November  27,  1840.  His  father  was 
Richard  Emmerson  of  Yorkshire,  England, 
who  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Emmerson.  The1 
latter  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
on  a  large  tract  of  Government  land  in  Mor- 
gan county,  Illinois,  amounting  to  over  a 
thousand  acres,  near  St.  Glair  station,  and 
went  back  to  England,  and  returned  four 
years  later  with  his  wife  and  children,  and 
finally  they  became  the  most  prominent  peo- 
ple in  Morgan  county.  Of  their  four  chil- 
dren, Richard  was  the  eldest,  and  was  mar- 
ried, as  was  also  one  of  his  sisters,  before 
leaving  England.  A  nephew  of  his  now  lives 
on  the  old  homestead  in  Morgan  county. 
Richard  Emmerson,  after  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  became  a  farmer  of  Morgan 
county.  He  came  to  Beardstown  in  1850, 
and  died  here  the  following  December,  at 


the  age  of  forty.  His  wife  survived  him 
many  years  and  died  at  the  home  of  her  son, 
in  1869.  She  and  her  husband  were  Meth- 
odists, and  she  was  born,  reared  and  married 
at  Scarborough,  England.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Musham.  She  was  a  mother 
of  a  family,  of  whom  five  are  still  living. 

William  Emmerson  was  reared  in  this 
county  and  has  never  married.  He  was  only 
nine  years  old  when  his  parents  came  to  Cass 
county,  and  has  always  lived  here,  except 
from  1862  to  1864,  when  he  served  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  quartermaster's  department,  at 
Roila,  Missouri,  and  at  Helena,  Arkansas. 
After  two  years'  service  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, and  returned  to  Cass  county,  where 
he  has  siuce  lived,  and  made  most  of 
his  fortune  by  his  own  efforts.  He  lives 
near  the  city  precinct.  He  owns  a  well 
improved  farm  adjoining  the  city  limits. 
Here  he  has  lived  since  1867.  He  also  owns 
and  has  a  controlling  interest  in  600  acres  in 
other  parts  of  the  county,  all  well  improved. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  public- 
spirited  citizen.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are 
as  follows:  Mary  Thornley,  lives  in  Morgan 
county;  Ann  Harris  is  the  wife  of  the  pres- 
ident of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Beards- 
town;  Edward  lives  with  his  brother,  and 
Emma  Harris  lives  in  this  county. 


AVID  W.  ORR  was  born  in  Sumner 
county,  Tennessee,  March  17,  1826. 
His  father  was  Greenberry  Orr,  widely 
known  as  "  Berry  Orr  ",  who  came  to  Illinois 
in  the  fall  of  1828.  He  stopped  two  years 
in  Morgan  county,  and  then  moved  to  Mount 
Sterling  township,  near  the  village,  which 
was  then  in  Schnyler  county.  He  made 
some  improvements  on  160  acres  of  Govern- 


SCHlfYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


589 


inent  land,  which  he  sold,  and  one  year  later 
moved  to  what  is  now  section  34,  Pea  Ridge 
township.  They  had  twelve  children,  born  in 
Tennessee,  and  left  two  behind  and  buried  one 
on  the  way.  Their  journey  was  made  in  one 
of  the  old-style  prairie  schooners,  drawn  by 
three  horses,  and  were  six  weeks  on  the  way. 
They  arrived  in  Morgan  county,  November, 
1830,  and  at  Pea  Ridge  the  night  of  the  great 
snow  storm.  Their  new  log  house  had  not 
been  well  chinked,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
take  up  the  puncheon  floor  to  get  dirt  to  make 
mud  for  the  walls,  in  order  to  keep  ont  the 
fearful  storm.  They  reached  here  with  very 
little  means,  but  he  was  fortunate  in  getting 
work  in  wood  hauling,  and  when  his  farm 
came  into  the  market  he  was  able  to  obtain 
his  deed  for  160  acres.  It  was  part  prairie 
and  part  timber.  He  built  a  house  here, 
where  he  died,  February,  1850,  aged  sixty- 
five.  He  left  his  widow  with  eleven  children. 
She  had  been  Mary  Brown  of  Tennessee. 
His  children  all  had  to  work  hard  in  life,  and 
had  but  very  little  schooling.  One  of  their 
employments  was  to  beat  the  hotniny  mortar, 
which  Mr.  Orr  obtained  by  trading  a  shot 
gun.  The  nearest  doctor  was  at  Jacksonville, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  go  there  over  the 
paths  that  the  Indians  had  trod. 

David  remained  at  home  until  after  b,is 
father's  death,  and  August  1,  1850,  he  was 
married  to  his  first  wife,  Mary  Jane  Pells, 
who  died  a  year  and  a  half  later.  April  6, 
1854,  he  was  married  to  his  present  wife, 
Patience  H.  Osborn,  daughter  of  Lewis  and 
Amelia  (Corwin)  Osborn,  of  Ohio,  where  she 
was  born,  reared  and  educated.  She  was  a 
teacher  there  and  in  Illinois  before  her  mar- 
riage. Her  father  was  a  Baptist  minister, 
and  he  died  in  Hancock  county,  while  on  a 
visit,  in  his  eighty-fifth  year.  His  wife  died 
in  1875,  aged  seventy-one,  leaving  four  chil- 

89 


dren,  Mrs.  Orr  being  the  only  one  now  liv- 
ing. She  is  a  niece  of  Tom  Corwin,  of  Ohio, 
and  i#  a  relative  of  the  family  of  General 
Halleck.  Mr.  Osborn  owned  the  farm  on. 
which  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Orr,  lives,  for  fifty 
years.  He  had  no  regular  charge  for  some 
ten  years  prior  to  his  death,  but  preached 
occasionally.  Mr.  Orr  left  the  old  homestead 
of  his  parents  in  1858,  and  moved  to  Hancock 
county.  He  has  lived  in  Kansas  and  Mis- 
souri, and  came  back  to  Illinois  and  settled 
on  his  present  farm  of  112  acres,  in  1874. 
This  has  fqrty  acres  of  timber.  He  has  been 
doing  general  fanning.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orr 
have  four  children:  John  M.,  now  .a  resident 
of  Anthony,  Kansas;  Mary  Halleck,  at  home; 
and  Lewis  H.,  residing  in  Mount  Sterling. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orr  had  reared  this  son  to 
farm  life,  and  hoped  to  have  him  with  them 
on  the  farm  during  their  declining  years,  but 
he  preferred  the  life  of  a  mechanic;  hence  of 
late  years  they  rent  out  their  land.  He  has 
made  much  money  out  of  corn  and  hogs,  and 
also  breeds  some  horses.  He  has  a  stallion 
of  Leviathan  stock,  which  is  turning  ont  well. 
H;e  has  served  the  town  as  Road  Commis- 
sioner, and  both  he  and  and  his  wife  are  Mis- 
sionary Baptists. 


!RA  BELL,  a  prominent  citizen  of  section 
28,  Missouri  township,  Brown  county, 
was  born  in  this  township,  October  27, 
1830.  His  grandfather,  Robert  Bell,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  married  Jane  Ander- 
han.  These  two  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children,  namely:  James,  Richard,  Emily, 
Ira,  John,  Patsey,  Sarah,  Catherine,  Rebecca, 
and  they  all  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Brown  county,  after  a  residence  of  a  short 
period  in  Morgan  county.  The  aged  grand- 


590 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


father  of  our  subject  died  in  Brown  county, 
surrounded  by  his  children.  The  father  of 
our  subject  was  born  in  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia, February  5,  1800,  and  was  married  in 
Morgan  county,  Illinois,  to  Elizabeth  Mul- 
len, coming  to  Brown  county  after  marriage 
where  he  settled,  and  entering  land  in  Missouri 
township.  This  he  improved  and  finally  be- 
came the  owner  of  a  farm  of  200  acres  of  very 
fine  land.  He  died  February  13,  1883..  His 
wife  died  in  1836,  having  been  the  mother 
of  six  children,  namely:  Mary  Jane,  wife  of 
Moses  Coffman,  of  Quincy,  Illinois;  Robert, 
of  Missouri  township;  Ira,  our  subject  j 
James  died  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  was  a 
member  of  the  Eighty-fourth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry;  Lizzie,  wife  of  John  Carter,  of 
Kansas;  John  W.,  died  in  childhood. 

Ira  was  reared  in  Missouri  township, 
where  he  helped  on  the  home  farm  until  he 
was  married,  when  he  settled  on  forty  acres 
given  him  by  his  father  and  erected  a  dwell- 
ing on  it.  Soon  he  added  another  forty  and 
then  removed  to  his  present  residence,  where 
he  has  eighty  acres  of  land.  The  land  was 
but  little  improved  when  he  took  charge  of 
it  and  it  owes  its  present  state  of  cultivation 
to  his  efforts. 

Mr.  Bell  was  married  to  Emiline  Bates, 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Bates. 
Mrs.  Bell  is  a  native  of  "Winchester,  Scott 
county,  Illinois,  born  January  1,  1837.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  near  Lexing- 
ton, and  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Bates.  He 
was  reared  to  farm  life  in  his  native  State, 
but  migrated  to  Indiana,  where  he  married 
Elizabeth  Carr,  a  native  of  that  State,  born 
in  1818.  They  came  to  Illlinois  in  1835,  re- 
siding in  Scott  county  until  1839,  when  they 
came  to  Brown  county,  where  the  father 
died.  His  wife  still  survives  him,  however, 
and  is  a  very  interesting  lady.  She  and  her 


husband  had  five  children:  Emiline,  Math- 
ew  T.,  Francis  M.,  Mary  A.  and  Sarah 
Jane. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell  have  five  children: 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  Peyton  R.  Keith;  John  W., 
of  Missouri  township;  George  L\,  of  same 
township;  James  A.,  at  home:  and  Charles 
Bertie,  also  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bell  supports  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party,  but  his  time  is  so 
fully  occupied  that  he  has  not  been  willing 
to  accept  any  of  the  public  offices,  except 
that  of  School  Director,  which  office  was 
thrust  upon  him.  He  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church  and  he  and  his 
intelligent  wife  are  influential  members  of 
society  in  Missouri  township. 


RS.  MARY  (PETERS)  JACKSON 
was  born  in  Alleghany  county,  Vir- 
ginia, February  18,  1820,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Peters.  The  father  was  also  a 
Virginian,  and  was  reared  and  married  in  his 
native  State;  he  purchased  land,  owned  slaves, 
and  was  in  very  good  circumstances  at  one 
time;  he  endorsed  notes  for  other  parties, 
which  he  had  to  pay,  and  as  the  sums  were 
heavy  his  property  was  swept  away.  He  re- 
sided in  Virginia  until  1825,  and  then  emi- 
grated to  Missouri,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  His  wife's  maiden  name 
was  Catherine  Lane,  a  native  of  Virginia; 
she  cam,e  from  Missouri  to  Illinois,  and  here 
passed  the  last  years  of  her  life  with  her 
children  in  Schuyler  county.  Mrs.  Jackson 
was  a  young  child  when  her  parents  removed 
to  Missouri,  and  at  the  age  of  eight  years  she 
came  to  Illinois  with  her  sister  and  brother- 
in-law,  Allen  Persinger.  The  country  was 
then  sparsely  settled,  deer  and  wild  turkeys 


SCllUfLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


591 


were  plentiful,  and  the  privations  of  the  pio- 
neer were  many.  Mrs.  Jackson  lived  with 
her  sister  until  her  marriage,  September  3, 
1835,  when  she  was  united  to  Jeremiah  Jack- 
son. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
November  27. 1807,  a  son  of  James  and  Mary 
Jackson.  He  emigrated  to  Illinois  about  the 
year  1826,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Schuyler  county.  Two  years  after  his  mar- 
riage he  purchased  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
his  widow,  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, which  he  followed  until  his  death  in 
June,  1883. 

Mrs.  Jackson  has  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children:  Martha  J.  Chitwood,  died  in  Ne- 
braska; Harriet  Riley  is  a  resident  of  Mis- 
souri; Andrew  J.  served  in  the  late  war  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  died  before  the  war  was 
ended;  John  was  a  member  of  the  same  regi- 
ment, and  now  resides  in  Kansas;  Jesse,  en- 
listed twice  in  the  late  war,  and  is  now  a  citi- 
zen of  the  State  of  Washington;  Calvin  and 
Garrett  live  in  Nebraska;  Emrita  Kokenours 
and  Mary  McCormick  are  residents  of  Schuy- 
ler county.  Mrs.  Jackson  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  her 
husband  was  also  a  consistent  member.  Po- 
litically he  affiliated  with  the  Democratic 
party. 


W.  G.  UNLAN.D,  erne  of  the  suc- 
cessful physicians  and  surgeons  of 
Beardstown,  was  born  and  chiefly  reared 
in  Cass  county,  Illinois.  His  people  are  pio- 
neers of  the  county.  He  came  of  good,  re- 
spectable German  stock,  his  parents  being 
born  in  Hanover.  His  father,  Rev.  Casper 
H.  Unland,  had  grown  up  there  and  for  some 


time  associated  in  ministerial  way  with  the 
old  German  Reformed  Church.  After  com- 
ing to  this  country  and  settling  in  Cass 
county.  Mr.  [Inland  connected  himself  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  was  as- 
sociated  with  the  local  work  as  a  Methodist 
minister.  He  was  so  engaged  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  March  8,  1889,  when  nearly  eighty- 
two  years  of  age.  With  the  money  he  had 
brought  with  him  he  bought  and  improved 
land,  erecting  houses  and  a  gristmill,  which 
was  one  of  the  first  in  the  county  for  making 
flour.  He  was  a  good  and  worthy  citizen, 
a  prominent  man.  At  first  a  Whig,  but  in 
later  years  a  stanch  Republican.  His  wife 
who  survived  him  died  September  25,  1891, 
and  was  eighty  years  of  age  on  the  day  of  her 
burial.  Her  maiden  name  was  Mari^  Carlas. 
She  was  a  worthy  woman  and  a  good  neigh- 
bor. 

The  parents  of  Dr.  Unland,  recognising  in 
their  son  a  bright  mind  and  a  liking  for 
books,  afforded  him,  opportunities  for  im- 
provement by  sending  him  to  the  best  schools 
in  Quincy,  Illinois.  After  this  he  completed 
his  classical  education  at  the  Wesleyan  col- 
lege at  Warrenton,  Missouri.  The  Doctor 
practices  upon  a  broad  and  liberal  scale,  fol- 
lowing no  particular  school.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  two  different  schools:  Hahnemann  Medi- 
cal College  of  Chicago,  in  the  class  of  1871 
(later  he  spent  one  year  at  Quincy,  Illinois); 
after  that  he  went  to  Berlin,  Germany,  and 
graduated  there  again  in  medicine,  and  re- 
turned, remained  in  Quincy  fora  time,  going 
thence  to  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  later  to  Fre- 
mont, and  afterward  to  Pekin,  Illinois,  spend- 
ing some  time  in  each  place.  Since  1881  he 
has  practiced  in  Beardstown.  His  genial 
nature  and  cheerful  manner  have  made  him 
very  popular  in  his  chosen  profession.  His 
experience  and  thorough  education  in  all 


592 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OAKS, 


branches  of  medicine  have  made  him  very 
popular  and  his  practice  is  a  very  large  and 
paying  one. 

The  Doctor  was  married  here  to  Miss 
Emily  Minton,  of  Ohio,  who  lived  in  Schuy- 
ler  county  for  six  years  after  coining  to  Illi- 
nois. Her  parents  died  in  Caldwell,  Kansas, 
some  years  ago.  They  have  a  bright  little 
daughter  of  eight  years  of  age,  named  Ethel. 
They  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 


[AMUEL  MILLER,  an  intelligent  fann- 
er and  prominent  veteran  of  the  late 
war,  residing  in  Ashland,  Illinois,  is  a 
native  of  Tazewell  county,  this  State,  where 
he  was  born  July  6,  1837. 

His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Kem- 
per)  Miller,  the  former  a  native  of  Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania,  while  the  latter  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  in  which  latter  State  they  were 
married,  and  whence  they  removed  in  an 
early  day  to  Tazewell  county,  Illinois.  Eight 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  four  sons 
and  four  daughters,  only  three  children  now 
surviving.  The  deceased  are,  Christiana, 
Eliza,  Harriet,  Diana,  Thomas  and  "William, 
of  whom  Harriet  and  Diana  died  in  childhood 
and  the  other  two  daughters  in  mature  life, 
being  married  and  leaving  families;  William 
also  died  in  mature  age,  leaving  a  wife  and 
child.  Thomas,  Joseph  and  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  comprise  the  surviving  members 
of  this  once  large  family.  Thomas,  who 
served  two  years  in  the  army,  is  now  married, 
and  is  a  farmer  in  Harper  county,  Kansas; 
Joseph  is  a  prosperous  farmer,  and  resides  in 
Delavan,  Tazewell  county;  he  is  also  married, 
and  both  have  families.  The  father  of  this 
family  died  in  1843,  widely  mourned  by  the 


pioneers  of  his  county.  He  left  a  large  fam- 
ily to  the  care  of  his  faithful  wife,  who  ably 
performed  her  duty  by  them,  finally  going 
to  her  reward  in  1863,  while  the  subject  of 
this  notice  was  absent  in  the  war. 

Mr.  Miller  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation in  Tazewell  county,  and  was  reared  to 
farm  life.  November  8,  1858,  he  married 
Miss  Nancy  Nash,  an  intelligent  lady,  who 
was  also  a  native  of  Tazewell  county.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Lucinda  Van- 
cil,  prominent  pioneers  of  that  county,  and 
was  one  of  seven  children,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living.  Andrew  J.,  the  oldest,  died  in 
childhood;  Mrs.  Miller  is  the  second;  Cath- 
arine died  aged  two  years;  George  served 
in  the  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry,  is  mar 
ried,  and  is  a  farmer  in  Harper  county,  Kan- 
sas; William  Graham,  a  half-brother,  was 
also  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  and  resides  in 
Tazewell  county,;  Sarah  and  John  A.  died  in 
youth. 

Mr.  Miller  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Elev- 
enth Illinois  Cavalry,  at  Peoria,  this  State,  in 
November,  1861,  serving  in  the  regiment 
commanded  by  the  noted  Colonel  R.  G.  In- 
gersoll.  He  was  sworn  into  the  United  States 
service  December  20,  1861,  remaining  at 
Camp  Lyon  until  February  22,  1862,  when 
he  accompanied  his  regiment  to  Benton  Bar- 
racks, St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  they  were 
armed  and  mounted.  Thence  they  proceeded 
to  Shiloh,  to  take  part  in  that  sanguinary  en- 
gagement, under  the  command  of  General 
Lew  Wallace.  After  two  days  at  that  point, 
they  moved  forward  to  Corinth,  participating 
at  the  siege  of  that  city.  They  remained 
there  until  the  fall  of  1862,  when  they  were 
attacked  by  Van  Dorn  and  Price,  who  sought 
to  recapture  Corinth,  but  the  enemy  were  re- 
pulsed with  heavy  loss  of  killed,  wounded 
and  prisoners.  The  regiment  next  went  to 


8CHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


583 


Rienzi,  Mississippi,  where  they  had-a  severe 
battle,  capturing  the  place  and  returning  to 
Corinth.  They  afterward  went  to  Lagrange, 
Tennessee,  under  the  command  of  General 
Grant,  and  were  cut  off  at  Holly  Springs,  be- 
ing obliged  to  return;  whereupon  they  took 
boats  and  went  to  Vicksburg,  participating 
in  the  siege  of  that  city.  They  captured 
Yazoo  City  and  went  in  camp  between  Jack- 
son and  Vicksburg,  on  the  Black  river. 
While  lying  there,  the  regiment  and  two  sec- 
tions of  artillery  were  ordered  on  a  forced 
inarch  to  Lexington,  Tennessee,  where  a  por- 
tion of  the  regiment,  including  Colonel  In- 
gersoll,  were  taken  prisoners  by  General  For- 
rest's men,  and  were  paroled  on  the  field. 
At  Parker's  cross-roads  they  had  a  fight,  in 
which  the  Union  forces  defeated  the  enemy, 
and  pursued  them  into  Tennesseee.  Mr. 
Miller's  regiment  was  with  General  Sherman 
in  his  march  to  Meridian,  Mississippi,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1864.  Their  time  having  expired, 
nearly  all  re-enlisted,  and  were  mustered  in 
at  Vicksburg,  December  20,  1863.  They 
then  returned  to  Illinois  on  a  veteran  fur- 
lough, at  the  expiration  of  which  they  went 
back  to  Vicksburg,  where  they  spent  the 
spring  and  summer  in  scouting  and  watching 
guerillas  and  bushwhackers.  It  was  while 
here  that  Mr.  Miller  received  a  severe  injury, 
by  his  horse  falling  on  him,  for  which  he 
now  receives  a  pension.  He  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service,  September  30,  1865.  and 
was  paid  off  and  discharged  at  Springfield, 
October  20,  1865. 

He  then  hastened  to  return  to  his  family 
in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where  he  missed 
one  kindly  face  and  heart-felt  welcome,  his 
mother  having  died  during  his  absence.  He 
gradually  assumed  his  former  daily  routine 
of  duties,  and  notwithstanding  loss  of  dear 
ones,  many  hardships  endured  and  misfor- 


tunes sustained,  the  sense  of  having  fulfilled 
his  duty,  as  he  realized  it,  gave  him  renewed 
energy  for  the  prosecution  of  life's  tasks. 

He  and  his  worthy  wife  are  the  parents  of 
six  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  married 
and  at  the  head  of  families.  Thomas  is  a 
farmer  near  Delavan,  Illinois;  Alpheus  lives 
in  Ashland;  Clara,  now  Mrs.  Thompson,  lives 
in  Virginia,  this  State;  Ida,  married  Ralph 
Nixon,  a  superintendent  of  coal  mines,  and 
resides  in  Wesley  City,,  near  Peoria,  this 
State;  Martha,  now  Mrs.  Smith,  lives  at  her 
parents'  home;  Delia  married  Mr.  Perrin,  and 
resides  in  Virginia,  Illinois; 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  pol- 
itics, and  is  a  prominent  member  of  Down- 
ing Post,  No.  321,  Virginia,  Illinois.  His 
worthy  wife  is  an  earnest  and  useful  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  to  the  support  of 
which  they  both  contribute. 

An  honest  and  industrious  citizen,  a  brave 
and  efficient  soldier,  and  devoted  husband 
and  father,  he  deserves  the  high  esteem  in 
which  he  is  universally  held. 


ANIEL  LYONS,  M.  D.,  an  eminent 
physician  and  surgeon,  of  Ashland,  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  La  Salle,  of  the  same 
State,  June  16,  1848.  His  parents  were 
Daniel  and  Mary  (Morris)  Lyons,  both  natives 
of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in  1832, 
soon  after  their  marriage.  His  father  was  a 
railroad  contractor,  which  business  he  fol- 
lowed during  his  life  in  this  country.  The 
first  death  which  the  family  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  was  that  of  the  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
who  expired  in  Arkansas,  in  1861,  greatly 
lamented  by  her  associates  and  friends.  The 
father  survived  his  faithful  companion  fifteen 
years,  dying  in  Brierfield,  Alabama,  in  1876. 


594 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  integrity,  ex- 
tremely kind-hearted  and  benevolent,  and  was 
very  popular  among  his  acquaintances.  This 
worthy  couple  had  six  children:  Lawrence, 
Michael,  Daniel,  David,  Mary  and  Katie. 
All  but  two  of  these  are  now  deceased,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  a  brother  David, 
who  is  engaged  in  mining  at  Crystal,  Colo- 
rado. 

Dr.  Lyons  received  his  elementary  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  La  Salle  county, 
where  his  boyhood  and  early  manhood  were 
spent.  After  attaining  his  majority,  he  was 
engaged  for  about  seven  years  in  civil  engin- 
eering. During  the  liebellion,  he  was  for 
three  years  in  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 
ment, in  St.  Louis.  In  1878,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  Eclectic  medicine,  in  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  College,  St.  Louis,  taking  four 
courses,  and  continuing  his  studies  until  1883. 
While  pursuing  his  studies,  he  spent  most  of 
his  time  in  the  city  hospitals  of  St.  Louis, 
gaining  practical  experience  in  his  chosen 
work.  In  1883,  on  graduating  in  St.  Louis, 
he  came  to  Ashland,  where  he  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  has  stead- 
ily grown  in  favor  until  he  now  does  a  large 
and  lucrative  business,  being  universally  re- 
garded as  thoroughly  skilled  in  his  profes- 
sion, conscientious  and  careful. 

He  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  in  1869,  to 
Miss  Johanna  Connelly,  an  estimable  lady, 
and  a  native  of  Canada.  Her  parents  were 
James  and  Catharine  Connelly,  and  she  was 
one  of  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four 
daughters.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lyons  have  two 
children :  Deloraine  J.,  now  twenty  two  years 
of  age,  is  unmarried,  and  is  a  telegraph  op- 
erator in  Colorado;  Gertrude,  now  thirteen 
years  old,  is  at  home  and  in  school. 

The  Doctor  is  Democratic  in  his  political 
affiliations,  on  which  ticket  he  was  elected  to 


the  position  of  Coroner  of  Cass  county, 
serving  in  that  capacity  with  acknowledged 
ability. 

Socially,  he  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  of 
A.,  and  is  prominently  associated  with  the 
Masonic  order,  which  latter  society  he  joined 
in  St.  Louis. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  most  important  facts 
of  a  busy  and  useful  life,  which  has  been 
spent  in  the  amelioration  of  human  suffer- 
ing, and  in  promoting  the  happiness  and 
welfare  of  his  fellow  beings. 


ILLIAM  FKEESEN,  now  deceased, 
having  died  near  Oxville,  Scott 
county,  Illinois,  in  1884.  He  was 
fifty-four  years  of  age,  being  born  in  the 
Rhine  province,  Prussia,  Germany,  near  the 
river  Rhine,  in  November  1829.  He  came 
of  German  parents,  who  lived  and  died  in 
Germany.  He  was  the  only  member  of  his 
family  to  come  to  this  country,  which  he  did 
when  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  set- 
'ting  out  from  Antwerp,  in  1852,  for  the 
United  States  in  a  sailing  vessel.  He  landed 
in  New  Orleans  after  a  seven  weeks'  voyage. 
He  came  to  Beardstown,  and  after  the  first 
year  became  a  farmer,  purchasing  land  in 
Cass  county,  where  he  became  a  successful 
farmer.  He  owned  200  acres  of  good  land 
in  Cass  county,  and  240  acres  in  Scott,  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  His  widow  still  owns  the 
Cass  county  farm.  Mr.  Freesen  was  a  good, 
worthy  citizen,  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  a  stanch  Democrat. 

He  was  married  after  the  first  year  in  this 
county,  in  Beardstown  township,  to  Eliza- 
beth Stauttler,  who  proved  herself  a  most 
devoted  wife,  and  a  woman  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  good  husband  she  had.  She 


SOHUTLER    AND    BltOWN    COUNTIES. 


595 


now  enjoys  the  property  she  helped  her  hus- 
band accumulate.  She  was  born  in  the  same 
place  as  her  husband  March  9,  1838,  and 
was  reared  and  educated  by  her  German 
parents,  William  and  Margaret  (Speaker) 
Stauttler.  The  former  died  in  Germany, 
when  a  young  man,  and  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Freesen,  was  only  eighteen  years  old.  Her 
mother  is  yet  living  in  Beardstown,  and  is 
eighty  years  old,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  F> 
W.  Friday,  and  both  old  people  have  been 
prominent  members  all  their  lives,  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Mrs.  Freesen  came  to  America  with  her 
mother  and  stepfather  on  the  same  vessel  as 
Mr.  Freesen.  She  is  the  mother  of  twelve 
children,  four  of  whom  are  deceased:  Marga-- 
ret,  Bell,  Anna  and  Hannah,  all  died  young. 
The  living  ones  arej  William,  now  a  farmer 
in  Scott  county,  married  to  Matilda  Baully; 
George  Garrett,  a  farmer  in  Scott  county; 
Fred,  a  resident  of  St.  Louis;  Katie,  at  home, 
and  she  and  her  sister  Maggie,  also  at  home, 
dressmakers;  Henry  is  at  home,  as  are 
also  Lewis  and  Edward.  Mrs.  Freesen  and 
all  the  children  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 


PHEOPHILUS  C.  LAUJSER,  a  large 
and  prosperous  farmer,  lives  on  sec- 
tions 6  and  7,  township  17,  range  11, 
where  he  owns  270  acres  of  well-improved 
land,  with  good  farm  buildings.  He  also  owns 
320  acres,  almost  all  well  improved.  Besides 
this  he  owns  a  fine  lot  of  timber  land  amount- 
ing to  182  acres,  and  eighty  acres  draining 
land  in  section  20.  He  came  to  the  county 
a  poor  young  man,  but  has  since  accumulated 
much  valuable  property.  He  has  always 
lived  in  Cass  county,  except  a  year  in  Morgan 


county.  He  began  here  as  a  farmer  on  his 
own  account,  first  purchasing  forty  acres, 
which  he  sold  and  with  the  proceeds  bought 
120  acres,  and  later  sold  that  and  increased 
his  sales  until  he  now  owns  a  fine  property, 
all  earned  by  his  own  efforts. 

He  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  Janu- 
ary 30,  1838,  and  was  yet  a  very  young  child 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.  Two  years  later  they  came  to 
Cass  county,  which  be  has  since  made  his 
home,  and  where  he  has  been  a  prominent 
farmer.  His  father,  Rev.  Frederic  G.  Launer, 
was  a  native  of  Berne,  Switzerland,  born 
February  18,  1798.  He  was  very  highly 
educated,  receiving  instruction  in  his  native 
country  and  other  places,  including  London. 
He  was  educated  as  a  Lutheran  minister,  and 
became  master  of  five  languages,  being  a  man 
of  quick  perception  and  powerful  intellect. 
He  came  to  America  in  1832,  and  first  held 
a  professorship  in  a  college  in  Buffalo,  New 
York,  and  later  at  Philadelphia,  also  preach- 
ing in  both  places.  He  afterward  came  to 
Beardstown  and  built  up  the  first  Lutheran 
Church  of  the  place,  and  was  also  at  Havana 
and  Pekin,  Illinois.  He  was  widely  and  well 
known  throughout  the  State  as  a  preacher, 
and  had  a  great  deal  of  influence  in  that 
capacity.  He  was  the  pioneer  minister  in 
this  part  of  the  State,  and  did  a  great  deal  of 
good.  He  died  in  Beardstown,  September 
28,  1867.  He  was  then  seventy-four  years, 
six  months  and  ten  days  old.  He  worked 
hard  all  his  life  for  his  church,  and  made  a 
host  of  friends.  He  was  a  missionary  in  this 
State,  after  filling  that  position  in  Africa  for 
three  years.  His  wife,  Lydia,  was  born  No- 
vember 23,  1811,  and  died  several  years  after 
him,  in  Beardstown,  January  1,  1873.  She 
was  then  over  sixty  years  of  age,  being  born 
in  Canton  Peal,  Switzerland,  where  she  lived 


596 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


until  her  marriage.  She  was  a  devoted  wife 
and  mother,  and  a  good  Christian  woman. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  General  Marthe,  and 
a  grandchild  of  General  David  Marthe,  Coin- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  army  of  Napoleon 
the  Great,  during  the  time  that  general  was 
frozen  out  of  Russia,  near  Moscow.  Of  seven 
children  three  are  now  deceased.  Charles 
served  five  years  in  the  Union  army;  Peter 
was  a  brave  and  efficient  soldier  in  the  Mexi- 
can war;  Theodore  is  now  living  in  Morgan 
county,  this  State;  and  Mary  resides  in 
Beardstown. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  this  county, 
March  10,  1863,  to  Josephine  Winhold,  born 
near  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  September  12, 
1838,  coming  to  Cass  county  with  her  parents. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Launer  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  are  prominent,  good 
people.  Mr.  Launer  has  held  almost  all  the 
local  offices.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
as  are  his  sons.  They  are  the  parents  of  six 
children:  Bertha,  wife  of  Prof.  John  Hage- 
ner,  a  teacher  of  the  county;  Ida,  wife  of 
John  Kloker,  farmer  of  this  county;  Rose, 
Cora,  Richard  and  Robert  are  all  at  home, 
and  all  the  children  are  intelligent,  well  edu- 
cated, a  credit  to  the  family,  society  and  the 
State. 


fERDINAND  WINHOLD,  a  very  pros- 
perous German  farmer,  living  on  section 
8  of  township  18,  range  11,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  near  Pittsburg,  in  1839.  He 
is  the  son  of  William  Winhold,  born  in  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  of  Hessian  parents,  who,  after  all 
their  children  were  born  and  a  good  part  of 
them  married,  including  the  son,  William, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1833.  They 
set  sail  from  Bremen,  Hanover,  and  after  a 


voyage  of  fifty- seven  days  landed  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  later  settling  in  Pennsylvania,  near 
Pittsburg,  where  the  father  of  William  died, 
an  old  man.  Later,  William,  who  was  the 
only  child  who  came  with  his  parents  to 
America,  came  with  his  mother  and  own 
family  to  Illinois,  settling  in  1840  on  a  new 
farm  in  township  18,  range  11.  Here  the 
mother  of  William  spent  her  last  years  and 
died  when  an  old  woman.  William  began  to 
make  a  home  for  his  wife  and  children.  He 
first  bought  forty  acres,  and  added  to  it  from 
time  to  time,  improving  it  all  the  while  until 
it  was  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  county. 
He  died  in  1886,  when  nearly  seventy-eight 
years  old.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  a  stanch  Republican.  He  held 
to  no  church,  although  his  parents  were 
Catholics.  His  wife  is  now  deceased,  dying 
on  the  old  farm  in  1887,  when  quite  an  old 
woman.  She  was  born,  reared  and  married 
in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  coming  of 
good  old  stock.  She  was  the  good  mother  of 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  married  and 
all  are  living  in  Cass  county. 

Ferdinand  is  the  fifth  child  of  the  family 
and  was  reared  in  this  county,  being  but 
eighteen  months  old  when  brought  to  Illinois 
by  his  parents  in  1840.  He  now  owns  230 
acres  of  land,  all  well  improved,  which  he  has 
owned  for  some  years,  having  begun  farming 
for  himself  when  twenty-three.  He  had  but 
few  opportunities  for  education,  but  made  the 
most  of  what  he  had,  and  has  made  up  for 
lack  of  education  in  common  sense  and  in- 
telligence. 

He  was  married  in  this  county  to  Bertha 
Philippi,  born  near  where  she  now  lives  in 
1847.  She  was  reared  and  educated  in  this 
county,  and  is  one  of  a  large  family.  (For 
history  of  same  see  biography  of  parents.) 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winhold  are  prominent  people 


SCHUfLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


597 


of  their  county.  Mr.  Winhold  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  has  held  local  offices.  He  and 
his  wife  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  all 
yet  at  home:  Rudolph  F.,  Julius  P.,  William 
P.,  Lena  B.,  Charles  EL,  Eugene  S.,  Paul  P., 
Bodo  H.  and  Hugo  V.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Win- 
hold  deserve  their  present  prosperity,  as  they 
have  been  hard  workers  all  their  lives. 


§EWIS  ZIMMER,  JK.,  a  practical  general 
farmer,  of  section  2,1,  township  18,  range 
11,  was  born  on  his  present  farm  March 
19,  1861.  He  has  since  lived  on  the  farm 
and  was  educated  in  Bluff  Springs  precinct. 
He  lived  with  his  parents  until  after  he  be- 
came of  age,  and  since  that  time  he  has  had 
control  of  the  home  farm,  which  he  has  run 
successfully.  He  is  the  son  of  Lewis  Zim- 
mer,  a  native  of  Prussia,  Germany,  and  came 
of  German  ancestry.  He  was  reared  a  farmer 
and  while  yet  a  young  man  he  came  all  alone 
to  America  and  settled  in  Cass  county.  This 
was  in  the  '40s.  He  later  began  to  buy  land 
and  finally  accumulated  the  large  and  sub- 
stantial farm  he  now  owns.  Here  Mr.  Zim- 
mer,  Sr.,  and  his  wife  lived  until  some  six 
years  ago,  when  they  retired  to  Beard  stown, 
and  are  Spending  their  last  days  quietly, 
leaving  the  farm  in  the  charge  of  Lewis.  Mr. 
Zimmer,  Sr.,  married  his  wife  in  this  county, 
her  name  being  Catharine  Keil,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  came  to  America  when  young. 
She  has  proven  herself  a  good  wifeand  mother. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zimmer  are  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church  of  Beardstown. 
Mr.  Zimmer  is  a  Democrat. 

Our  subject  is  the  second  child  and  only 
son,  his  only  sister  being  Maggie,  wife  of 
Theo.  Krohe,  an  agricultural  dealer  in  Beards- 
town.  The  farm  consists  of  200  acres,  100 


of  which  he  owns  himself.     It  is  in  fine  con- 
dition. 

Lewis  was  married  in  this  county,  to  Ma- 
tilda Krohe,  born  in  this  county,  February  1, 
1862,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  her 
native  county.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Au- 
gust and  Mary  Krohe,  who  now  live  in  Beards- 
town  and  are  retired  farmers,  owning  a  large 
improved  farm  in  township  18,  range  11. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krohe  are  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many, but  have  lived  in  Cass  county  since 
their  marriage.  They  are  Lutherans.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Zimmer  are  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church,  and  Mr.  Zimmer  is  a  Demo- 
crat. They  have  three  children:  Calvin  L. 
P.,  Clara  M.  C.  and  Theodore  E.  Both  Mr. 
Zimmer  and  his  wife  are  highly  respected, 
and  have  hosts  of  friends  in  the  county,  where 
they  are  well  known  as  honest,  hard-working 
people. 


,ON.  JESSE  DARNELL,  deceased,  a 
resident  of  Rushville  township,  and  one 
of  the  oldest  settlers  of  the  county,  is 
worthy  of  representation  in  this  history.  He 
was  born  eight  miles  from  Wooster,  Wayne 
county,  Ohio,  October  4,  1811,  a  son  of  Henry 
Darnell,  a  native  of  West  Virginia.  The 
father  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Colonial  army, 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Yorktown,  and 
was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Lord  Corn- 
wallis.  About  the  year  1800,  with  his  own 
and  nine  other  families,  he  emigrated  to  the 
Northwest  Territory,  being  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Ohio.  He  first  located  in  the 
Scioto  valley,  but  as  it  was  sickly  there,  he 
went  to  Wayne  county;  here  he  secured  a 
tract  of  land  which  was  part  timber  and  part 
prairie.  For  several  years  there  were  no 
other  settlers  in  that  section.  Indians  were 


598 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    GA8S, 


numerous  and  often  hostile.  The  colony 
built  a  block-house  with  a  stockade  around  it, 
and  it  was  within  these  walls  that  our  subject 
was  born.  The  father  improved  a  fine  farm 
there,  on  which  he  resided  until  his  death  in 
1847.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Eliza- 
beth Lee,  also  a  native  of  Virginia;  she  died 
in  1818. 

Jesse  Darnell,  whose  name  heads  this 
notice,  was  reared  in  his  native  State,  where 
his  educational  opportunities  were  limited  to 
the  subscription  schools,  which  were  taught 
in  private  houses.  There  were  no  railroads 
or  canals:  consequently  no  market  towns. 
The  people  lived  upon  the  products  of  their 
own  land  and  wild  game,  which  was  plenti- 
ful. The  mother  carded,  spun  and  wove  all 
the  cloth  used  by  the  family. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  our  subject 
went  from  the  home  which  had  sheltered  his 
childhood,  out  into  the  world  to  begin  life 
for  himself.  He  remained  in  Ohio  until 
1833,  and  then  came  to  Illinois  via  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers,  landing  at  Oquawka, 
where  he  remained  about  a  year,  after  which 
he  carne  to  Schuyler  county.  There  were  few 
settlers  in  the  county,  and  agriculture  was 
carried  on  in  a  most  primitive  fashion.  He 
settled  at  Frederick  and  engaged  quite  ex- 
tensively in  the  manufacture  of  fanning- 
mills,  which  he  continued  for  seven  or  eight 
years,  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing. He  lived  in  Frederick  township  until 
1886,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  a  farm  he 
had  purchased  several  years  before;  this  is  a 
tract  of  160  acres,  the  greater  portion  of 
which  is  well  improved;  he  also  owned 
another  farm  of  200  acres  in  Frederick  town- 
ship. 

Mr.  Darnell  was  married  in  April,  1841, 
to  Louisa  Utter,  a  native  of  Illinois  and  a 
daughter  of  Lyman  and  Martha  Utter,  natives 


of  the  State  of  New  York  and  pioneers  of 
Schuyler  county,  and  located  on  a  farm  east 
of  Pleasant  View.  His  wife  died  in  1847,  but 
he  never  married  again.  Two  sons  and  one 
daughter  survive  him:  John  Monroe,  James 
K.  Polk  and  Mrs.  H.  A.  Nelson,  the  latter 
living  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  California. 
His  son  James  is  a  resident  of  Breckinridge, 
Colorado,  having  located  in  that  State  twenty- 
two  years  ago. 

Mr.  Darnell  was  a  sincere  Democrat,  and 
had  been  from  early  youth.  The  principles 
laid  down  by  Jefferson  were  thoroughly  in- 
stilled into  his  very  being,  and  he  was  always 
found  allied  with  the  cause  he  believed  to  be 
right.  In  1848  he  represented  this  county 
in  the  Legislature,  and  for  eight  years  he  was 
Supervisor  from  Frederick  township,  filling 
the  position  of  chairman  of  the  board  for 
several  years.  He  was  a  prominent  member 
of  Rushville  Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
to  which  he  had  belonged  for  nearly  half  a 
century.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity, 
esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him. 


EORGE  H.  WIER  of  Birmingham 
township,  was  born  here  September  16, 
1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and 
Sarah  (Clampet)  Wier.  Mr.  Samuel  Wier 
is  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  a  farmer,  and 
came  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1835  and  set- 
tled where  the  subject  now  lives,  and  bought 
eighty  acres  and  later  purchased  more,  leav- 
ing 160  acres  at  his  death.  He  made  the 
trip  with  his  wife  and  child,  with  one  horse 
and  wagon.  He  first  built  a  log  house  16 
x  18  feet  and  remained  in  it  until  his  present 
house  was  built  in  1869.  In  politics  he  was 
an  old-line  Whig  and  was  a  minister  of  the 


SCHUTLBR    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


599 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  continued 
preaching  occasionally  until  his  death  in 
1865.  His  wife  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
and  died  where  our  subject  now  lives,  in 
middle  life. 

George  Wier  remained  home  until  his 
marriage,  when  he  rented  part  of  his  father's 
farm  and  after  the  latter's  death  he  bought 
the  land  and  now  owns  365  acres.  He  is  a 
thoroughly  self-made  man,  politically  a  Re- 
publican and  a  highly  valued  church  member 
for  eighteen  years. 

He  was  married  for  the  first  time  in  1863, 
to  Martha  Wells,  who  died  a  year  later,  leav- 
ing one  child  which  also  died.  In  1870  he 
was  again  married,  to  Mary  McPherson. 
She  was  a  native  of  Morgan  county,  Illinois, 
born  in  1847,  daughter  of  Benjamin  F.  and 
Harriet  (Thompson)  McPherson.  Her  fa- 
ther is  still  living,  but  her  mother  died  here, 
aged  forty-five.  They  were  pioneers  of 
Illinois. 

Mr.  Wier  has  five  children,  namely;  Har- 
riet L.,  William  A.,  Edwin  R.,  Samuel  B., 
and  Harrison  R. 


IEORGE  W.  ERWIN,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  farmers  of  Littleton  town- 
ship, Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  was 
born  in  Constable,  Franklin  county,  Ohio, 
December  1,  1818.  His  parents  were  Cor- 
nelius M.  and  Lucinda  (Furman)  Erwin. 
His  father  was  born  in  Rutland  county, 
Vermont,  and  died  in  Ohio,  aged  fifty  years. 
(See  sketch  of  L.  D.  Erwin.) 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Ohio,  living  at  home  until  his  father's 
death,  when  in  June,  1838,  he  came  to 
Illinois,  where  he  walked  all  through  the 


lead  mines,  looking  for  work,  and  finally 
located  in  Rushville,  working  by  the  month 
on  a  farm.  He  continued  in  this  capacity 
until  the  year  1847,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Captain  Dunlap's  company  and  served  for  a 
year  and  a  half  in  the  Mexican  war.  At  the 
end  of  this  time,  he  returned  to  Rushville, 
and  soon  after  married  Agnes  Corrie,  on 
New  Year's  Day.  1851.  She  was  born  in 
Orange  county,  Illinois,  and  was  a  daughter 
of  John  Corrie,  a  substantial  farmer  of  the 
State.  After  his  marriage,  our  subject 
bought  a  farm  of  160  acres  of  partly  im- 
proved land,  on  which  he  built  in  1855,  the 
home  in  which  he  still  resides,  which  is  a 
substantial  pile,  suggestive  of  comfort  and 
convenience.  He  has  added  large  barns  and 
other  buildings  for  his  grain  and  stock,  and 
has  his  land  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, being  devoted  to  mixed  farming.  His 
former  farm  is  worked  by  his  son-in-law, 
Mr.  Bosworth,  a  highly  esteemed  young 
man  and  intelligent  farmer. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erwin  have  had  ten  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Ellen  A., 
wife  of  Richard  R.  Bosworth,  has  five  chil- 
dren, three  boys  and  two  girls;  Cornelius 
M.,  married  Sara  B.  Taylor,  and  they  have 
four  children;  Frank  C.  married  Mary  Cor- 
dell;  William  S.  lives  in  Montana.  He  has 
had  his  children  carefully  educated  in  the 
schools  of  the  vicinity,  and  all  are  intelligent 
members  of  the  communities  in  which  they 
live. 

Mr.  Erwin  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
his  wife,  after  thirty-four  years  of  happy 
wedded  life.  She  died  May  10,  1885,  aged 
fifty-five  years,  mourned  by  her  family  and  a 
large  circle  of  friends.  She  was  a  lady  of 
intelligence  and  many  charms  of  person  and 
character,  a  faithful  wife  and  fond  mother, 
and  sympathetic  friend. 


600 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  having  cast  his  first  vote  for 
Martin  Van  Buren,  since  when  he  has  voted 
the  straight  Democratic  ticket.  His  constitu- 
ents have  honored  him  by  an  election  to 
the  office  of  collector  of  the  township,  in 
which  capacity  he  was  the  first  to  serve  after 
its  organization.  He  has  also  been  a  school 
trustee  and  director  for  many  years,  which 
position  he  has  filled  with  ability  and  to  the 
general  satisfaction  of  the  community. 

He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  to  the  support  of 
which  he  has  always  liberally  contributed. 

Ot  superior  ability,  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive, and  of  high  morality  and  integrity, 
Mr.  Erwin  enjoys  the  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
citizens  to  an  unusual  degree. 


jE  WITT  CLINTON  JOHNSTON,  de- 
ceased, was  born  in  Clermont  county, 
Ohio,  April  2,  1824.  His  father,  James 
T.  Johnston,  was  born  at  "Washington,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  his  father  and  grandfather  lived 
in  Scotland,  and  on  corning  to  America  set- 
tled in  New  Jersey.  They  removed  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  there  engaged  in  farming  until 
they  died. 

The  father  of  the  subject  was  a  graduate  of 
Jefferson  College  and  became  a  practicing 
physician  in  Clermont  county,  Ohio,  but  he 
spent  his  last  days  at  New  Richmond.  His 
wife  was  a  Mary  Whetstone,  of  Hamilton 
county,  Ohio.  She  died  in  the  same  town  as 
her  husband. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  edu- 
cation at  the  public  schools  of  New  Rich- 
mond, and  from  private  tutors,  and  graduated 
from  the  same  college  as  his  father,  in  the 
year  1843.  He  commenced  the  study  of  law 


at  Batavia,  Ohio,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Hillsborough,  Ohio,  and  practiced  there 
till  1850,  when  he  removed  to  New  Rich- 
mond, Ohio,  an  opened  an  office  and  continued 
there  until  1853,  when  he  came  to  Rushville 
and  practiced  there  until  January  28,  1866. 

He  married,  in  1845,  a  lady  whose  maiden 
name  was  Margaret  Bauer,  a  native  of  Bavaria, 
Germany.  Her  grandfather  had  lived  in  the 
same  country  all  his  life,  and  so  had  her  father 
until  1832,  when  he  resolved  to  try  his  for- 
tune in  the  new  world:  so  with  his  family  he 
set  sail  from  Havre  de  Grace  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year.  His  father,  Conrad  Bauer, 
also  came  over  to  America  in  the  same  ship. 
The  trip  was  made  in  thirty-three  days.  From 
New  York,  where  they  landed,  the  older  man 
went  to  Ohio  by  the  way  of  Pennsylvania, 
making  the  journey  by  the  canal  and  stage 
to  Pittsburg,  and  then  down  the  Ohio  river. 
He  located  in  Brown  county,  and  bought  a 
farm  and  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  until  his 
death. 

Mrs.  Johnston's  father  was  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  two  children,  and  he  located  in 
the  same  county  as  his  father,  bought  a  farm, 
and  resided  there  until  1856,  when  he  sold 
out  and  came  to  Illinois,  and  located  in  Rush- 
ville township.  Here  he  also  bought  a  farm, 
on  section  25,  and  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  his  death. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Johnston  was  Margaret  Heigh.  She  was  born 
in  the  same  locality  as  her  husband,  and 
spent  the  last  years  of  her  life  on  the  home 
farm. 

Mrs.  Johnston  continued  to  reside  in  Rush- 
ville for  some  time  after  her  husband's  death, 
but  she  now  occupies  her  father's  old  home- 
stead in  Rushville  township.  She  has  two 
sons  living,  James  B.  and  Harold  W.  The 
former  is  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago  Univer- 


80UUrLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


601 


sity  and  is  a  practicing  attorney.  The  second 
son  is  a  graduate  of  the  Illinois  College,  Jack- 
sonville, where  he  is  professor  of  Latin.  He 
is  also  an  author,  his  first  work  is  entitled 
"Select  Orations  and  Letters  of  Cicero." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  were  earnest  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Johnson 
was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber. He  was  an  able  lawyer  and  a  fine  citi- 
zen. His  record  is  one  of  which  his  family 
and  friends  may  justly  be  proud,  not  only  in 
his  capacity  as  County  Judge,  but  in  the  oc- 
cupations of  daily  life.  Having  many  ad- 
vantages which  other  early  settlers  did  not 
have,  he  became  well-known  throughout  the 
State  as  a  legal  authority,  as  well  as  a  man  of 
literary  attainments. 


T.  RITCHEY,  a  farmer  and 
resident  of  Rushville  township,  was 
born  in  what  is  now  Buena  Vista  town- 
ship, Schiiyler  county,  Illinois,  September 
19,  1844,  being  the  only  son  of  George  S. 
and  Lucinda  Ritchey.  His  father  was  born 
in  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  lived  there  until  1831, 
when  he  emigrated  to  Schnyler  county,  hav- 
ing nothing  but  a  large  stock  of  health  and 
youthful  spirits  upon  which  to  draw  for  a 
livelihood.  Energy  and  industry  spurred  him 
on  and  he  continued  a  hard-working  man,  liv- 
ing to  see  himself  possessed  of  a  good  com- 
petence. 

In  1831  neighbors  were  far  apart  in  old 
Schuyler,  deer  being  far  more  numerous  than 
human  beings.  When  he  married  Lucinda 
•  Walker,  of  Kentucky,  he  took  her  home  to 
a  log  cabin,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born.  The  year  following  this  latter 
event  Mr.  Ritchey  removed  with  his  family 


to  section  6,  Rushville  township,  upon  land 
he  had  previously  purchased,  and,  except 
two  years  spent  in  California,  he  resided 
there  until  his  death.  His  wife  also  died  on 
the  old  home  farm.  Mr.  Ritchey,  Sr.,  was 
mourned  as  a  good  farmer,  a  kind  neighbor 
and  a  good  friend. 

Frank  Ritchey  received  his  early  education 
at  the  district  school,  the  first  one  being 
held  in  a  log  house  with  furniture  of  the 
most  primitive  kind,  the  benches  being 
mere  slabs.  Later  he  took  advanced  steps  in 
the  public  schools  of  Rushville,  where  he  was 
fitted  as  a  teacher.  He  engaged  in  teaching 
and  farming  until  1872,  when  he  went  to 
Crawford  county,  Kansas,  and  there  taught 
school  for  two  terms,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Illinois,  and  has  resided  ever  since,  in 
Rushville,  where  he  now  owns  a  nice  farm  of 
255  acres  and  is  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock-raising. 

He  was  married  in  1876,  to  Catharine  F. 
Sands,  of  Rushville  township,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Frances  Nail  Sands  (see  sketch 
of  R.  E  Sands).  Four  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  namely:  Lora  E.,  Lucinda  F., 
George  F.  and  Robert. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritchey  are  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church.  He  is  an  act- 
ive member  of  the  Republican  party,  and, 
as  all  good  citizens  should  do,  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  all  that  concerns  the  well  being  of 
his  county,  State  and  the  Union. 


,ON.  J.  M.  HAMBAUGH.— The  sub- 
ject of  this  brief  sketch  is  one  of  the 
men  of  whom  the  State  of  Illinois  is 
proud.  His  career  in  the  last  Legislature,  as 
a  Representative  from  the  Thirty-sixth  Sen- 
atorial District,  has  made  a  national  reputa- 


602 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    UASS, 


lion  for  him  as  a  champion  of  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  apiarists. 

This  gentleman  was  born  in  Versailles 
township,  Brown  county,  Illinois,  July  16, 
1846,  hence  he  is  over  forty-five  years  of  age. 
His  father,  Stephen  D.  Hambaugh,  emigrated 
from  Kentucky,  and  pre-empted  the  farm 
now  occupied  as  a  homestead  by  his  son,  in 
the  year  1828,  being  one  of  the  very  first 
settlers  of  this  section  of  the  country.  Ste- 
phen was  the  son  of  Henry,  a  native  of  Louisi- 
ana, born  in  1771,  who  married  Eebecca 
Morris.  Henry  was  the  son  of  John,  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  married  to  a  lady  of  De- 
troit, Michigan,  having  come  to  this  country 
when  quite  a  young  man.  He  and  his  wife 
died  in  Louisiana,  leaving  quite  a  family. 
Stephen  was  one  of  ten  children,  of  whom  he 
was  the  third.  He  was  reared  to  farm  life, 
receiving  a  fair  schooling,  and  married  Elmina 
Stone,  daughter  of  John  and  Abigail  (Crook) 
Stone,  natives  of  New  Hampshire  and  Ver- 
mont, respectively.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born  in  1814,  and  was  taken  to  Ken- 
tucky by  her  parents  when  only  five  years  old, 
and  is  the  last  surviving  member  of  her 
father's  large  family  of  ten  children,  who 
were  reared  to  maturity  and  became  the 
heads  of  families.  The  grandfather  of  our 
subject  came  to  Illinois  in  1824,  with  his 
wife  and  three  children,  leaving  one  son  be- 
hind. He  had  no  property,  but  settled  first 
at  Edwardsville,  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1824, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1828  he  came  to  the 
present  home  of  our  subject.  Here  he  moved 
his  family  into  a  small  log  cabin,  which  his 
brother  had  built.  The  brother  had  preceded 
him  and  built  this  cabin  on  eighty  acres  of 
land.  They  made  the  journey  to  their  new 
home  in  a  "  prairie  schooner,"  drawn  by  four 
horses.  The  company  that  made  the  trip  was 
composed  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Hambaugh 


and  their  children, —  John  P.,  Stephen  D., 
Philip  G.,  and  Francis,  the  only  living 
daughter,  who  became  the  wife  of  Governor 
Ford,  of  this  State.  S.  D.  Hambaugh,  father 
of  J.  M.  Hambaugh,  died  November  4, 1877. 
J.  P.  Hambaugh,  brother  of  S.  D.  Ham- 
baugh, a  bachelor  who  had  always  made 
his  home  in  the  family  of  S.  D.,  died  Sep- 
tember 3,  1886,  leaving  his  nephew,  J.  M. 
Hambaugh,  executor  of  his  estate,  and  in  his 
will  bequeathed  $1,000  to  be  expended  on  a 
monument  to  the  Hambaugh  family,  and  an 
iron  fence  around  the  cemetery;  and  Mr. 
Hambaugh  had  a  most  unique  model  of  the 
old  pioneer  log  cabin  erected  on  the  bluff  in 
Hambaugh  cemetery  near  the  old  home, 
which  has  been  visited  by  thousands  of  peo- 
ple and  admired  by  all  who  have  seen  it. 

At  the  time  the  Hambaugh  family  made 
their  advent  into  Illinois  there  was  not 
a  railroad  in  the  State,  and  but  few  in  the 
United  States.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elmina  Stone  on 
the  eve  of  the  great  snow-storm,  December 
28,  1830,  so  historical  and  memorable  in  the 
minds  of  old  settlers,  the  snow  falling  to  a 
depth  of  four  feet  on  a  level,  and  remaining 
on  the  ground  until  the  1st  of  April. 

Nestling  among  the  trees  of  the  forest, 
where  scarcely  a  ray  of  sunshine  could  pene- 
trate, Mr.  Hambaugh  had  built  his  hut,  which 
was  in  keeping  with  its  rude  surroundings, 
and  it  was  to  this  rude  structure  that  Mr. 
Hambaugh  introduced  his  bride,  to  share  his 
lot  in  the  miseries  and  pleasures  coincident 
with  a  truly  pioneer  life.  They  were  the  ad- 
vance guards  of  the  on-coming  tide  of  civili- 
zation. With  nerves  of  steel  they  endured 
privations  and  sufferings  and  made  possible 
the  deeds  of  to-day. 

It  was  during  the  first  winter  of  his  pioneer 
experience  that  Mr.  Hambaugh  obtained  a 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


603 


few  colonies  of  bees  from  hollow  trees,  by 
felling  them,  and  sawing  above  and  below 
the  colony,  covering  one  end  with  boards  and 
mounting  them  upon  platforms  prepared  for 
that  purpose,  then  transporting  them  to  his 
cabin  on  a  sled.  In  this  way  the  first  bees 
were  obtained,  from  which  he  increased  their 
numbers  year  by  year,  until  they  reached  as 
many  as  fifty  or  sixty  colonies.  The  hive 
used  was  very  primitive,  and  the  method  of 
taking  the  honey  was  with  the  brimstone 
match;  but,  strange  as  this  may  seem,  wax 
and  honey  was  quite  a  financial  factor  with 
the  early  pioneers,  and  many  a  hearthstone 
has  been  made  happy  by  the  timely  exchange 
of  this  product  for  linsey,  jeans  and  other 
necessities  for  home  comforts;  and  one  settler 
states  that  he  paid  for  eighty  acres  of  land 
with  the  money  obtained  from  honey  and 
wax. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hambaugh  had  seven  chil- 
dren born  to  them,  four  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing, Joseph  M.  being  the  youngest;  and  it  has 
fallen  to  his  lot  to  remain  on  the  old  home- 
stead to  look  after  the  fences  and  the  bees. 
Having  inherited  a  passionate  fondness  for 
this  wonderful  little  insect,  like  his  father,  he 
declares  that  the  old  homestead  will  never  be 
deprived  of  their  merry  hum;  but  it  was  not 
until  1881  that  he  began  to  study  modern 
methods,  and  prepare  for  a  new  era  in  bee 
culture.  Up  to  that  time  he  had  never  seen 
the  inside  of  a  bee-book.  He  had  been  taught 
to  produce  honey  in  small  boxes,  and  believed 
it  to  be  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  all  other  meth- 
ods, when  a  little  circumstance  led  him  to 
an  investigation,  which  was  a  ray  of  light 
cast  upon  a  new  field  of  labor,  grand  and 
beautiful  beyond  discription.  It  was  in  the 
fall  of  1881  that,  chancing  to  step  into  the 
grocery  house  of  J.  A.  Givens,  in  Mount 
Sterling,  he  discovered  a  huge  pyramid  of 


beautiful  white  clover  honey  put  up  in  two 
and  three  pound  packages,  and  upon  inquiry 
he  found  that  they  had  been  produced  by  a 
citizen  of  his  own  county,  by  the  name  of 
Dunbar.  He  sought  out  Mr.  Dunbar  and 
found  out  that  to  be  a  successful  honey-pro- 
ducer one  must  study  the  art.  About  this 
time  he  read  A.  I.  Root's  advertisement  in 
an  agricultural  paper  and  sent  for  a  catalogue 
of  his  bee  supplies,  and  he"  was  soon  in  pos- 
session of  Cook's  Manual  of  the  Apiary, 
Dzierzon's  Rational  Beekeeping  and  many 
other  works  of  note;  and  it  was  after  a  care- 
ful persual  of  these  works  that  he  ventured 
on  modern  improved  methods.  Did  not 
space  forbid  we  might  follow  Mr.  Hambangh 
through  all  his  evolutions,  but  suffice  to  say 
that  he  prefers  the  Dadant  hive  for  extrac- 
ting purposes;  and,  as  his  success  as  a  honey- 
producer  is  well  known  throughout  the 
county,  his  opinion  is  valuable. 

He  was  married  October  26,  1869,  to  Miss 
Josephine  Shamp,  of  Edina,  Knox  county, 
Missouri,  daughter  of  H.  S.  Shamp,  who 
gladdened  his  home  but  the  short  space  of 
two  and  a  half  years,  when  she  crossed  the 
dark  valley,  leaving  to  him  an  infant  but  six 
hours  old.  This  sorrowful  experience  in  Mr. 
Hatnbaugh's  life  came  near  turning  his 
brain,  and  he  says  that  only  those  who  pass 
through  a  similar  experience  can  ever  under- 
stand the  intensity  of  the  heartache  and  lac- 
eration of  the  soul  such  a  disaster  occasions. 
Mr.  Hambaugh  was  married  for  the  second 
time,  February  29,  1879,  to  Miss  Frances 
Cullinan,  of  Mount  Sterling,  daughter  of 
Williatn'and  Ann  (Brown)  Cullinan.  She  is 
the  mother  of  five  children,  all  living,  but 
one  infant.  The  living  ones  are:  Elrnina, 
aged  twelve;  Anna  M.,  aged  nine  years; 
William  Jatnes,  aged  six  years;  Stephen  D., 
aged  two  years. 


604 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASH, 


Mr.  Hambaugh  has  borne  his  share  of  the 
minor  township  offices,  and  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  November,  1890.  HB  has  pur- 
sued mixed  farming  and  stock-raising,  in  ad- 
dition to  honey  production,  and  has  always 
been  prominent  in  bee  societies  all  over  the 
State,  and  is  a  member  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican Beekeepers'  Association,  the  Beekeepers' 
Union,  and  is  President  of  the  Illinois 
State  Beekeepers'  Association. 

Our  subject  is  a  devout  Catholic  in  reli- 
gion. In  politics  he  has  maintained  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party,  is  strictly 
temperate,  and  an  ardent  advocate  of  the 
abolishment  of  the  American  saloon. 


|OBERT  E.  SANDS,  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Rushville,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  Rushville  township,  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  April  15,  1849,  a  son  of  Robert  R. 
Sands,  who  was  born  in  Washington,  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia.  The  paternal  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  Robert  Sands,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  of  Scotch  ancestry;  upon  coming  to 
to  the  United  States  he  located  in  the  capital 
city,  where  he  resided  several  years.  In  1831 
he  removed  to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  and 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Rushville  town- 
ship; he  entered  a  tract  of  Government  land 
on  section  8,  improved  the  place,  and  occu- 
pied it  until  his  death.  Robert  R.  Sands 
was  a  child  of  eight  years  when  his  parents 
come  to  Illinois;  at  that  time  there  were  few 
settlers,  and  Rushville  was  but  a  hamlet; 
deer,  wild  turkeys  and  other  game  were 
plentiful;  there  were  no  railroads  and  for 
many  years  the  river  towns  were  the  market 
places.  The  following  incident  related  by 
Mr.  Sands  is  worthy  of  record:  One  season 
his  father  raised  about  1,000  bushels  of  corn; 


he  shelled  it  in  a  machine  operated  by  hand, 
teamed  it  to  Frederick,  and  sold  it  for  fifteen 
cents  a  bushel!  Robert  R.  Sands  inherited 
land  from  his  father  which  he  occupied  until 
his  death.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Frances  Nail,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  a  daughter  of  Gabriel  Nail,  also  a  Ken- 
tuckian  by  birth,  and  a  pioneer  of  Schuyler 
county;  she  died  on  the  home  farm  in  April, 
1870. 

Robert  E.  Sands  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  town,  and  was  never  separated 
from  his  parents  until  the  hand  of  death  was 
laid  upon  them.  He  then  purchased  the  in- 
terest of  the  other  heirs  in  the  homestead, 
and  was  actively  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  March  14,  1892,  when  he 
sold  the  farm,  and  removed  to  Rushville. 

Mr.  Sands  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1873, 
to  Sarah  Montooth,  a  native  of  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvsnia.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Walter  E.,  Kate  Alice  and  Mary 
Stella.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sands  are  worthy  and 
consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Politically  he  supports  the 
issues  of  the  Republican  party. 


fOHN  F.  SNYDER,  a  progressive  and 
enterprising  agriculturist  of  Littleton 
township,  is  a  native  son  of  Illinois, 
born  at  Rushville,  Schuyler  county,  Novem- 
ber 20,  1849,  a  son  of  William  and  Jane 
(Little)  Snyder;  the  father  was  born  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  April  23,  1803, 
and  was  a  cabinetmaker  by  trade;  he  pene- 
trated the  frontier  in  1835,  and  settled  at 
Rushville,  where  he  followed  his  trade  until 
removing  to  Littleton  township  in  1854;  here 
he  engaged  in  farming  in  connection  with 
his  other  vocation.  His  father,  Heury  Sny- 


SGHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


605 


der,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Keystone  State, 
but  emigrated  to  the  West  and  died  in  Rush- 
ville  township  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven, 
October  23,  1835.  William  Snyder  died  on 
the  i'arm  now  occupied  by  his  son  John  F., 
September  22,  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years;  his  wife  was  a  Pennsylvanianby 
by  birth,  and  now  deceased.  They  reared  a 
family  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living,  viz.:  John  F..  who  lived  upon  his 
father's  farm  until  the  death  of  the  latter; 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Davidson,  Mrs.  Ellen  De  Witt 
Mrs.  Susan  Dooley,  and  William.  James  Lit- 
tle, the  maternal  grandfather  of  John  F 
Snyder,  departed  this  life  October  19,  1855, 
aged  seventy-one  years,  and  his  wife  Septem- 
ber 10,  1864,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  her 
age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  first  mar- 
ried October  2,  1873,  to  Miss  Frances  Park, 
who  was  born,  reared,  and  died  in  tins  county; 
she  was  a  daughter  of  Washington  and  Maria 
Park,  natives  of  Ohio,  who  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  this  county;  the  parents  are 
deceased.  Mr.  Snyder's  second  marriage 
was  May  12,  1880,  when  he  was  united  to 
Miss  Brunette  Spragg;  she  was  born  in 
Lewis  county,  Kentucky,  August  25,  1858. 
Five  children  have  been  born  of  this  qnion, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living:  Ma,ry  J. 
dates  her  birth  March  12,  1881;  Martha  E. 
was  born  September  10,  1883,  and  died  April 
16,  1889;  William  H.,  born  December  23, 
1885,  died  September  16,  1887;  John  L. 
was  born  December  8,  1889,  and  Charles 
Beam,  July  26,  1892.  Mrs.  Snyder's  parents 
are  William  P.  and  Mary  B.  (Scott)  Spragg, 
natives  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  respectively; 
they  are  now  residents  of  Nashville,  Tennes- 
see. William  P.  Spragg  was  born  Novem- 
ber 22,  1837,  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio.  His 
father,  N.  B.  Spragg,  was  born  in  the  State 

40 


of  Pennsylvania,  October  1,  1797.  His  wife, 
Rhoda  Green,  was  born  in  Fail-field  county, 
Ohio,  July,  1795,  the  second  white  child  born 
in  that  county.  Mary  B.  Spragg,  Mrs. 
Snyder's  mother,  was  born  iriGreenup  county, 
Kentucky,  November  4,  1835,  and  married 
William  P.  Spragg,  December  2, 1855.  Her 
father,  Jacob  Scott,  was  born  in  the  State  of 
North  Carolina,  January  15,  1798,  and  his 
wife,  nee  Catherine  Thompson,  was  born  in 
Lewis  county,  Kentucky,  June  24,  1802. 
Mr.  Snyder  settled  on  his  father's  farm 
after  his  marriage,  purchasing  fifty-four  acres 
of  land;  as  his  means  increased,  he  made 
additional  investments,  and  now  owns  210 
acres,  all  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He 
carried  on  his  agricultural  pursuits  with 
great  intelligence  and  energy,  and  has  met 
with  merited  success;  he  gives  especial  atten- 
tion to  the  raising  of  live-stock,  and  has 
some  very  fine  specimens  on  his  place. 

Politically  our  worthy  subject  adheres  to 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  as 
did  his  father  before  him.  He  has  tilled  some 
of  the  local  offices,  and  has  discharged  the 
duties  intrusted  to  him  with  a  zeal  and 
ability  that  have  won  the  confidence  of  the 
con^m unity.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  are 
both  active  workers  in  the  cause  of  the  Mas- 
ter. His  father  was  also  a  zealous  church- 
man, and  for  many  years,  was  a  Class-leader 
on  the  frontier.  Mr.  Snyder  belongs  to 
Littleton  Lodge,  No.  766,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  was  not  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  but  his 
brother  William  was  in  the  service  two  years, 
in  Company  A,  Tenth  Missouri  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Corinth. 

Concerning  Mrs.  Jane  Snyder,  deceased , 
the  mother  of  the  subject  of  the  foregoing 
sketch,  we  are  furnished  with  the  following 


600 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    CASH, 


additional  items:  She  was  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
James  and  Mrs.  Rebecca  Little,  and  was  born 
in  Columbia,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  the  26th  day  of  Jnly,  1810.  On  April  2, 
1833,  she  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mr. 
George  Carson,  who  survived  this  marriage 
but  fifty-seven  days,  leaving  a  young  bride 
to  mourn  his  untimely  death.  After  a  widow- 
hood of  nearly  two  years,  she  married  Mr. 
William  Snyder,  on  May  20,  1835,  and  soon 
after  they  removed  to  Illinois,  tirst  to  Jack- 
sonville, and  then  to  Eushville,  where  they 
resided  till  1854,  when  they  removed  to 
Littleton.  Mr.  Snyder  died  in  September, 
1875,  and  Mrs.  Snyder  remained  on  the  farm 
with  her  son,  John-  F.,  till,  within  the  last 
few  years,  she  has  been  making  her  home 
with  her  daughter,  first  at  Augusta,  and  then 
at  Plymouth,  spending  some  time  every  year 
with  her  son  at  the  old  home. 

She  had  returned  but  a  short  time  to  her 
home,  from  an  extended  visit  with  her  son, 
when  she  was  stricken  down  with  a  violent 
attack  of  flux,  and  notwithstanding  all  that 
physicians  could  do,  with  the  loving  care  and 
nursing  of  children  and  friends,  she  calmly 
departed  out  of  this  life  on  Friday,  Septem- 
ber 23, 1892,  after  only  five  days'  illness,  in  the 
eighty-third  year  of  her  age. 

Mrs.  Snyder  was  converted  and  united 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  when 
she  was  but  fifteen  years  old,  and  she  held 
fast  the  beginning  of  her  confidence  firm 
unto  the  end. 


iRS.  MARGARET  FRANCIS 
BO  WE,  widow  of  Thomas  Bowe,  was 
born  July  27,  1857.  Her  parents 
were  Lawrence  and  Mary  (Adams)  Costello, 
both  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  the  father 


having  been  born  in  Westmeath  Athlone, 
Ireland,  in  1822.  In  1844,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years,  he  emigrated  to  America, 
landing  in  New  York,  where  he  remained 
for  a  short  time,  going  thence  to  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  afterward  came  West  to  Mt.  Ster- 
ling, Illinois,  where  he  was  married,  Octo- 
ber 11,  1856.  The  worthy  parents  still  re- 
side on  their  farm,  two  and  one-half  miles 
west  of  Mt.  Sterling.  They  first  bought 
eighty  acres  and  lived  for  several  years  in  a 
small  log  house:  later  they  built  the  pleasant 
home  they  now  occupy.  It  is  a  seven- room, 
two- story  house.  Soon  afterward,  they  added 
a  large  barn  to  their  frame  buildings.  They 
began  life  with  but  little  means,  but  are  now 
well-to-do  farmers.  They  buried  an  infant 
son  and  daughter,  also  a  son,  James,  born 
July  23,  1864,  died  January  22,  1880,  in  his 
sixteenth  year;  and  Thomas,  born  April  6, 
1860,  died  April  3,  1880;  both  thus  dying 
within  three  months  of  each  other.  Another 
son,  Walter,  was  injured  by  a  runaway,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two,  in  Woodland 
Park,  Colorado,  where  he  had  gone  in  search 
of  health.  The  living  members  of  the  fam- 
ily are,  Mrs.  Eowe;  John,  First  Sergeant, 
Second  Artillery,  in  the  regular  army,  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Riley.  He  began  as  a  teams- 
ter when  eighteen,  but  volunteered  at  twenty- 
one,  and  was  made  Post  Librarian,  and  has 
been  regularly  promoted  until  he  is  now 
First  Sergeant.  This  young  man  is  quite  an 
adventurer,  having  started  out  on  his  life  of 
adventures  at  the  age  of  twelve,  without  the 
knowledge  of  his  parents,  who  thought  for  a 
long  while  that  he  was  dead,  and  were  re- 
joiced to  hear  from  him,  some  four  years  later, 
that  he  was  safe  and  well.  The  next  child 
was  Catherine  H.,  who  was  married  to  Elmer 
Byrns,  July  6,  1829,  and  now  resides  in  Mt. 
Sterling,  where  she  and  her  husband  intend 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


607 


to  make  their  future  home.  William  and 
Chris  are  young  men  at  home  on  the  farm. 
Their  parents  came  to  Illinois  when  young, 
Mr.  Costello  from  Pennsylvania,  and  Mrs. 
Costello  direct  from  Ireland.  Both  came 
without  means,  and  worked  by  the  week  and 
month,  and  they  have  been  very  successful, 
and  by  hard  work  and  economy  have  accumu- 
lated a  large  fortune  of  $20,000,  besides  their 
other  property,  which  is  very  valuable. 

August  7,  1892,  Mr.  Costello  started  for 
the  land  of  his  birth,  to  benefit  his  health  and 
visit  his  three  sisters  and  two  brothers,  who 
still  reside  there.  He  reached  his  home  in 
safety,  and  has  every  prospect  of  a  pleasant 
visit. 

Mrs.  Bowe  had  only  a  common  -school  edu- 
cation, but  has  improved  her  mind  by  read- 
ing. She  has  one  daughter,  Eva  May,  born 
January  23,1886,  twenty-nine  days  after  the 
death  of  her  husband.  Mr.  Bowe  left  500 
acres  of  land,  but  Mrs.  Bowe  only  received 
fifty-five  acres  of  it.  She  now  has  150  acres, 
having  bought  the  remainder  herself,  and 
this  large  farm  with  its  nice  buildings,  she, 
superintends  herself.  She  is  a,  very  remark- 
able lady  in  that  she  can  manage  the  estate 
in  so  able  a  manner. 


fOHN  K1RCHER,  a  practical  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  living  on  section  29,  town- 
ship 17,  range  11,  was  born  not  many 
miles  from  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  Germany, 
October  4,  1835.  His  father,  Henry,  was 
a  native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt.  He  grew  up  a 
farmer,  and  was  there  married  to  Elizabeth 
Folp,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  same 
province.  After  they  had  six  children,  they 
decided  to  try  their  fortunes  in  a  new  country. 
In  1847,  they  took  passage  on  board  a  sail- 


ing vessel  at  Havre  de  Grace,  France,  and  af- 
ter forty-seven  days  landed  in  New  Orleans, 
and  came  from  there  up  the  rivers  to  Beards- 
town.  Here  they  lived  a  short  time,  and  a 
few  months  after  landing  the  mother  died,  at 
the  birth  of  another  child,  when  she  was  in 
her  fortieth  year.  The  infant  died  also.  The 
children  have  been  taught  to  revere  her  name. 
Her  husband  is  yet  living,  aged  eighty-seven, 
making  his  home  with  his  son,  our  subject. 
He  has  been  a  cripple  for  forty  years,  having 
lost  his  leg  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a 
gun  in  the  hands  of  a  friend,  when  they  were 
out  hunting.  The  Lutheran  Church  has  al- 
ways been  his  choice,  as  it  was  that  of  his  wife, 
and  he  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  Our 
subject  and  a  sister,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Mi- 
chael Fortune,  of  Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  are 
the  only  remaining  children. 

John  liircher  landed  in  Beardstown  in 
1847.  His  mother  died  before  he  was  twelve 
years  old,  and  he  had  to  go  out  among  stran, 
gers  to  work  for  a  living.  In  1856,  he  bought 
his  first  forty  acres  of  land;  he  was  married 
the  same  year;  he  hired  to  a  man  to  work  on 
a  farm  at  §20  per  month,  and  boarded  him- 
self. The  next  year  he  rented  a  small  farm 
and  commenced  farming  for  himself,  and  im- 
proving his  forty  acres.  His  first  corn  was 
shelled  by  a  hand  sheller,  and  he  hauled  it  fif- 
teen miles  to  market,  and  got  fourteen  cents 
per  bushel  for  it.  From  then  on,  he  bought 
one  piece  of  land  after  another,  adjoining  his, 
when  he  could  get  it,  until  he  now  has  a  farm 
of  280  acres. 

He  was  married  in  Cass  county,  Illinois, 
to  Elizabeth  Rahn,  born  in  Hesse-Darm- 
stadt, near  the  birthplace  of  her  husband, 
coming  in  1854  with  her  parents,  John  and 
Mary  Rahn,  to  Cass  county.  Mr.  Rahn  was 
a  farmer  near  Arenzville.  He  died  Febru- 
ary 1,  1892,  agdd  eighty-two  years.  He 


608 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


had  come  to  this  country  in  1854,  with  his 
wife  and  family.  The  wife,  who  is  yet  liv- 
ing, is  eighty  years  old  and  lives  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Kircher.  They  were  always 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mrs. 
Kircher  is  the  only  daughter,  although  she 
has  three  brothers,  George,  living  in  Chris- 
tian county,  and  John  and  Henry,  living  in 
Casa  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kircher  have  had  eleven 
children:  Louisa  and  an  infant  died  young; 
Edward  married  Laura  Buck,  and  is  a  farmer 
in  this  county;  William  married  Josephine 
Buck,  and  is  also  a  farmer  in  this  county; 
Henry,  Frank,  Mary  E.,  Lena,  Anna,  Lucy 
and  Rosa  are  all  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kircher  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  Mr.  Kircher  and  his 
grown  sons  are  sound  Democrats.  They  are 
excellent  representatives  of  the  thrifty  Ger- 
man element  in  this  township. 


JBENEZER  SPINK,  the  able  editor  of 
the  Sangamon  Valley  Times,  of  Chan- 
dlerville,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Mason 
county,  this  State,  January  8,  1857,  his  par- 
ents being  Ebenezer  and  Fannie  (Baylor) 
Spink. 

The  originator  of  the  paternal  branch  of 
the  family  in  this  country  was  Daniel  Spink 
a  native  of  England,  who  emigrated  to  Amer' 
ica  in  middle  life,  settling  in  Rhode  island" 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Samuel' 
his  son,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island,  about  1784' 
and  married  Ruth  Slocumb,  also  a  native  of 
that  State.  Her  parents  were  Pelick  Slo- 
cumb and  Ruth  (Cappes),  her  mother  also  be- 
ing a  native  of  England,  and  both  parents  re- 
siding in  Rhode  Island  until  their  death. 
Both  Samuel  Spink  and  his  wife  resided  in 


the  State  in  which  they  were  born  until  their 
death,  which  occurred  in  1814,  at  the  age 
of  thirty  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children:  Washington,  William,  Louise 
Ann  and  Ebenezer,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Ebenezer  Spink,  Sr.,  was 
born  in  Prudence  Island,  in  JSarragansett  Bay, 
Rhode  Island,  April  12,  1812.  After  the 
death  of  his  father,  Ebenezer  went  with  his 
mother  to  Wickford,  on  Narragansett  bay, 
and  thence  to  Providence,  in  1822,  where  he 
received  instruction  in  the  rudimentary 
branches  of  education.  In  1825,  he  left 
home  and  worked  in  various  localities,  doing 
whatever  he  could  to  turn  an  honest  penny. 
He  finally  went  to  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  met  and  married  his  first  wife, 
Juliet  Nichols,  their  marriage  taking  place  in 
1832.  Two  years  later,  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Indiana,  whence  they  moved,  in 
1836,  to  Kentucky.  Two  children,  Alonzo 
and  Melissa,  were  born  to  this  marriage. 

Mr.  Spink,  Sr.,  was,  sometime  later,  sep- 
arated from  his  wife,  and  in  1843  married 
Fannie  Baylor,  an  estimable  lady  and  the 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Her 
parents  were  George  P.  and  Louise  E.  (Moy) 
Baylor,  who  were  married  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1823.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  served  twelve  years  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  for  which  he  received  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  Fulton  county,  this  State;  her  mother 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where  she  was 
born  in  1803.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  seven  now  living,  their 
daughter,  Fannie,  the  mother  of  our  subject, 
having  been  born  in  Pennsylvania,  July  18, 
1826.  The  parents  eventually  removed  from 
the  Keystone  State  to  Fulton  county,  Illinois, 
where  they  both  died,  the  mother  at  the  age 
of  fifty-one  years  and  the  father  aged  seventy- 
two. 


8CHU7LER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


609 


In  1853,  Mr.  Spink,  Sr.,  removed  with  his 
wife  and  children  to  Illinois,  by  boat,  landing 
at  Havana,  and  continued  to  reside  in  and 
near  that  city  until  his  death,  August  14, 
1892,  aged  eighty  years,  three  months  and 
twenty-seven  days. 

There  were  twelve  children  born  to  bless 
this  union.  Two  daughters  died  in  infancy. 
The  eldest,  Charles  H.,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, February  11,  1844.  He  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  Eighty-fifth  Regiment  of  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  in  1862,  and  was  killed  in 
the  battle  at  Peach  Tree  creek,  Georgia,  July 
20,  1864.  The  remaining  children  are  as 
follows:  Mary  E.  Haynes,  of  Blue  Mound, 
Kansas;  Isabelle  Chambers,  of  Mason  City, 
Illinois;  Joseph  E.,  of  Guthrie,  Oklahoma; 
George  W.,  of  Petersburg.  Illinois;  Clara 
Yates,  of  Havana,  Illinois;  Ebenezer,  of 
Chandlerville,  Illinois;  Walter  W.  and  James 
W.  of  Havana,  Illinois.;  and  Lilly  M.  Mor- 
genstein,  of  Topeka,  Illinois. 

Ebenezer  Spink,  Sr.,  being  one  of  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Mason  county,  was  well  known 
by  all  the  older  residents,  and  was  held  in 
high  esteem  as  a  neighbor  and  friend.  In 
1856  he  joined  the  New  Lebanon  Baptist 
Church,  on  Crane  creek,  and  lived  a  consist- 
ent Christian  life  ever  afterward.  Having  a 
large  family  he  never  accumulated  much 
property,  but  was  ever  a  most  kind  and  in- 
dulgent father  and  husband. 

Ebenezer  Spink,  Jr.,  whose  name  heads 
this  notice,  attended  the  schools  in  his  vicin- 
ity and  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  Havana, 
Illinois.  He  resided  in  Havana  until  1879, 
when  he  came  to  Chandlerville  and  engaged 
in  the  publication  of  The  Independent,  re- 
turning in  1881  to  Havana.  The  following 
year,  however,  he  again  removed  to  Chandler- 
ville, and  bought  out  the  Independent  and 
changed  the  name  to  The  Sangamon  Valley 


Times,  which  he  has  ever  since  continued  to 
edit  and   publish. 

When  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  was  mar- 
ried, in  Havana,  Illinois,  August  8,  1875,  to 
Miss  Anna  R.  Morrison,  an  estimable  lady,  a 
native  of  Havana,  where  she  was  born  Janu- 
ary 19,  1859.     She  was  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Virginia   (Derry)    Morrison,  prominent 
and  early   settlers  of  Illinois.     Her  paternal 
grandmother's  people  came  directly  from  the 
Emerald  Isle  to  America,  where    her   grand- 
mother   married    Thomas    Morrison.     They 
had  four  children,  one  of    whom   was   John 
Morrison,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Spink.     He  was 
born    in   Pennsylvania,   December  27,  1821, 
and  came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day.  He  was 
a  blacksmith,  which  occupation  he   followed 
through  life.     He  was  twice  married:  first  to 
Aurilla  E.  Jones,  July  1,  1848,  and  they  had 
two  children:  Amelia  A.  and  Marcus  J.  The 
latter  child    was    born  December   27,    1852, 
and  became  a  prominent  man;    he   died   Oc- 
tober 16,  1883.     On  February  16,  1853,  the 
devoted  wife   and    mother  died,  leaving  the 
son  to  the  care  of  her  husband,  the  daughter 
havingdied  in  infancy.  OnDecemberSl,  1854, 
the  father  married  again,  the  only  child  by  this 
marriage  being  Mrs.  Spink.     The  father  died 
in     Havana,    Illinois,   November    25,    1859. 
Mrs.    Spink's  mother,   Virginia   Derry,  was 
born  February  14,  1832,  in  Virginia,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  A.  S.  Baggett, 
both  natives  of  the  Old   Dominion,  the  latter 
having  been    born  near  Alexandria,  Virginia, 
on  September  20,  1808,  and  died  September 
21,  1890.     The  couple  were  married   March 
14,  1834,  and  reared  eleven  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  now  living,  there  being  also  thirty- 
four   grandchildren    and    twenty-nine  great- 
grandchildren.    Virginia  Derry's  grand    par- 
ents  were   Townsend    and  -   (Howard) 
Baggett,  both  natives  of  Virginia,  who,  as  far 


610 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CA8S, 


as  known,  lived  and  died  there,  surviving  to 
an  advanced  age. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spink  have  seven  children: 
Marcus  L.,  born  in  Havana,  July  21,  1877; 
John  C.,  born  in  the  same  place,  January  7, 
1879;  Ernest  O.,  born  January  23,  1881; 
Fay  JR.,  born  February  21,  1884;  Earl  M., 
born  March  16,  1888;  Flossie  M.,  born  Janu- 
ary 8,  1890;  and  Wallace,  born  January  31, 
1892. 

Mr.  Spink  belongs  to  the  Republican  party, 
casting  his  first  vote  for  General  James  A. 
Garfield,  for  President.  The  citizens  of 
Chandlerville  have  honored  him  with  official 
positions  several  times.  He  served  two 
terms  as  Treasurer  of  the  village  and  is  a 
member  of  the  School  Board.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Woodmen,  and  attends 
the  Congregational  Church.  Mrs.  Spink  is 
an  earnest  member  of  the  Woman's  Christian 
Temperance  Union. 

It  is  eminently  fitting  that  a  person  who 
wields  the  influence  of  an  editor  should  be  of 
high  moral  character  and  possess  the  courage 
to  express  his  honest  convictions,  both  of 
which  are  characteristics  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  and  as  such  he  deserves  the 
commendation  which  he  so  widely  receives. 


(DWIN  M.  ANDERSON,  member  of  the 
County  Board  of  Supervisors  and  pre- 
sident of  the  Rushville  Village  Board, 
first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  Louisburg, 
Greenbrier  county,  Virginia,  April  1,  1837. 
His  father,  James  L.  Anderson,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  "the  land  of  cakes,"  and  the 
home  of  Robert  Burns,  the  greatest  amatory 
poet  the  world  has  ever  known.  The  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  also  a  native  of 
Scotland,  in  which  historic  land  he  passed 


his  entire  life.  His  widow,  however,  came  to 
America,  and  spent  her  last  years  with  her 
son,  James  L.,  in  Rushville.  She  reared  four 
children,  of  whom  our  subject's  father  was 
the  only  one  to  cross  the  Atlantic  to  America. 
When  a  young  man  he  learned  the  trade  of  a 
silversmith,  and  upon  his  arrival  here  lived 
for  a  short  time  in  North  Carolina,  thence 
going  to  Louisburgh,  Virginia,  where  he  mar- 
ried. In  1848  he  moved  with  his  wife  and 
infant  child  to  Illinois,  coming  via  the  Ohio, 
Missouri  and  Illinois  rivers  to  Erie,  Schuy- 
ler  county,  thence  by  team  to  Rushville.  He 
followed  his  trade  for  a  short  time  and  then 
founded  a  weekly  newspaper,  which  he  con- 
ducted successfully  for  eight  or  ten  years. 
During  this  time  he  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  for  a  time  was  asso- 
ciated in  practice  with  Judge  Bagby.  He 
resided  here  until  his  death  in  1865.  His 
wife,  and  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
Maria  W.  Moore.  Her  parents  were  Samuel 
and  Jane  (Matthews)  Moore,  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia, as  was  also  their  daughter  Maria.  The 
latter  passed  away  February  21, 1872.  James 
L.  Anderson  was  formerly  a  Whig,  but  later 
became  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  man  of  more 
than  usual  ability  and  strength  of  character, 
and  served  several  years  as  Police  Magistrate 
and  Probate  Judge.  He  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason,  and  served  as  Grand  Secretary 
and  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
State,  a  distinction  conferred  upon  him  by 
reason  of  his  intelligence  and  high  character. 
His  four  children  were  named  Edwin  M., 
Bessie,  Edgar  and  Porter,  the  two  latter 
being  deceased. 

Edwin  M.  Anderson  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  liushville,  and  resided  here  continu- 
ously until  1862,  when  in  July  of  that  year 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and 
Nineteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 


SGHUTLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


611 


served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  Red  River  campaign  under 
General  Banks,  and  with  the  movements  at 
Nashville  under  General  Thomas.  He  was 
engaged  in  all  the  arduous  duties,  campaigns 
and  battles  participated  in  by  his  regiment, 
passing  through  it  all  with  gallantry  and 
patriotism  until  he  was  discharged  in  August, 
1865.  Dpon  his  return  home  he  secured 
employment  as  bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of 
Little  &  Ray,  and  remained  in  their  employ 
continuously  for  fourteen  years,  since  which 
time  he  has  not  been  engaged  in  active  busi- 
ness. Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Rush- 
ville  Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of 
Rushville  Chapter,  No.  184,  F.  A.  M.  Po- 
litically he  has  always  affiliated  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  was  elected  one  term 
as  County  Treasurer,  and  handled  the  finances 
of  the  county  in  an  able  and  creditable  man- 
ner. He  had  served  several  terms  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  County  Board  and  as  a  member  of 
the  building  committee  appointed  to  super- 
vise the  construction  of  the  county  court- 
house. He  has  shown  himself  eminently 
qualified  for  any  office  within  the  gift  of  his 
fellow-citizens. 


CHRIST.  J.  HUSS  is  a  retired  farmer, 
living  in  Beardstown,  and  was  born 
near  Westphalia,  Prussia,  March  11, 
1827.  He  came  of  respectable  German  par- 
ents and  was  the  second  of  the  family  to 
come  to  the  United  States,  corning  from 
Bremer- Haven  on  a  sailing  vessel,  which  was 
forty-two  days  on  the  water.  He  landed  in 
New  Orleans  and  came  thence  up  the  Illi- 
nois and  Mississippi  rivers  to  Beardstown, 
making  the  trip  in  nine  days.  He  had  a 
brother,  August,  now  deceased  who  had 


come  to  Beardstown  in  1845,  being  the  first 
to  come  to  the  country.  Our  subject  was 
fifteen  years  old  when  his  father,  Henry,  a 
farmer,  died,  having  been  engaged  on  a  farm 
in  Prussia,  Germany,-  for  forty-nine  years. 
He  was  seventy-two  years  old  when  he 
died,  and  was  a  Lutheran  in  religion- 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Caroline 
Andres,  and  she  survived  her  husband  some 
years,  dying  in  Prussia  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two.  She  was  a  life-long  and  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 
Christ,  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  now 
living  in  this  county.  A  sister,  Charlotta, 
wife  of  Henry  Backman,  lives  on  the  old 
farm  in  Germany. 

Our  subject  came  here  in  1849  when  a 
young  man  twenty-three  years  of  age.  He 
worked  one  year  on  a  farm  as  a  laborer.  In 
1850  he  began  teaming  in  Beardstown  and  in 
1861  he  sold  out  this  business  and  bought 
a  good  farm,  where  he  afterward  did  a  large 
stock  business  in  connection  with  grain 
farming.  In  1890  he  retired  to  the  city  of 
Arenzville,  where  he  lives  in  comfort,  enjoy- 
ing a  well-earned  fortune,  which  he  obtained 
by  his  own  efforts,  as  sisted  by  his  good  wife. 

He  was  married  in  Beardstown  to  Miss 
Mary  Bronkar,  who  was  born  August  29, 
1833,  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1848  with  her  parents, 
who  settled  in  Cass  county,  where  they  lived 
and  died.  Her  father,  Ernest  Bronkar,  was 
a  successful  farmer  and  lived  to  be  eighty 
years  of  age.  His  wife  lived  to  be  sixty- 
five.  Her  maiden  name  was  Mary  Kelver. 
They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  HUBS  are  parents  of  eleven 
children,  four  died  young,  an  infant,  Ed- 
ward, William,  Sr.,  and  William,  Jr.  The 
living  are,  August,  married  Mary  Kuhl- 
man  and  is  a  farmer  in  his  county;  Henry 


612 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    OAS8, 


is  a  shoemaker  and  dealer  in  the  firm  of 
Fish  &  HUBS,  married  to  Minnie  Coblones; 
Christian,  dealer  in  agricultural  implements 
and  groceries,  married  Mary  Hurbert;  John 
operates  his  father's  farm  in  this  county,  and 
married  Amelia  Buck;  Minnie  is  the  wife  of 
Peter  Hems,  a  farmer  in  this  county; 
George  is  a  farmer  of  this  county,  and  Lizzie 
is  at  home. 

This  is  one  of  the  large  and  most  respect- 
able families  in  the  county. 


SENRY  C.  FUNK,  a  well-to-do  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  of  township  17  north, 
range  11  west,  section  14,  near  Vir- 
ginia, Illinois,  was  born  in  this  precinct 
February  13,  1860.  His  parents  were  Con- 
rad and  Frederica  (Steiner)  Funk.  The  fa- 
ther was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Ger- 
many, December  26,  1832,  and  his  mother 
in  Texas,  December  5,  1839.  They  were 
married  in  Beardstown,  Illinois,  July  28, 
1857.  Conrad  came  to  Cass  county  in  1842 
with  his  mother,  his  father  having  died  on 
the  ocean.  They  came  directly  from  Europe 
to  Arenzville,  where  they  rented  for  a  short 
time,  afterward  removing  to  this  precinct, 
where  Conrad  purchased  a  farm,  having  at 
the  time  of  his  death  1,150  acres  of  land,  all 
except  304  acres  being  in  Monroe  precinct. 
He  died  upon  the  farm  where  our  subject 
now  resides,  March  8,  1888.  His  wife  still 
resides  at  the  old  homestead  where  her  un- 
married children  live. 

They  had  eight  children,  who  are  as  fol- 
lows: Willis  Conrad  died  in  childhood; 
Henry  C.,  our  subject;  Louis  A.  resides  up- 
on a  farm  near;  Rosa,  Mary,  George,  Emma, 
and  Frank,  living  at  home.  This  whole  family 
has  enjoyed  good  educational  advantages  and 
have  an  excellent  home. 


Henry  grew  to  manhood  upon  the  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  He  now  owns  360  acres  of  good 
land,  which  he  rents.  He  furnishes  all  the 
seed  and  gets  one  half  the  grain.  The  girls 
have  good  farms  and  the  brothers  are  equally 
well  off.  The  voters  of  the  family  are 
Democrats.  The  parents  were  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  and  the  whole  family 
is  prominent,  and  possesses  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  all  who  are  fortunate  enough 
to  know  them.  George  Edward  is  not  mar- 
ried, and  is  of  a  roving  spirit,  having  visited 
many  of  the  cities  of  the  West.  Early  in  life 
he  developed  a  fondness  for  fire-arms,  and  is 
now  one  of  the  best  rifle-shots  in  the  country. 
He  has  given  numerous  exhibitions  of  his 
skill  at  target  practice,  shooting  glass  balls, 
etc.,  and  has  always  come  out  beet  in  com- 
petition with  local  authorities.  He  was 
born  November  13,  1868,  on  the  farm 
where  his  mother  and  family  live  and  which 
is  his  home. 


fOHN  G.  KENDRICK,of  Elkhorn  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Lebanon,  New  Hamp- 
shire, February  18,  1828.  He  is  a  son 
of  Stephen  and  Martha  (Gerrish)  Kendrick. 
Stephen  came  to  Illinois  in  1841  with  his 
wife  and  two  children,  his  possessions  being 
.an  ox  team  and  $50  in  cash.  He  first  rented 
in  this  county  and  bought  forty  acres  of  land, 
where  he  died  when  eighty-four  years  of  age. 
Stephen's  father  was  a  merchant  of  Lebanon, 
New  Hampshire,  and  died  there  a  very  old 
man.  Stephen's  wife  was  named  Thankful 
Howe,  and  she  died  when  an  old  woman. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  one  of  eight 
children,  and  his  mother  one  of  seven  chil- 
dren. She  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  and 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


613 


died  at  the  home  of  her  son,  aged  sixty-one 
years. 

John  remained  at  home  until  married, 
and  went  to  the  district  school  with  James  A. 
Garfield.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith and  wagon  maker.  After  he  married 
he  rented  a  farm  near  his  father,  and  there 
lived  until  1872,  when  he  moved  into  his  own 
house,  and  now  owns  300  acres.  He  carries 
on  mixed  farming  and  has  been  very  success- 
ful. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

He  was  married  in  1850  to  Mary  Jaques, 
born  in  Allegany  county,  New  York,  April 
14,  1843,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Effie  (Fa- 
gort)  Jaqnes.  They  were  New  Yorkers,  who 
came  to  Illinois  in  1841.  Mrs.  Kendrick  is 
one  of  twelve  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ken- 
drick have  three  living  children:  Edward 
R.,  Fred  "W.  and  Emma.  The  boys  are  on 
the  land  their  father  owned.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
Mr.  Kendrick  is  a  Class-leader,  and  the  whole 
family  are  very  active  in  Sunday-school  work; 
in  fact  Mr.  Kendrick  is  active  in  every  good 
work,  especially  temperance  work,  and  has 
organized  several  temperance  societies.  No 
man  in  the  county  has  been  more  active  than 
Mr.  Kendrick  in  placing  it  in  the  position  it 
now  enjoys.  He  has  a  grand  record  for  local 
temperance  and  church  work,  and  is  highly 
s  teemed  throughout  the  county. 


?AMES  M,,  BENJAMIN  R.,  AND  WILL- 
IAM B.  WILSON   are  farmers  of  Elk- 
horn   township,  where    they  have  been 
residents  for  along  time.     Their  father,  John 
S.  Wilson,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  May  15, 
1817.     He  was  the  son  of    Reuben  Wilson, 


who  was  of  English  parents  and  a  successful 
farmer  of  New  Jersey.  (See  sketch  of  George 
W.  and  F.  M.  Wilson.)  Reuben  Wilson  re- 
moved to  Ohio  and  resided  there  a  few  years, 
and  in  1829  he  visited  Illinois  on  horseback, 
and  was  so  pleased  with  the  country  that  he 
emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1833,  and  settled  in 
Adams  county.  He  entered  sixteen  sections 
of  Government  land,  10,240  acres,  part  of 
which  was  included  in  the  township  of  Quincy. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  in  this  State  he  was 
taken  quite  sick,  and  was  rendered  helpless 
until  his  death  some  three  years  later.  He 
married  Susan  Carver,  of  New  Jersey,  and  of 
Holland  parents.  She  died  about  two  years 
after  her  husband.  John  Wilson  was  about 
sixteen  years  old  when  he  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  parents.  At  that  time  Adams  was 
but  little  settled,  and  Quincy  was  only  a  vil- 
lage, although  it  served  as  the  market  place 
for  the  farmers  for  many  miles  around.  He 
was  the  pioneer  teacher  for  Adams  county 
and  also  Brown  county,  and  as  there  were  no 
districts  all  were  taught  in  the  subscription 
school  in  a  little  log  house.  The  teacher  was 
obliged  to  board  around  among  the  people. 
He  was  married  November  30,  1843,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  J.  Adams,  born  in  1827,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Benjamin  Adams,  Sr.  They  had  six 
children,  namely:  Benjamin  B.,  born  No- 
vember 3,  1844;  Perlina,  born  December, 
1846;  Pernita,  born  March  25,  1849;  James 
M.,  born  May  26,  1851;  Dora  E.  was  born 
February  5,  1854;  William  B.,  born  Novem- 
bea  4,  1859.  Mr.  Wilson  bought  land  in  sec- 
tion 5,  and  built  a  log-cabin,  in  which  all  of 
his  children  were  born,  and  where  he  lived 
until  the  day  of  his  death,  on  April  22,  1875. 
His  wife  died  in  1892. 

The  brothers  have  always  resided  on  the 
old  homestead,  and  have  been  engaged  in 
farming.  They  have  received  a  good  educa- 


614 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS8, 


tion,  and  they  are  extensive  readers,  putting 
into  practice  the  ideas  they  receive  from  their 
papers.  Their  farm  is  one  of  the  best  and 
most  improved  in  the  county. 


§OHN  H.  TURKMAN.— Mr.  Tureman' 
father,  in  the  year  1827,  emigrated  to 
what  is  now  Cass  county,  with  his  family, 
which  then  comprised  a  wife  and  seven  chil- 
dren. He  purchased  from  a  man  named 
Myers  a  claim  to  a  tract  of  Government  land, 
and  some  time  later,  as  soon  as  he  could  ob- 
tain the  money,  entered  the  same  direct  from 
the  Government.  It  is  the  same  that  is  now 
owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  There 
was  then  a  log  cabin  on  the  place,  having  in 
it  neither  sawed  lumber  nor  nails;  the  boards 
on  the  roof  were  rived  by  hand  and  held  in 
place  by  weight- poles;  those  of  the  floor  were 
split  and  one  side  hewed  smooth, — called 
"  puncheons,"  about  six  feet  in  length. 
The  chimney  was  built  of  earth  and  sticks  on 
the  end  and  outside  of  the  building.  And  it 
was  in  this  humble  abode  that  John  H.  Ture- 
man was  born.  The  family  occupied  this 
dwelling  about  four  years,  when  Mr.  Ture- 
man erected  a  story-and-a-half  frame  house, — 
one  of  the  first  frame  dwellings  in  the  county. 
The  lumber  for  this  structure  was  all  sawed 
by  hand,  as  there  was  no  sawmill  in  the 
country.  A  platform  was  constructed,  on 
which  the  logs  were  rolled,  and  two  men 
operated  the  saw,  what  was  called  a  "  whip 
saw,"  one  man  standing  above,  the  other 
below.  The  father  was  a  resident  of  this 
place  until  his  death,  in  June,  1835,  when  he 
was  aged  about  fifty-two  years.  His  wife 
survived  him  many  years,  dying  in  1868, 
aged  seventy-nine  years.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Harbold,  and  she  was  born  in 


Pennsylvania,  of  Germany  ancestry.  Until 
seven  years  of  age  she  spoke  no  other  lan- 
guage than  the  German,  and  after  moving 
from  Pennsylvania  there  was  a  period  of 
twenty-one  years  during  which  time  she  did 
not  even  see  a  German-speaking  person. 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  twelve  chil- 
dren in  the  above  family:  Eliza,  the  wife  of 
William  Carr;  Ann,  who  married  James 
Cook;  David,  George,  Leonard,  Catherine, 
who  married  William  Patterson;  Arsenoin, 
who  married  Cabel  Patterson;  John  H. ; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  James  Allison ;  William 
A.;  Tracy;  and  Virginia,  who  married  George 
Davis.  Of  the  foregoing,  Catherine,  John 
H.,  William  and  Virginia  are  living. 

Mr.  Tureman,  our  subject,  was  born  and 
has  passed  his  entire  life  on  the  place  he  now 
owns  and  occupies  and  has  therefore  lived 
longer  on  one  place  than  any  other  person 
now  residing  in  the  county.  He  has  a  very 
retentive  memory  and  relates  many  interest- 
ing incidents  of  pioneer  days,  illustrating  the 
contrast  between  the  peculiar! ties  of  those  days 
and  the  present.  He  was  in  his  sixth  year 
when  his  father  died,  and  he  remembers  how 
he  seemed  to  be  his  father's  favorite,  for  his 
father  often  took  him  along  on  his  travels, 
thus  widening  our  subject's  experience  and 
the  scope  of  his  pleasures.  Their  grain  and 
other  products  were  all  marketed  at  Beards- 
town,  much  of  it  being  drawn  there  with  ox 
teams. 

On  one  occasion  they  camped  over  night  a 
short  distance  from  that  place,  which  was 
then  the  principal  market  for  this  part  of 
Illinois.  There  were  then  many  campers 
there,  some  having  come  from  Jacksonville, 
Springfield,  and  Decatur  for  merchandise. 
It  was  on  one  of  these  return  trips  that  the 
elder  Tureman  drew  the  second  load  of  mer- 
chandise that  was  ever  taken  to  Virginia,  the 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


615 


goods  being  for  Dr.  Hall,  who,  at  the  time, 
kept  the  only  store  in  the  place.  On  another 
occasion  he  took  acarding-machine  to  Jackson- 
ville, and  on  this  trip  they  stopped  on  the 
way  at  a  distillery  to  quench  their  thirst, 
distilleries  being  then  very  numerous  and 
their  products  pure  and  cheap.  The  people 
subsisted  principally  upon  wild  game  and 
produce  of  their  own  raising.  Deer,  wild 
turkey,  prairie  chickens,  etc.,  were  abundant. 
Bread  was  considered  a  great  luxury,  Corn 
meal  was  the  principal  breadstuff  in  use, 
sometimes  exclusively  so  for  long  periods. 

For  several  years  there  were  no  gristmills 
other  than  horse-mills  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  often  the  inhabitants  had  to 
grate  their  corn  on  a  perforated  tin  grater,  or 
pound  it  in  a  mortar.  The  first  gristmills 
started  were  operated  by  horse-power.  When 
but  a  boy  our  subject  used  to  take  a  sack  of 
shelled  corn  on  the  back  of  a  horse  to  mill, 
where  he  often  had  to  wait  all  day  for  his 
grist.  When  he  was  about  fourteen  there 
was  a  water-power  mill  at  Arenzville,  to 
which  he  took  grists. 

His  father  was  a  true  friend  of  popular 
education.  He  hired  a  teacher,  giving  him  a 
room  in  his  own  house.  But  in  those  days 
"  licking "  and  learning  went  together,  and 
John  came  in  for  his  share  of  the  "  lickings." 
His  sister,  Mrs.  Cook,  took  pity  on  him,  and 
on  one  occasion  lined  his  jacket  with  card- 
board made  of  brown  paper,  which  was  placed 
under  his  clothes,  as  a  protection  against  the 
customary  rough  usage  of  the  "  schoolmaster." 

His  other  brothers  having  left  home,  young 
Tureman  found  himself  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
with  the  management  of  the  farm  devolving 
upon  him.  Being  industrious  and  possessing 
good  judgment,  he  was  successful  from  the 
start.  In  the  course  of  time  he  bought  the 
interest  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  homestead, 


and  he  has  also  purchased  other  tracts  of  land. 
The  home  farm  contains  400  acres;  another 
farm,  in  Logan  county,  also  contains  400 
acres.  Mr.  Tureman's  life  has  not  only  been 
characterized  by  industry  and  enterprise,  but 
also  by  generosity  and  public  spirit.  In  1884 
he  erected  the  opera-house  in  Virginia, — a 
handsome,  well  built  structure,  64x120  feet 
in  dimensions,  two  stories  high  besides  base- 
ment, and  was,  at  the  time  it  was  erected,  the 
fines't,  building  in  any  town  of  its  size  in  the 
State  of  Illinois.  He  is  also  a  stockholder 
and  ii  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  in 
Virginia. 

Politically  Mr.  Tureman  was  originally  a 
Democrat.  In  1876  he  voted  for  Peter 
Cooper,  but,  previous  to  this,  a  revolution  in 
his  political  creed  had  occurred,  which  had 
its  incipiency  in  the  first  issue  of  greenbacks 
by  the  Government.  He  accepted  these  as 
safe  money,  because  it  had  the  stamp  of  the 
land,  was  a  creation  of  the  law,  and  conse- 
quently was  good,  and  would  remain  so  as 
long  as  the  Government  by  which  it  had 
been  issued  was  solvent.  In  this  he  was  an 
original  greenbacker.  At  this  time,  or  per- 
haps a  little  later,  Mr.  Tureman  began  to 
realize  the  drift  of  the  old  party  he  had  left; 
saw  that  the  famous  Kansas  and  Nebraska 
bills  were  shallow  pretenses  of  democracy, 
championed  by  Douglas  and  other  pro- slavery 
leaders  to  ultimately  carry  slavery  into  all 
the  unorganized  domains  of  the  Government. 
This  after-light  caused  him  many  doubts 
about  clinging  to  the  fortunes  of  a  party  bent 
upon  fostering  slavery  in  the  free  Territories 
from  1856  to  1864.  From  the  latter  date  on, 
he  has  not  been  in  harmony  with  either  of 
the  old  parties,  the  financial  policy  of  the 
Republican  party  being  particularly  distaste- 
ful to  him  in  all  its  collateral  branches.  He 
wants  no  dollar  redeemable  in  another  dollar, 


616 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OP    CASS, 


no  specie  base  to  hoodwink  and  give  the 
appearance  of  security  to  a  currency,  which 
is  as  good  without  a  promise  to  redeem  in 
specie  as  it  is  with  a  promise  to  redeem  and 
without  the  specie  with  which  to  do  it. 

Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Morgan  and 
Cass  County  Pioneer  Society,  of  which  he  has 
served  both  as  president  and  vice-president. 

He  was  married  December  5,  1851,  to 
Mary  J.  Davis,  a  native  of  Cass  county. 
Their  two  children  are  Parthena  and  John  F. 
The  former  is  the  wife  of  Hugh  W.  Harrison, 
of  Belleville,  this  State,  and  has  one  child, 
named  Zoe.  John  F.  married  Mary  Cald- 
well,  and  he  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness in  Virginia. 


ylCHARD  S.  BLACK,  an  intelligent, 
progressive  and  highly  esteemed  citizen 
of  Mound  Station,  Illinois,  and  repre- 
senting one  of  the  best  families  of  Schuyler 
county,  was  born  in  Woodstock  township, 
this  county,  May  28,  1832. 

His  father,  Richard  Black,  was  a  native  of 
Mecklenburg  county,  North  Carolina,  where 
he  attained  to  manhood.  Of  an  adventurous 
and  progressive  disposition,  he  removed  from 
his  native  county  to  Hancock  county,  Ken- 
tucky, in  an  early  day.  The  spirit  of  emi- 
gration, however,  was  too  strong  for  him  to 
resist,  and  after  a  few  years'  sojourn  in  Ken- 
tucky, we  again  see  him  moving  Westward. 
His  second  settlement  was  made  in  Dubois 
county,  in  what  was  then  Indiana  Territory. 
lu  1826,  he  again  moved  toward  the  setting 
sun,  moving  by  team  overland  to  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
four  children.  Arrived  at  his  destination,  he 
purchased  of  Willis  O'Neil  a  claim  to  the 
land  which  is  now  the  site  of  the  city  of 


Rushville.  On  the  organization  of  Schuyler 
county,  this  claim  was  selected  as  the  county 
seat,  and  it  was  consequently  taken  from  Mr. 
Black,  the  county  afterward  reimbursing  him 
in  part.  Thus  deprived  of  his  home,  he  re- 
moved five  miles  southward,  near  the  present 
site  of  Bethel  Church,  where  he  bought  a 
tract  of  patent  land.  He  erected  on  this  a 
log  cabin  sixteen  feet  square,  for  the  roof  of 
which  he  rived  clapboards,  and  split  puncheon 
for  the  floor,  while  he  made  his  chimney  of 
sticks  and  clay,  called  in  those  days  a  "  cat- 
and-stick  chimney."  He,  later,  built  an  ad- 
dition, making  a  double  log  cabin  with  an 
entry  between,  at  that  time  a  very  pretentious 
residence,  where  he  dwelt  until  his  death,  in 
1853.  The  maiden  name  of  his  second  wife 
was  Elizabeth  Fowler,  a  native  of  Jefferson 
county,  Kentucky.  She  reared  eight  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  were  her  husband's  by 
his  former  marriage.  These  children  were: 
Elizabeth,  William,  Isaac,  Cecelia,  John  L., 
Richard  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Aus- 
tin S.,  and  Monroe.  The  devoted  wife  and 
mother  survived  her  husband  and  spent  her 
declining  years  in  comfort  with  her  son  Isaac. 
Richard  S.,  whose  name  heads  this  biogra- 
phy, was  reared  and  educated  in  Schuyler 
county,  where  he  was  born.  He  attended 
the  pioneer  schools,  which  were  held  in  log 
houses  without  any  floors.  The  seats  were 
made  of  small  logs,  split  and  hewed  smooth 
on  one  side,  with  wooden  pegs  for  legs.  A 
piece  of  puncheon,  supported  by  wooden 
pins  inserted  in  the  sides  of  the  building, 
served  as  a  writing  desk  for  the  larger  schol- 
ars. The  country  was  sparsely  settled,  all 
land  that  was  not  patent  or  soldier's  land  be- 
ing owned  by  the  Government.  The  country 
was  mostly  inhabited  by  wild  Indians,  while 
game  abounded  in  great  profusion,  such  as 
deer,  bear,  rabbit,  turkey,  prairio  chicken, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


617 


grouse,  etc.,  and  the  streams  were  alive  with 
the  -choicest  fish.  No  mills  were  in  the 
country  at  that  time,  and  all  grain  was  ground 
by  hand.  The  pioneers  subsisted  on  wild 
game,  fish,  and  such  products  as  they  raised 
on  their  land.  All  clothing  was  of  home- 
spun, which  was  manufactured  by  the  women 
of  the  family,  who  carded  and  spun  the 
materials  and  afterward  cut  and  made 
the  garments,  and  that  at  a  time  when  sew- 
ing machines  were  unknown. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  resided  with  his 
parents  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when 
he  commenced  farming  for  himself  on  rented 
land  in  Bainbridge  township.  After  a  few 
years  of  industry  and  careful  management, 
he  had  sufficiently  prospered  to  be  able  to  buy 
land,  which  he  accordingly  did,  purchasing 
a  tract  in  the  same  township.  He  continued 
to  farm  this  land  until  1869,  when  he  sold 
out  and  bought  another  tract  in  Brown  county, 
on  which  he  remained  for  three  years.  This, 
he  also  sold,  and  removed  to  Adams  county, 
purchasinga  farm  in  Concord  township,  where 
he  resided  until  1884.  He  then  again  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  and  removed  to  Law- 
rence. Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  cider  and  vinegar  for  eight 
months.  The  climate  there  not  agreeing 
with  him,  he- returned  to  Mound  Station, 
and  entered  the  mercantile  business,  which 
he  successfully  continued  for  five  years.  For 
the  the  last  two  years  he  has  been  prosper- 
ously conducting  the  principal  hotel  of  Mound 
Station. 

Mr.  Black  was  first  married,  in  1857,  to 
Harriet  Terrill,  an  estimable  lady,  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Elizabeth  Terrill,  who  were  early 
and  prominent  settlers  of  Bainbridge  town- 
ship, where  their  daughter,  Harriet,  was  born. 
This  marriage  was  dissolved  by  death  in 
1883,  the  devoted  wife  and  mother  going  to 


her  reward.  Matilda,  the  only  surviving 
child,  is  now  the  wife  of  John  M.  Anderson, 
a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Huntsville  township, 
Schuyler  county.  They  have  three  children: 
Hattie,  Ora  and  John  Richard. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Black  was  again  married, 
his  second  wife  being  Mary  M.  McBrackney, 
a  native  of  Clayton,  Adams  county,  Illinois. 
Her  parents  were  Robert  and  Elizabeth 
(Marshall)  McBrackney,  both  born  in  Ireland, 
of  Scotch  ancestry.  Her  parents  resided  in 
their  native  country  until  1834,  when  they 
removed  to  Clayton,  Adams  county,  this 
State,  where  the  father  purchased  and  im- 
proved land,  on  which  he  resided  until  his 
death.  Both  parents  were  devout  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  faith 
they  reared  three  children. 

Mr.  Black  is,  politically,  a  Democrat,  and 
has  been  elected  by  his  constituents  to  vari- 
ous offices  of  trust.  He  was  for  seven  years 
an  efficient  member  of  the  Adams  county 
Board  of  Supervisors,  and  for  the  past  two 
years  has  represented  Lee  township  on  the 
Brown  County  Board.  He  and  his  worthy 
wife  are  esteemed  members  of  society,  being 
as  widely  respected  as  they  are  known. 


§OHN  SMITH  WALKER  was  born  in 
Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1826,  the  son  of  Andrew  Walker,  a 
native  of  the  same  State  and  county;  there 
the  father  was  reared  and  married;  he 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Adams  county  until 
1839,  when  he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  eight  children.  They 
made  the  entire  trip  overland,  and  on  their 
arrival  to  Schuyler  county  they  settled  on 


618 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    UF    CASS, 


what  is  now  Littleton  township.  Mr.  Walker 
rented  land,  and  later  purchased  a  tract  un- 
cultivated and  without  improvements;  he 
built  a  small  frame  house  and  log  stable,  and 
here  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days;  he 
died  in  1848.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Ann  Wilson,  a  native  of  Adams  county, 
Pennsylvania.  After  her  husband's  death 
Mrs.  Walker  lived  with  her  children  at  their 
various  homes  until  her  decease,  which  oc- 
curred in  October,  1870,  at  the  residence  of 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  John  McGaughey,  near 
Industry,  McDonough  county,  Illinois.  She 
was  buried  beside  her  husband  in  the  Camp 
Creek  cemetery  south  of  Macomb,  Illinois. 

John  Smith  Walker  is  one  of  a  family  of 
ten  children;  he  was  thirteen  years  of 
age  when  the  family  left  their  Pennsyl- 
vania home  and  penetrated  the  wilds  of 
the  frontier,  as  Illinois  was  then  called.  The 
country  was  thinly  settled;  there  were  no  rail- 
roads, game  was  abundant;  they  were  pio- 
neers, and  had  to  undergo  all  the  privations 
incident  to  the  settling  of  a  new  country. 
Our  subject  attended  the  common  schools 
taught  in  the  primitive  log  house,  conned  his 
lesson  while  sitting  on  a  puncheon  seat,  and 
learned  to  write  on  a  puncheon  desk.  He  as- 
sisted in  the  farm  work  and  resided  with 
his  parents  during  their  lifetime.  He  has 
been  successfnf  in  his  farming  operations, 
and  owns  at  this  time  200  acres  of  choice 
farming  land.  He  resided  on  his  farm  until 
1887,  when  he  removed  to  Rushville,  where 
he  now  makes  his  home. 

Mr.  Walker  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1868, 
to  Elizabeth  Hnckeby,  a  native  of  Brecken- 
ridge  county,  Kentucky,  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Huckeby,  her  parents  emigrated  to 
Illinois  in  1836,  making  the  journey  by  the 
river  on  steamboat;  they  were  pioneers  of 
Schuyler  county. 


The  mother  died  within  three  years  after 
coming  to  this  State  and  was  buried  in  the 
Thompson  cemetery  a  short  distance  south- 
west of  the  village  of  Littleton.  The  father 
married  again  and  removed  to  Fulton  county, 
where  he  resided  until  the  time  of  his  death 
in  March,  1847. 

Mrs.  Walker  was  but  sixteen  months  old 
when  she  was  brought  to  Illinois,  and  has 
therefore  witnessed  the  transformation  of 
the  country  from  a  wild  prairie  to  a  rich 
farming  community.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker 
are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Anna  and 
John. 


?OHN  FOOTE,  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  John  Foote  &  Son,  proprietors  of 
the  Rnshville  Hosiery  Factory,  was  born 
in  Leeds,  Yorkshire,  England,  January  17, 
1827.  His  father,  John  Foote,  was  a  native 
of  England,  and  a  weaver  by  trade;  he  oper- 
ated a  hand  loom  for  many  years,  and  spent 
his  last  days  in  Leeds.  He  married  Mar- 
garet Hines,  who  spent  her  entire  life  in  Eng- 
land. Three  of  their  children  came  to  Amer- 
ica, Frank,  Mary  and  John.  The  last  named, 
the  subject  of  this  biography,  began  when 
quite  young  to  learn  the  trade  of  cloth  dresser, 
and  followed  this  vocation  in  Leeds  until  1844. 
In  July  of  that  year  he  sailed  from  Liverpool 
on  board  the  Greenock,  and  landed  in  New 
York  city  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks.  He 
went  directly  to  Boston,  and  thence  to  Mill- 
bury,  Massachusetts,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  for  two  years;  he  was  afterward  in 
Cherry  Valley  and  Foxboro;  and  later  went 
to  Oxford,  Massachussetts,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  a  satinette  factory  for  a  few  months. 
Next  he  went  to  Winchester,  where  he  was  in 
a  flannel  factory,  and  after  that  to  a  place 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


619 


now  called  Bridgewater,  Massaclmsets,  where 
he  worked  at  the  boot  and  shoe  trade  until  th 
beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  At  this  time  he 
went  to  Newport,  New  Hampshire,  and  secured 
employment  in  a  flannel  factory.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  removed  to  Charleston, 
but  in  1866  went  to  Michigan;  he  resided  in 
that  State  for  two  years,  and  then  removed  to 
Rock  Island,  Illinois,  where  he  was  foreman 
in  the  carding  and  spinning  department  of 
the  Rock  Island  Woolen  Mills,  a  position  he 
filled  until  1874.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Rushville,  and  two  years  later  established 
the  Rushville  Hosiery  Factory,  which  has 
been  in  successful  operation  since  that  time; 
both  cotton  and  woolen  hose  are  maufact- 
ured,  and  are  sold  directly  to  the  trade  in 
Illinois,  Indiana,  Iowa  and  Nebraska. 

Mr.  Foote  was  united  in  marriage  in  Fox- 
boro,  Massachusetts,  in  May,  1846,  to  Mar- 
tha A.  Childs.  a  native  of  Maine  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Amos  Childs;  there  are  five  surviving 
children  born  of  this  union:  Charles  F.,  Al- 
fred A.,  Ada,  John  W.  and  George  H.  The 
last  named  is  in  partnership  with  his  father. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foot  are  zealous  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  are  act- 
ive in  all  movements  tending  to  elevate  hu- 
manity. Politically,  Mr.  Foote  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party. 


IEORGE  W.  AND  F.  M.  WILSON  are 
among  the  few  men  in  Brown  county 
who  own  and  occupy  the  same  farm 
on  which  they  were  born  and  on  which  they 
have  resided  continuously  since  childhood. 
Their  grandfather,  Savile  Wilson,  was  born 
in  Egg  Harbor  city,  New  Jersey,  in  1770, 
of  English  parents.  He  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, owning  several  hundred  acres  of 


choice  agricultural  land.  He  made  a  specialty 
of  dairying,  having  several  hundred  milk 
cows,  and  made  cheese  and  butter,  which  he 
marketed  in  New  York  city  and  Philadelphia. 
He  also  engaged  extensively  in  truck  farm- 
ing and  poultry  raising.  Iii  1790,  he  mar- 
ried Susan  Carver,  and  they  had  seven 
children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  On 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  of  1812,  he  enlisted 
in  a  New  York  regiment,  and  participated  in 
most  of  the  great  battles.  He  was  in  the 
battle  of  Bladensburg  and  saw  Washington 
city  burned.  In  1817,  he  emigrated  to  Ohio, 
settling  near  Cincinnati,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming.  His  entire  family,  some  of 
whom  were  married  and  had  children  of 
their  own,  emigrated  with  him.  In  1825, 
he  removed  farther  westward,  settling  near 
Indianapolis,  Indiana.  Here  he  bought  640 
acres  of  wild  land,  from  which  he  and  his 
sons  proceeded  to  clear  the  timber,  prepara- 
tory to  its  cultivation.  One  would  have 
thought  that  a  man  who  had  passed  the 
meridian  of  life,  and  who  had  borne  the 
hardships  and  privations  of  two  settlements 
in  the  wilderness,  would  be  content  to  re- 
main where  he  was,  but  such  was  not  the 
case.  Indeed,  a  desire  for  change  increased 
with  the  gratification  of  a  naturally  ad- 
venturous and  roving  disposition.  Conse- 
quently, we  again  find  him,  in  1836,  turn- 
ing his  steps  toward  the  setting  sun.  This 
time  he  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Adams  county,  where  he  bought  twelve 
sections  of  land,  some  of  which  now  lies 
within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Quincy.  In 
this  same  year,  shortly  after  their  arrival  in 
the  Prairie  State,  the  devoted  wife  and  mother 
was  called  to  her  reward,  leaving  a  break  in 
in  the  family  which  time  could  never  repair. 
As  if  the  severance  of  those  tender  ties  was 
too  severe  a  blow  to  be  endured,  the  husband 


620 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CAS '8, 


and  father  also  expired,  two  years  afterward, 
in  1838.  They  were  aptly  mated,  both  be- 
ing persons  of  intelligence,  activity  and  great 
perseverance,  which  contributed  to  their 
marked  success  in  life.  Mr.  Wilson's  in- 
fluence and  strong  sense  of  justice  retained 
his  family  around  him  until  his  death,  many 
of  his  children  having  families  of  their  own. 
The  interests  of  these  were  consolidated, 
their  land  and  agricultural  interests  being 
held  in  partnership,  and  all  accomplished 
with  the  utmost  satisfaction  and  good  will. 
His  forethought  and  perseverance  were  re- 
markable, and  seldom  failed  to  carry  him 
forward  to  success.  As  witness  of  this,  we 
append  an  incident,  showing  with  what  care 
the  last  removal  of  the  family  to  Illinois  was 
contemplated  and  brought  to  a  happy  con- 
summation :  Previous  to  disposing  of  his  farm 
in  Indiana,  which  in  itself  was  contrary  to 
the  time-honored  custom,  of  leaping  first  and 
looking  afterward,  he  and  his  eldest  son, 
John  S.  Wilson,  went  all  over  the  proposed 
route  to  the  "West,"  as  Illinois  and  Mis- 
souri were  then  called,  traveling  through  the 
Prairie  State  to  St.  Louis,  thence  to  Fort 
Scott  and  Fort  Leavenworth,  at  that  time 
the  extreme  western  part  of  Missouri.  At 
the  latter  place  they  rested  a  few  days,  after 
covering  this  long  stretch  of  territory  on 
horseback,  and  then  resumed  their  journey 
homeward,  returning  by  way  of  Iowa  and 
central  Illinois.  This  was,  indeed,  an  under- 
taking in  those  days,  the  magnitude  of  which 
cannot  be  correctly  estimated  in  these  times 
of  rapid  and  comfortable  transit.  Their  way 
led  over  lonely  distances,  the  silence  of  which 
was,  at  times,  oppressive,  many  days  some- 
times elapsing  without  disclosing  to  view  a 
single  habitation  or  the  face  of  a  white  man. 
All  glory  be  to  those  who  went  before  and 
blazed  the  path  for  others  to  follow ! 


Reuben  Wilson,  father  of  the  subjects  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1790. 
The  schools  in  that  State  were  then  but 
primitive  affairs,  but  his  quick  perception 
and  inherited  judgment  stood  him  in  good 
stead,  and  he  imbibed  a  fair  amount  of 
knowledge  of  books.  He  married  Sarah 
Spencer,  a  bright,  active  girl,  whose  parents 
were  German.  His  father,  some  time  later, 
becoming  inspired  with  his  customary  desire 
for  travel,  Reuben  accompanied  him  to  Ohio, 
afterward  to  Indiana,  and  finally  to  Illinois. 
He  at  first  settled  in  Adams  county,  the  latter 
State,  whence  he  removed,  two  years  later, 
to  Brown  county,  locating  on  the  west  half 
of  section  32,  township  1  south,  3  west. 
Reuben  Wilson  was  thus  a  pioneer  in  three 
different  States,  and  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  hardships  and  privations  incidental 
to  settling  a  wild,  new  country.  He  was 
always  a  champion  of  education,  and  es- 
pecially favored  free  public  schools.  He  was 
one  of  three  or  four  men,  who  built  the  first 
school-house  in  district  No.  1  township  1 
south  3,  west,  which  served  for  school  purposes 
for  twenty  years.  It  was  christened  White 
Oak  College,  from  the  white  oak  logs  used  in 
its  construction,  and  that  name  still  clings 
to  the  large  frame  house,  which  took  its 
place  years  afterward.  He  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
to  which  he  had  belonged  from  his  twentieth 
year;  and  he  helped  organize  the  first  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  Brown  county, 
his  residence  often  serving  for  the  public 
meeting-house.  This  good  and  greatly  es- 
teemed man  was  called  from  this  life  in 
1855,  leaving  a  stricken  family  and  many 
friends  to  mourn  his  loss.  His  worthy  wife, 
Sarah,  the  companion  of  his  youth  and  sharer 
of  his  hardships,  survived  him  many  years, 
expiring  in  1873.  They  had  ten  children, 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


621 


seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  but  the 
two,  whose  names  head  this  biography,  hav- 
ing passed  away.  Following  are  their  uames: 

John  S.,  born  in  Hew  Jersey,  May  15, 
1817,  came  to  Brown  county,  where  he  died 
April  22,  1885;  he  married  Elizabeth 
Adams,  in  1845,  who  was  born  March  14, 
1827,  and  died  June  13,  1892;  they  had  six 
children,  three  sous  and  three  daughters,  all 
now  living  in  Brown  county. 

Savile  Wilson,  born  in  New  Jersey,  came 
to  Brown  county,  married  Mary  McDaniel, 
in  1845;  he  emigrated  to  Texas  in  1853,  and 
his  wife  died  in  Shreveport,  Louisiana,  with 
the  cholera,  on  the  way  to  their  destination; 
he  settled_  near  Gainesville,  Cooke  county, 
where  he  died  in  1880;  his  children  consisted 
of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  but  two 
now  dead. 

Reuben  J.,  born  in  Ohio,  came  with  his 
parents  to  Brown  county,  where  he  died  in 
1860;  he  married  Lncinda  Marden  in  1846, 
who  died  in  1889;  they  had  three  daughters 
and  one  son. 

Jesse  J.,  born  in  Ohio,  died  in  Brown 
county,  in  1877,  unmarried. 

Susan,  born  in  Indiana,  married  Silas 
Campbell  in  1868,  and  died  in  1878;  they 
had  three  daughters,  two  of  whom  survive. 

Hester,  born  in  Indiana,  married  Dr.  T.  J. 
Norvell,  and  died  in  1885. 

James  M.,  born  in  Indiana,  died  in  1847, 
in  boyhood. 

Sarah  Ann,  born  in  Adams  county,  Illi- 
nois, married  Arthur  Newenhan,  in  1872; 
she  died  in  Missouri,  in  1879;  they  had  two 
sons,  one  of  whom  is  now  living. 

George  W.  Wilson,  senior  partner  of  Wil- 
son &  Brother,  was  born  January  19,  1837, 
on  the  west  half  of  section  32,  township  1 
south,  3  west,  Brown  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  has  resided  continuously  ever  since.  He 


was  educated  in  the  country  schools,  which 
were  crude  at  that  time,  attending  usually 
for  three  months  during  the  winter.  He 
soon  learned  that  it  was  a  virtue  to  be  in- 
dustrious. The  chief  occupations  were:  cul- 
tivating and  harvesting  the  various  crops; 
attending  and  feeding  stock;  clearing  off 
new  land;  splitting  rails  and  building  fence. 
There  was  ample  recreation  in  the  hunting 
of  wild  game,  with  which  the  prairies  and 
woods  on  the  streams  abounded,  especially 
wild  turkey  and  smaller  game,  such  as 
squirrels,  quails,  etc.,  affording  great  sport 
in  shooting  and  trapping. 

When  twelve  years  of  age,  he  and  his 
younger  brother,  F.  M.  Wilson,  built  a  small 
pen  out  of  fence  rails,  covering  it  with  the 
same,  and  made  a  trap  door,  which  they  set 
for  turkey.  They  caught  ten  at  one  time, 
besides  one  or  two  on  various  other  occasions. 

He  was  never  married.  He  was  never 
identified  with  any  church,  although  a 
strictly  moral  and  upright  man.  He  ex- 
perienced a  great  affliction  in  1855,  when  his 
father  died,  leaving  him  and  F.  M.  Wilson, 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  and  their  mother, 
alone,  the  older  members  being  married  and 
having  homes  of  their  own.  Such  had  been 
their  training,  however,  that  they  successfully 
carried  on  the  farm  as  usual.  It  was  this 
trying  ordeal,  sharing  a  common  sorrow 
through  the  long  and  lonesome  days,  as  they 
went  about  their  daily  tasks,  that  laid  the 
foundation  for  the  partnership  which  has 
survived  for  more  than  a  generation.  In 
1880,  they,  in  company  with  William  Eckler 
and  Manville  Larkin,  took  a  trip  out  West, 
to  look  for  a  more  favorable  location.  After 
visiting  Missouri,  Kansas  and  other  por- 
tions of  the  West,  they  concluded  Illinois 
was  the  best  place,  and  accordingly  com- 
menced life  in  earnest. 


622 


BIOGRAPHIC 'AT.    REVIEW    OF    CASS, 


In  1865,  they  formed  a  partnership  in 
snwmilling,  of  which  the  members  were, 
Jesse  J.,  George  W.  and  F.  M.  Wilson,  the 
firm  name  being  Wilson  &  Brother.  They 
continued  successfully  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness for  eight  years,  sawing  large  quantities, 
which  they  shipped  to  Turner,  Jacksonville 
and  other  places,  besides  supplying  a  large 
home  trade,  and  in  the  meantime  they 
were  also  farming.  In  the  spring  of  1866 
and  1867,  they  set  out  a  large  orchard  of 
apple  trees,  covering  120  acres,  which,  after  a 
great  expense,  proved  a  failure,  the  winter 
of  1875  killing  the  trees,  so  they  had  to  be 
cut  down. 

In  1873,  they  were  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  their  devoted  mother,  who  went 
to  her  reward  after  a  life  of  the  purest  un- 
selfishness and  entire  subservience  to  the 
happiness  of  her  children.  She  was  widely 
known  in  her  community,  and  was  sincerely 
mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

In  1877,  Jesse  J.  Wilson  died,  and  the 
business  was  continued  by  the  two  brothers, 
who,  for  several  years  past,  have  carried  on 
general  farming  and  stock-raising.  At  the 
present  time  they  have  a  feed  mill,  where 
they  grind  all  the  grain  for  their  stock;  and 
they  have  also  a  small  sawmill,  which  they 
operate  principally  for  their  own  use. 

F.  M.  Wilson  was  born  March  3,  1839,  in 
Brown  county,  on  the  west  half  of  section 
32,  township  1  south,  3  west;  and  has  re- 
sided continuously  on  the  same  farm  ever 
since.  He  was  known  as  a  quiet,  unassum- 
ing boy,  ever  ready  to  stand  for  the  right 
and  condemn  the  wrong,  which  characteristic 
is  equally  marked  in  him  as  a  man.  He 
never  belonged  to  any  church,  but  is  an  up- 
right man,  accepting  for  his  guide  the  great- 
est of  rules,  that  "  Whatsoever  ye  would  that 
men  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  also  even 


unto  them."  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Grange  until  that  lodge  was  discontinued. 
He  belongs  to  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  is 
president  of  the  Board,  and  has  been  School 
Director  for  twenty  years,  which  position  lie 
still  holds. 

He  has  been  twice  married:  first,  in  1862, 
to  Martha  Carpenter,  who  died  the  following 
year.  In  1866,  he  married  Minerva  J. 
Richey,  who  died  in  1874,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren to  his  care,  a  son  and  daughter,  who 
are  living  at  home  with  him. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  vicinity,  then  called  subscrip- 
tion schools,  which  he  attended  for  three 
months  each  winter.  The  term  "subscrip- 
tion" arose  in  consequence  of  each  parent 
signing  a  paper,  which  assured  a  teacher  a 
certain  number  of  scholars,  the  tuition  be- 
ing usually  $2  for  each  child  for  a  term  of 
sixty  days,  including  the  teacher's  board, 
who  lived  arouud  for  equal  lengths  of  time 
among  the  various  families.  The  school 
houses  were  crude,  being  built  of  logs, 
usually  sixteen  feet  square,  with  a  stove  in 
the  center.  The  furniture  corresponded 
with  the  appearance  of  the  house,  the  seats 
being  made  of  slabs,  a  slab  being  the  first 
piece  sawed  from  a  log.  These  were  sup- 
ported by  wooden  pins,  inserted  in  auger 
holes  bored  in  the  bark  side.  These  seats 
were  placed  around  the  stove,  usually  about 
two  feet  apart.  For  writing-desks  a  plank 
was  fastened  to  the  walls,  all  around  the 
room.  Thus  in  this  room  would  be  crowded 
probably  forty  pupils,  of  ages  ranging  from 
five  to  twenty  years.  The  studies  were  neces- 
sarily crude,  nothing  being  attempted  but 
the  rudiments  of  reading,  writing  and 
ciphering,  often  denominated  the  "  three 
R's."  However,  on  the  foundation  thus  at- 
tained many  built  well,  and  afterward  took 


SCHUYLER    AND    BROWN    COUNTIES. 


623 


their  place    in  the  world  as  useful  members 
of  society. 

The  Messrs.  Wilson  have  witnessed  the 
improvements  extending  over  a  period  of 
half  a  century,  many  of  which  are  interest- 
ing for  a  later  generation  to  note.  The  first 
plowing  was  done  with  a  wooden  plow,  fur- 
nished with  an  iron  share.  A  complete  revo- 
lution has  been  made  in  agricultural  imple- 
ments and  methods  within  their  lifetime. 
One  of  them  still  bears  the  scars  on  his 
hands,  which  were  made  by  a  reaping  hook, 
in'  his  first  efforts  at  harvesting  wheat.  After 
this  came  the  cradle,  which  superseded  the 
reaping  hook;  later  the  horse-power  machines, 
the  grain  being  cut  by  horse-power,  after 
which  it  was  raked  from  the  platform  and 
made  into  bundles  by  hand.  Subsequently 
to  this  came  the  self -raking  reaper,  which 
was  a  great  saving  of  labor  entailed  in  hand 
raking.  After  this,  the  self-binder;  first 
with  wire,  then  with  twine,  and  bunching 
the  sheaves  together  ready  for  shocking. 
But,  there  have  been  more  improvements,  if 
possible,  in  threshing  and  cleaning  the 
grain.  First,  the  flail  and  tramping  floor 
were  used,  the  modus  operandi  being  as 
follows:  A  circle  of  sheaves,  five  or  six  feet 
wide  and  ten  or  twelve  paces  in  diameter, 
over  which  four  or  six  horses  would  tramp, 
until  the  grain  was  out.  Then  the  straw  was 
separated  from  the  chaff  and  wheat,  after 
which  the  wheat  was  run  through  a  fanning- 
mill,  to  clean  the  grain.  Fanning-mills  were  at 
first  few  in  number;  men  often  hauled  their 
wheat  and  chaff  five  or  six  miles  in  order  to 
get  it  cleaned;  often  paying  as  much  to  get 
their  wheat  fanned  as  it  now  costs  to  have 
it  threshed.  The  first  threshing  machines 
were  composed  of  a  cylinder,  operated  by  a 
belt,  which  threshed  the  grain,  but  did  not 
separate  it  from  the  straw,  which  was  after- 


ward accomplished  by  hand.  The  next  im- 
provement made,  was  a  separator  which,  as 
the  name  implied,  separated  the  straw  from 
the  wheat  and  chaff,  after  which  the  wheat 
had  to  be  fanned  free  from  the  chaff.  The 
cleaners  were  then  used,  which  cleaned  the 
grain  as  it  was  threshed. 

One  would  naturally  suppose  that  labor* 
saving  devices  would  have  been  readily 
adopted,  but  such  was  not  the  case.  There 
were  men  who  opposed  every  advance  that 
was  made.  They  clung  tenaciously  to  the 
reap-hook,  after  they  could  have  a  cradle; 
others  would  still  use  the  cradle  when  they 
could  have  a  horse-power  machine;  and,  in- 
credible as  it  may  seem,  there  were  binders 
destroyed  in  Brown  county  during  the  first 
year  of  their  use,  by  the  professional  harvest 
hands,  who  said  they  could  get  no  work  to  do. 


[KNEST  JOCKISCH,  a  practical  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  of  section  5  and  6,  of 
township  17,  range  11,  owns  a  fine  and 
well  improved  property  where  he  lives.  Al- 
together he  owns  about  500  acres  of  first- 
class  land,  400  acres  of  which  is  highly  im- 
proved and  supplied  with  first-class  build- 
ings. He  has  lived  in  the  county  since  he 
was  ten  years  of  age  and  has  owned  land 
farming  it  for  himself  since  he  was  twenty 
seven.  He  has  been  very  successful  and  is 
very  proud  of  his  efforts. 

He  was  born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  Febru- 
ary 6,  1825,  and  came  with  his  parents  and 
grandparents  to  the  United  States.  The 
family  began  life  here  as  poor  people  did  in 
those  days,  but  they  did  not  remain  poor  very 
long  and  are  all  rich  at  the  present  writing. 
They  have  done  much  to  build  up  Cass 
county,  where  many  of  them  yet  live,  and 


624 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    OF    CASS,    ETC.    COUNTIES. 


they  are  all  progressive  people.  (See  bio- 
graphy of  William  Jockisch.) 

Ernest  was  married  in  this  county  to 
Margaret  Deiglemeier,  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  coming  with  her  mother  and 
brother  to  the  United  States  when  she  was 
young.  The  family  settled  in  Cass  county. 
The  head  of  the  family  had  died  in  Germany 
before  they  started  on  their  trip  across  the 
ocean.  The  widowed  mother  died  soon  after 
her  arrival  in  this  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jockisch  are  the  parents  of 
seven  children:  Wilhelmina,  deceased  after 
marriage  and  birth  of  three  children,  yet  liv- 
ing. The  living  children  are:  Caroline,  wife 


of  Oscar  Lane,  farmer  of  Concord,  Morgan 
county,  Illinois;  William  A.,  a  farmer,  mar- 
ried to  Tilda  Carls;  Frank,  a  farmer  in  Cass 
county,  married  Emma  Hesler;  Louisa,  at 
home;  Charles  and  Henry  are  at  home  and 
farm  with  tlieir  father.  All  are  good  hard- 
working people.  Mr.  Jockisch,  wife  and 
children  are  members  of  Zion  German 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  they 
are  generous  supporters.  Mr.  Jockisch  and 
sons  are  all  Republicans  and  Mr.  Jockisch 
lias  held  i^cal  offices.  He  is  a  genial  man 
and  kind-hearted  neighbor,  and  is  highly  re- 
spected by  all. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


BIOGRAPHICAL  REVIEW  OF  CASS.  SCHUYLER  AN 


